Compassion. Who or what stirs it up in you?

I’ve begun a journey of discovering the compassion of Christ. The compassion of the Father. We see this characteristic woven throughout scripture, in God’s historic and faithful relationship with the Israelite people, and through the way Jesus engaged with the crowds of those surrounding him. We see a simple display of compassion in the book of Luke. Christ reacted with compassion. It was his instinct.

“Soon, afterward he went to a town called Nain, and his disciples and a great crowd went with him. As he drew near to the gate of the town, behold, a man who had died was being carried out, the only son of his mother, and she was a widow, and a considerable crowd from the town was with her. And when the Lord saw her, he had compassion on her and said to her, “Do not weep”. Then he came up and touched the bier, and the bearers stood still. And he said, “Young man, I say to you, arise.” And the dead man sat up and began to speak, and Jesus gave him to his mother. Fear seized them all, and they glorified God, saying, “A great prophet has arisen among us!” and “God has visited his people!” And this report about him spread through the whole of Judea and all the surrounding country.” – Luke 7:11-17

As I read this passage, I am captivated by Christ’s compassion. Regardless of his agenda or the crowd following him, Jesus took time to show compassion towards a widow… an outcast in society. He risked his reputation. If I desire to imitate Christ’s life, that doesn’t leave much room to turn away during the times he displays characteristics that are contrary to my human nature and desires… what’s uncomfortable for me. So I have committed to prayerfully asking myself, do I have a heart that can break? God, where is my heart cold and unresponsive? I might add, I am a little fearful of the answers to these questions, as I know what the answers can demand. Take a look in scripture (and the example above). When someone has a heart that can break, action quickly follows. After all, Jesus didn’t leave it at “do not weep”, he raised a life from the dead.