True Compassion

True compassion means reaching out to people who society may have labeled as unworthy.

Jesus healed many people in the Bible. I love the many different instances of His healing because they all show different sides of Him which help to lead to the heart of who He is.

In Mark 1:40-42, we find Jesus interacting with a man with leprosy. That in itself was not done. People were terrified of lepers and catching the dreaded disease and they had to live off by themselves with other lepers, separated from society and all of their family and friends.

The scripture tells us that, “A man with leprosy came and begged on his knees, “If you are willing, you can make me clean.” I love Jesus’ response. “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.”

Let’s look at the man first. He was at rock bottom. He had nowhere to go. Leprosy was a death sentence. People rarely recovered, cut off from everyone and everything that mattered to him, he seeks Jesus on his knees. He boldly states his faith, if you are willing, you can make me clean. He doesn’t ask if he can or if it’s possible. He knows Jesus can make him clean.

Before Jesus acts or says anything aloud to the man, the scripture tells us he was filled with compassion. Dictionary.com defines compassion as: a feeling of deep sympathy and sorrow for another who is stricken by misfortune, accompanied by a strong desire to alleviate suffering.

Jesus felt sorrow for the man’s pain. He had a deep desire to heal and help. But, that’s the heart of who Jesus is, isn’t it? He would willingly go on to the cross to make us all clean.

Filled with compassion, He reached out and touched the man. Here’s another big taboo for the time. Healthy people never touched lepers. I’m sure that people with leprosy longed for human touch, for a hug from another person, but it wasn’t allowed due to fear. Jesus of course, had no fear as He reached out and touched him.

I can’t imagine the emotions running through the man’s mind, hope, fear, joy, excitement, as Jesus reached for him and said those words. “I am willing.” “Be clean!” The leprosy left him.

He could actually look down at his body and see that it was no longer ravaged by sores. He was healed. His faith had healed him and despite Jesus’ warning not to tell anyone, the man told everyone he met. How could he not?

An encounter like that with Jesus would have been impossible not to share. But, I think Jesus set a beautiful example here for all Christians.

First of all, we should all be filled with more compassion for the hurting world around us. It’s awfully easy to judge those people who we consider, unclean in some way, but Jesus didn’t judge. He had compassion. He was willing to help and we should be as well. How are we doing at reaching out to a hurting world full of people who feel that they are too unclean for Jesus, to unclean for grace?

We can’t heal them or make them clean, but we can point to the One who can. Isn’t that what we are called to do in whatever little way we can, in whatever little corner of the earth where we are? How are we doing with compassion?

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂