One of the most important ways we grow in Christ is showing compassion to others.
From Jesus
Matthew 11: 2-6
When John heard in prison what Christ was doing, he sent his disciples to ask him, "Are you the one who was to come, or should we expect someone else?" Jesus replied, "Go back and report to John what you hear and see: The blind receive sight, the lame walk, those who have leprosy are cured, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the good news is preached to the poor. Blessed is the man who does not fall away on account of me."
Matthew 9: 35-38
Jesus went through all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the good news of the kingdom and healing every disease and sickness. When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.”
Matthew 25: 31-46
“When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his throne in heavenly glory. All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left. Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’ “Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’ “The King will reply, ‘I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.’ “Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.’ “They also will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?’ “He will reply, ‘I tell you the truth, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.’ “Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life.”
Mark 1: 40-42
A man with leprosy came to him and begged him on his knees, “If you are willing, you can make me clean.” Filled with compassion, Jesus reached out his hand and touched the man. “I am willing,” he said. “Be clean!” Immediately the leprosy left him and he was cured.
Luke 10: 25-37
On one occasion an expert in the law stood up to test Jesus. “Teacher,” he asked, “what must I do to inherit eternal life?” “What is written in the Law?” he replied. “How do you read it?” He answered: “ ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind’; and, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’’” “You have answered correctly,” Jesus replied. “Do this and you will live.” But he wanted to justify himself, so he asked Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?” In reply Jesus said: “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, when he fell into the hands of robbers. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him and went away, leaving him half dead. A priest happened to be going down the same road, and when he saw the man, he passed by on the other side. So too, a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. But a Samaritan, as he traveled, came where the man was; and when he saw him, he took pity on him. He went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he put the man on his own donkey, took him to an inn and took care of him. The next day he took out two silver coins and gave them to the innkeeper. ‘Look after him,’ he said, ‘and when I return, I will reimburse you for any extra expense you may have.’ “Which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?” : The expert in the law replied, “The one who had mercy on him.” Jesus told him, “Go and do likewise.”
Luke 12: 32-34
“Do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father has been pleased to give you the kingdom. Sell your possessions and give to the poor. Provide purses for yourselves that will not wear out, a treasure in heaven that will not be exhausted, where no thief comes near and no moth destroys. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
Luke 14: 12-14
Then Jesus said to his host, “When you give a luncheon or dinner, do not invite your friends, your brothers or relatives, or your rich neighbors; if you do, they may invite you back and so you will be repaid. But when you give a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, and you will be blessed. Although they cannot repay you, you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous.”
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Other New Testament Passages
2Corinthians 1: 3 -4
Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God.
Colossians 3: 12
Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.
Old Testament Background
Deuteronomy 15: 11
There will always be poor people in the land. Therefore I command you to be openhanded toward your brothers and toward the poor and needy in your land.
Psalm 35: 10
My whole being will exclaim, “Who is like you, O LORD? You rescue the poor from those too strong for them, the poor and needy from those who rob them.”
Psalm 140: 12
I know that the LORD secures justice for the poor and upholds the cause of the needy.
Isaiah 61: 1
The Spirit of the Sovereign LORD is on me, because the LORD has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners,
Zechariah 7: 8-10
And the word of the LORD came again to Zechariah: “This is what the LORD Almighty says: ‘Administer true justice; show mercy and compassion to one another. Do not oppress the widow or the fatherless, the alien or the poor. In your hearts do not think evil of each other.’"
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Practical Application
Showing compassion is a wonderful thing to do. When we show compassion so many great things happen. We are being obedient to Jesus. We discover that we are being transformed as we seek to be a blessing to others. As we minister to others in Jesus' name, the power of the Holy Spirit flows through us, guiding and directing our thoughts and words. We are constantly amazed at how God can use us, and we grow in confidence the more that we show compassion to others.
However, we do need to be careful. Sometimes, in our desire to help people, we can make things worse for them. Three of the main errors are: 1.) failing to listen, 2.) trying to "fix" the other person's "problem", and 3.) trying to make the other person "feel better." Usually when something like this is going on the "helper" jumps in with a solution after listening for about two minutes, and then spends a lot of energy trying to get the person to smile and feel good. The person then smiles and acts like they feel better just to get the "helper" to go away.
On the other hand, when we really listen to people, not trying to fix their problem, but giving them the opportunity to talk it out and explore different options, some truly amazing things can happen. Most people know deep down what they need to do. They often just need a listening ear that helps them by giving them time to work things through and to be sensitive to the prompting of the Holy Spirit.
One very practical skill is called active listening. When we actively listen to someone we really try to understand what they are saying through attempting to summarize back to them their statements, giving them silence while they are trying to pull their thoughts together, and then even prompting them to say more about what they are going through. Most people are very rarely actually listened to, much less encouraged to fully express themselves. Just the act of listening actively is a tremendous way to show compassion.
After we have listened and understood, we don't have to try and make people feel better in an artificial way, because they will feel better because someone has taken the time to listen and understand them. Prayer is a tremendous resource to use as we show compassion to others. After we've really listened to people we can vocalize their concerns to God in prayer, and we can also ask God for what would be best for them in that situation.
There is also a place for practical, direct assistance to people in crisis situations. Sometimes people just need most from us our immediate assistance. The challenge for us is to not take a moment of crisis in someone's life and then use that as justification for beginning to run their life for them. We don't help people by forming co-dependent relationships with them, but we can, and should, help to meet the practical needs that they have.
There are benefits to working together in a community of servant minded people when trying to assist people with pressing needs. Become involved with helping organizations in your local community and participate in the compassion ministries of your local congregation as well.