Luke 10:25-37 (ESV)
And behold, a lawyer stood up to put him to the test, saying, “Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?” He said to him, “What is written in the Law? How do you read it?” 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.” And he said to him, “You have answered correctly; do this, and you will live.” But he, desiring to justify himself, said to Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?” 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. Now by chance a priest was going down that road, and when he saw him he passed by on the other side. So likewise a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. But a Samaritan, as he journeyed, came to where he was, and when he saw him, he had compassion. 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. 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.’ Which of these three, do you think, proved to be a neighbor to the man who fell among the robbers?” He said, “The one who showed him mercy.” And Jesus said to him, “You go, and do likewise.”
Devotional Meditation
There are three places in Luke’s gospel that speak of “compassion.”
The first time we see compassion in action is when Jesus encounters a funeral procession near the town of Nain. A widow’s only son has just died. Luke tells us that it is Jesus’ compassion that compels him to stop the funeral dead in its tracks, touch the coffin, and raise the son back to life--restoring him to his mother.
The other two illustrations of compassion in Luke’s gospel occur in two parables: The Good Samaritan and The Prodigal. In the former parable, it is the unlikely Samaritan who shows compassion to the man who has been robbed, beaten, and left for dead. His compassion compels him to treat the man’s wounds, raise him up, and make provision for him to be fully restored to health. In the latter parable, it is the Father who, upon seeing his son afar off, feels compassion. He sees this son who was once dead, runs to meet him, covers his sins with his words of absolution, and restores the full rights of sonship to him.
What is true compassion? Where does it come from? It’s often been pointed out that the words itself means to be moved intensely with strong emotions--particularly with feelings of pity. But these three passages taken together show us that true compassion is more than just an emotional response. It’s more than just well-wishes, good vibes, or even tears. True compassion always leads to action. True compassion leads to restoration, to life, to wholeness, to forgiveness of sins, and to salvation.
Jesus shows us God’s compassion for us in its fullest expression. We were dead in our trespasses and sins. We were beaten and robbed by our great enemy, the devil. We were rebellious sons who deserved nothing but our Father’s wrath and disdain. But Jesus came down from heaven to show us that the Father is not full of anger toward us, but full of compassion. Jesus looks upon us with compassion and then he goes to the cross to restore us to wholeness by his wounds, to heal our wounds with the medicine of his body and blood, and to hand us back to the Father by his pronouncement that we stand forgiven.
And now, we are God’s people who get to proclaim the good news of our compassionate Savior and Lord. We get to bind up the wounds of our neighbors with the healing words of the gospel that bring forgiveness and salvation, peace and wholeness, life and resurrection. Those who have been show mercy are the very ones who God now sends to show mercy. May God, by his Spirit, empower us to “go and do likewise.”