Biblical Compassion
Doug Hayes
August 1, 2021
Luke 10:25-37
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The Parable of the Good Samaritan
[25] And behold, a lawyer stood up to put him to the test, saying, “Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?” [26] He said to him, “What is written in the Law? How do you read it?” [27] And he answered, “You shall 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 your neighbor as yourself.” [28] And he said to him, “You have answered correctly; do this, and you will live.”
[29] But he, desiring to justify himself, said to Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?” [30] Jesus replied, “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and he fell among robbers, who stripped him and beat him and departed, leaving him half dead. [31] Now by chance a priest was going down that road, and when he saw him he passed by on the other side. [32] So likewise a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. [33] But a Samaritan, as he journeyed, came to where he was, and when he saw him, he had compassion. [34] He went to him and bound up his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he set him on his own animal and brought him to an inn and took care of him. [35] And the next day he took out two denarii and gave them to the innkeeper, saying, ‘Take care of him, and whatever more you spend, I will repay you when I come back.’ [36] Which of these three, do you think, proved to be a neighbor to the man who fell among the robbers?” [37] He said, “The one who showed him mercy.” And Jesus said to him, “You go, and do likewise.” (ESV)
If we were to ask Jesus to describe in a word a single word what it looks like to love your neighbor as yourself, we can’t know for sure, but if we were to base our answer on our text, we might guess that he would may have chosen the word “compassion (verse 33).”
1. Compassion is active
- Compassion is a verb.
- We can liken it to love. It must result in action.
2. Compassion is costly
- Biblical compassion is costly and sometimes it embraces risks that would seem foolish apart from faith.
There is a mind-set in the prosperous West that we deserve painfree, trouble-free existence. When life deals us the opposite, we have a right not only to blame somebody or some system and to feel sorry for ourselves, but also to devote most of our time to coping, so that we have no time or energy left over for serving others. This mind-set gives a trajectory to life that is almost universal—namely, away from stress and toward comfort and safety and relief. Then within that very natural trajectory some people begin to think of ministry and find ways of serving God inside the boundaries set by the aims of self-protection. Then churches grow up in this mind-set, and it never occurs to anyone in such a community of believers that choosing discomfort, stress, and danger might be the right thing—even the normal, biblical thing—to do. – John Piper
3. Compassion is required
- The disciple of Jesus has no opt out clause when it comes to biblical compassion (verse 37).
- We need to remind ourselves this is not a man made ideal. This is Jesus portrait of what it looks like to love our neighbors.
- The Lord would remind us that it’s part of our calling as his disciples to go and do likewise to take initiative toward that need to cross over to the other side of the road and express the compassion.
Questions for Discussion/Application
- Re-read the text, Luke 10:25–37 What initial observations and insights do you have from reading this text?
- How does this passage show that compassion is active?
- What does compassion in action look like practically?
- How does this passage show that compassion is costly?
- How does the gospel show us what true compassion is all about?
- How personally do you want to grow in showing compassion to others?
- Would there be anything we could do as a Care Group to together show compassion to others?
- Take time to pray that God would help us to grow in this area of showing compassion to others,