Mercy is Compassion in Action

Mercy is Compassion in Action

I have been thinking about compassion lately and the lack thereof.  I see compassion fatigue everywhere I look!  The busyness of life and our “to-do lists” can exhaust all of our human resources.  Today I want you to think of the two most important commandments,  “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your strength, and all your mind, and love your neighbor as yourself”  Luke 10:27. If we are to give out of what we have, yet we are depleted of the very thing we need to have, how are we to do what we are commanded to do?  And that is to love.

When Jesus walked on the Earth in the flesh, He was tested and questioned a lot by experts of the law of Moses, which God had given.   He walked in holiness and was Love itself.  He did all He saw the Father do and said all He heard the Father say.  It amazes me how often He was tested and ridiculed by those who adhered to the Law of Moses. 

One day, an expert of the religious law asked Jesus, “What should I do to inherit eternal life?” 

Jesus answered him, saying, “What does the law of Moses say to do? And how do you read it?”

The man answered, “You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your strength, and all your mind, and love your neighbor as yourself.”

“Right!” Jesus said, “do this, and you will live!”      

So the man wanting to justify his actions, asked Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?”

I find it interesting that the man wanted to justify his actions.  What actions?  He must have been thinking of people he considered his neighbors and those he did not.  Probably even thinking of some he had shunned.  I do not think we need to justify any of our actions if we truly walk in love because I believe that we do not think more highly of ourselves when we are walking in love.  

This is where I want you all to be, right here—thoughts about Law or Love, Compassion or the lack thereof.

Jesus answered the expert in the law of Moses with a story.   It was about a “Good Samaritan.”  Knowing how this man already felt about Samaritans.  They were an unclean breed.  They have mixed relations.  I’m sure you know the story, but let’s refresh our memory. Read Luke 10:25-37

Here we have a Jewish man who had been traveling from Jerusalem to Jericho and was jumped by some robbers.  They did not just rob him; they beat him up terribly within an inch of his life.  Then they left him lying there to die.

The first person to pass him on the road was a priest, which today could be anyone who teaches the Word of God, such as a pastor or a teacher.   As he  walks up to this Jewish man lying on the ground, who had been beaten within an inch of his life, what does the Priest do? He crosses the road to the other side.  Why?  Because the Law of Moses forbid him to touch anything unclean, and if he touched him, then he would not be able to do what he was supposed to do that day.  You know that “to-do list!”  

Next, we see a Levite who comes up to the Jewish man laying the road.  He would or could be anyone who serves in the church.  Co-leaders in the church, deacons, etc.  What does he do?  Surely he is not as busy as the Pastor; surely, he could get a little dirty to help this man? Nope, he, too, crosses the street because he does not want to become unclean; otherwise, he would be unable to do all he had to do that day–you know, his “to-do list.” 

Sadly, I cannot tell you how many ways this scenario is repeated to this day, but it is. 

Finally,  Jesus says, and I quote,  “Then a despised Samaritan came along, and when he saw the man, he felt compassion for him. Going over to him, the Samaritan soothed his wounds with olive oil and wine and bandaged them. Then he put the man on his own donkey and took him to an inn, where he took care of him. The next day he handed the innkeeper two silver coins,  telling him, ‘Take care of this man. If his bill runs higher than this, I’ll pay you the next time I’m here.’

Wow, interesting.  Not only did it cost him time, but it also cost him money.  The Samaritan probably had a “to-do list” that day too.   I’m sure of it.  But something was different about him.  I am not sure he felt he was going to be unclean.  Why? Because he was already considered unclean–by the Jewish people. 

Jesus asked, “Now, which of these three would you say was a neighbor to the man who was attacked by bandits?” 

The religious expert on the law of Moses replied, “The one who showed him mercy.”

 “Yes”, Jesus answered, “now go and do the same.”

It’s interesting to me that Jesus used a Samaritan man in His story to help a Jewish man who was hurt.  Samaritans were hated by the Jews because of their mixed ethnicity and their disregard for Jewish beliefs.  I always say, “Jesus does and says everything on purpose, with a purpose.”  When Jesus speaks, we should pause and listen intently.  So what was different about the Samaritan and the Priest and Levite?  What was the key ingredient?………………

It was compassion.

AND                            

Without compassion, we would not show mercy, 

AND

Mercy is love in action!

I believe most would have expected the Priest or the Levite to help.  I mean, it was their own people lying on the ground.  Not only that, they were loving people, right?  After all, it is what the law of Moses commanded them to do,  and they followed the law to the T.  I do not want to sound condescending, but I do want it to cause us to ponder as to why they did not stop.  What prevented them from feeling compassion for a fellow Jew?   

“Your love for one another will prove to the world that you are My disciples.”  -John 13:35

In Compassion, Mercy and Love,

Jen Meyers