Having Compassion One of Another

by Dr. Paul Kingsbury

Last week, we began this study on “compassion”. Let’s remember a few things:

In the language of the New Testament, the word compassion comes from the word sumpathes, from which we get our word ‘sympathy or sympathetic’. Compassion is rooted in a word that means ‘to experience pain together’. Someone said it this way, “Compassion is your pain in my heart.” When you and I have sympathy for someone, we feel their pain. Sympathy, or compassion, is an emotion.

Sympathy or compassion is when someone is hurting, and we hurt with them. I want you to understand with this exhortation of how to have compassion one of another, which is extremely important because usually when there is stress in a relationship or stress in your life, one of the first things to go is your compassion, because you don’t feel like being nice. You don’t feel like being kind. You don’t feel like being gentle. You don’t feel like being sacrificial. But you must remember, compassion is not a feeling! It is imperative that you and I learn how to have compassion when we are under stress in our relationships.

Last week, we discussed that compassion is measureable. In Psalm 78, the Bible says, “God is full of compassion.” That is a measurement. Secondly, compassion is a merciful. Lamentations 3:22, “It is of the Lord’s mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not.” Compassion, or feeling another’s pain, is not dependent upon what they cannot do, or what they have done, or what they will do for you or me. Compassion is a merciful emotion. Compassion shines the brightest when we have been mistreated. It is then that we can turn and have compassion for someone else, experiencing their pain. It is because of God’s mercy in our heart and in our life. Compassion is a measurable emotion; in this case, it is full. God says ‘it fails not’. When you and I have compassionate mercy on people, we will not give up on them. It should be our goal to be full of compassion that does not fail – merciful compassion.

Next, compassion is moving. Matthew 9:36 says, “But when he saw the multitudes, he was moved with compassion on them, because they fainted, and were scattered abroad, as sheep having no shepherd.” God has fullness of compassion; He has merciful compassion (it does not fail); and He has moving compassion. Five times in Matthew’s gospel, Christ and His compassion is put on display and specifically named. In each of these five occasions, we are going to see how to have compassion that is measurable, compassion that is merciful, and compassion that is moving. Like it or not, the duty of love or the commitment of love is not very motivating. But, when you mix it with genuine compassion, you are moved! When our feelings are engaged in something, we always do better at it; therefore, if I can love someone and have genuine compassion for them, I can actually feel their pain in my heart and carry it with me and share it with them. If I can successfully do this, I will be better at loving people. I’ll be more consistent at it. I’ll have a greater dedication to it.

How is your compassion? How does it measure? Is it merciful? Is it moving? Believe me, it shows in your relationships!