Compassion with a Heart like Jesus
by David Wright
I’ll start with a confession; As I consider being compassionate and showing mercy toward others, I would love to tell you I am excellent. However, I miss the mark far too often when compared to what Jesus shows us. Nonetheless, 1 John 2:6 tells all of us who follow Him, “If I claim to be a Christian, I must live as Jesus lived.” I am a follower of Jesus, but far too often I am blind to the needs of those with whom I encounter and, in some cases, even those with whom I live, work, and worship.
A closer look at Jesus and His expressions and actions of compassion and mercy provide a blueprint for all of us to follow. Compassion was at the center of everything Jesus said and did. We see Him in the Gospels responding to human needs with empathy rather than judgement, tenderness rather than rejection. When He saw the hungry, He fed them. When He met the sick, He healed them. When He encountered sinners, He restored their dignity instead of condemning them. Compassion for Jesus was not a passing emotion – it was a way of life rooted in the love of God for all creation.
When Jesus healed those with leprosy, He did more than cleanse their skin. He restored them to community, showing His followers that compassion involves not just pity but restoration and inclusion. He also ignored cultural boundaries. This was the case when He spoke to the woman at the well showing that compassion transcends human prejudice. God’s love is not confined by tradition, class, gender, and ethnicity.
Compassion is active love. Jesus was moved to action many times throughout his ministry on earth. When He saw the grief of Mary and Martha at the tomb of Lazarus, He wept with them before raising their brother from his death. When He saw that the large crowds that followed Him were tired and hungry, He fed them.
We are challenged by the active love of Jesus to transform our own empathy into impactful and tangible service. We are called to visit the lonely, assist the poor, forgive those that hurt us and listen before judging. Jesus constantly teaches that compassion requires being present; it is not possible to love with action from a distance. When we draw close to others, especially those the world typically rejects, we participate in the same redemptive actions Jesus illustrated.
My personal challenge in being more compassionate is the need to reorder my priorities. Compassion requires the slowing down of one’s pace to truly see others. Perhaps it is the neighbor next door, one’s coworker struggling in silence, the young mother in the checkout line challenged by fussy kids while viewing an expanding food bill. We have current examples of compassionate impact around us; A patient teacher taking time with a challenged student, the caregiver tenderly looking after the sick, an uninterrupting friend who listens without offering shallow solutions. Jesus shows us that compassion is often expressed through small, consistent gestures of care that reflect divine love.
Compassion describes Jesus’ emotional depth; His universal concern reveals its breadth. He did not limit His care to any one group. He ministered to Jews and Gentiles, the rich, the poor, men and women, saints and sinners alike. His parables, such as the account of the Good Samaritan, challenge followers to expand their understanding of who qualifies as a “neighbor.” By using a despised foreigner as the account’s “hero” of moral goodness, Jesus flips the script and illustrates that mercy belongs wherever there is need.
To follow Jesus means striving to embody the same inclusive vision as His. It means confronting the subtle biases that cause us to withdraw compassion from some while giving it to others. True discipleship challenges our instincts to love those who are easy to love and to ignore those who are difficult. It asks us to look with God’s eyes; always seeing potential where others see failure, and dignity where others see shame.
When speaking of Jesus’ compassionate heart, we must include His willingness to forgive. When those who crucified Him mocked and tortured Him, He prayed for their forgiveness. When He encountered those trapped in guilt or sin, He offered mercy rather than condemnation. Forgiveness is perhaps the purest act of compassion because it releases both parties from the chains of resentment and pain.
Therefore, when we follow His example, we choose mercy over retaliation, patience over anger. We remember that compassion does not excuse wrongdoing but restores broken relationships through understanding and grace. No matter where we are; among family, at work, or in the community, the decision to forgive as Jesus forgave opens a path of peace that judgement cannot achieve.
This spirit of forgiveness also calls us to have compassion for ourselves. Jesus often invited weary souls to Him for rest, reminding us that self-compassion allows us to better serve others. We should recognize our limits and accept divine forgiveness for our imperfections which will help us live with humility and grace. The compassionate life begins from within, where we experience the mercy of God and then extend it outward.
Translating Jesus’ example into daily life requires intention. Compassion grows through practice; by training the heart to notice need, by pausing before reacting or engaging, and by acting with love rather than self-interest. It can be as simple as a word of kindness or as demanding as forgiving betrayal. Each act of compassion, however small, makes visible the presence of Christ in the world.
Jesus’ compassion and concern for all people remain an ever-present guide for personal growth and moral integrity. His life models love that crosses barriers, touches and heals wounds, and bridges divisions. To follow Him is to commit to this same compassionate vision: to see beyond prejudice, to value the overlooked, the left out, and to answer suffering with mercy.
Our world is divided by fear and self-interest. His way of love, compassionate concern, and mercy offer a path of renewal. His invitation stands open to every heart to become a living reflection of His divine love which gives itself freely, continuously, and universally. In living and serving this way we not only follow Jesus but help to make His compassion visible here and now; near and far.
“If I claim to be a Christian (and I do!), I must live as Jesus lived.”
