First, Compassion
"Moved with compassion, Jesus..."
-- Matthew 20:34, NASB
In chapter nine of Mark’s Gospel, a father came to the disciples begging them to help his son. The young man had suffered with fits for years, throwing himself into fire, and harming himself. Though the disciples had cast out demons before, they could not heal the boy.
When the father saw Jesus, he rushed to Him and asked Jesus to please help his boy. As soon as the son came toward Jesus, the evil spirit inside him, threw its victim to the ground. He went into convulsions and was foaming at the mouth at Jesus feet (Mark 9:20).
Jesus asked the father how long his boy had been suffering.
“From childhood,” the father said.
Think of how many years this family had dealt with the unpredictable, terrifying, and embarrassing manifestation of this boy’s troubles. I imagine friends and family avoided them. They probably couldn’t go out in public with him. I’m sure people talked about them, accused them of committing some horrible sin that would bring this on their child.
You know how we sometimes treat people who are struggling — we blame and gossip, causing more damage to the hurting. I guarantee you, this dad had tried everything he knew to do for his son.
Nothing helped.
He was losing hope.
Then he heard about Jesus.
As a society, we have failed to identify the maneuvers of Satan. We have ignored the cries of a generation calling for us to rescue them—to save them from themselves. If we are going to bring about the radical change needed in this world, we need a Spirit Revolution. We have to open our eyes, our ears, and our hearts. Then we must be willing to respond to the need, like Jesus did, without judgment.
Heavenly Father,
Thank You for Your lovingkindness and compassion. Through all my mistakes and shortcomings, you have been gracious and merciful to me. Even when I recognize the negatives in others, help me to only respond in love to their needs. I take an active stand against judgmental thoughts and gossip. Remove my pride and fill me with compassion.
In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
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