"A man with leprosy came and knelt in front of Jesus, begging to be healed. "If you are willing, you can heal me and make me clean," he said. Moved with compassion, Jesus reached out and touched him. "I am willing," He said. "Be healed!" Instantly the leprosy disappeared, and the man was healed." - Mark 1:41
I read this verse the other day during my intentional time with Jesus (I hate trite and cliche Christianese like "quiet time" so I just now made that up; just go with it). As I was reading, the word "compassion" stuck out to me above all the others. This word, like so many others in the English language, I comprehend but can't pinpoint a definition to. So like any good learner, I looked it up. But I didn't look it up in the English dictionary because although sometimes that is helpful, I know that the Bible was written in other languages before English (I know a NOVEL idea right?) and I know that often times words in other languages can encompass a meaning that it takes the English language 4 words to accomplish.
According to the Strong's Concordance, compassion comes from the Greek word "splagchnizomai" (yeah - say that three times fast) which means "to be moved in the inward parts." Some concordances even liken it to a bowel movement!
Regardless, I thought that was an extremely accurate portrayal of what compassion feels like. Think of the last time you had compassion on someone, that tug, that weight pulling on your heart that sinks down to your stomach - that's compassion.
Jesus is a pro at compassion. In Mark, He is approached by a leper. In Biblical times, lepers were lower than dirt and were not well respected by anyone due to the disease that plagued them. Now, I bet we are all sitting here thinking, "How could anyone single someone out for a disease? I would never do that!" You very well might not, but when is the last time you avoided someone with a cough uttering the words, "Ew! Don't get me sick!" That was what this leper experienced on a daily basis except his ailment was far more contagious than a common cold.
What I like is that Jesus always flocks to those who aren't well-known or accepted; He is drawn to those who need Him most.
There are so many layers to this like the fact that the man put God's glorious will above his own, or just his overall expression of faith; but I want to focus on Jesus here for a minute.
The word says that after the leper humbled himself enough to ask for healing, Jesus was moved with compassion. Jesus started to feel a movement in His inward parts to where He couldn't help but act. You see, when we humble ourselves before the Lord, admit that we are helpless, and make our requests for help known to Him, He is moved to act as a result of compassion.
The Lord led me to look to see where else this word was used in the same context; it's largely used in the gospels (no shocker there) but two HUGE stories stood out to me. The first was the story of the Good Samaritan (Luke 10:33) and the second was the Prodigal Son (Luke 15:20). In both the object of the compassion is one who is viewed negatively by society and the subject is one who has no reason to give said compassion to them. Both are a picture of Christ and both point back to the account with the leper.
As I was thinking of these three stories, I saw the same look on the face of the Samaritan, the father of the prodigal son, and most importantly of Jesus. The look I saw was a look of love. A look where the subject cares so deeply and is so moved by everything in them to help and care for this person. Picture that look of love on the face of the Savior. What do you need to ask God for assistance for? What have you been trying to do of your own strength for so long that you've worn yourself out over? I'd challenge you to take some "intentional time with Jesus" and do the following:
1. Humble yourself: stop acting like you've got this figured out and you can do it all by yourself.
2. Admit you're helpless: admit you've tried everything and nothing's worked.
3. Ask Him for help: pray. Talk to him and ask Him to provide His supernatural help, and let Him take over.
Just like the Samaritan provided the man help and a place to stay, and the father provided a feast in the son's honor, Jesus can provide you with what you need done for you just like He healed the leper instantly and completely as a response to the compassion in His heart. And I can guarantee you that much like the provision in those other stories, Jesus's way will vastly outdo your expectations.
