Our Lord Jesus Christ came to earth on a mission of mercy. God’s eternal attribute of mercy brought Christ from the joys of Heaven to the sorrows of earth. According to Isaiah 53:3, Christ was a “man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief.” This statement does not mean merely that Jesus witnessed the griefs of men. He witnessed those griefs and then He took our griefs upon Himself. Isaiah went on to say of the Messiah, “Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows” (Isaiah 53:4).

In His earthly ministry, Jesus manifested His mercy on many occasions. Indeed, it could be said that He lived constantly with a mindset of compassionate mercy. He satisfied the justice of God as well as the mercy of God by His sacrifice upon the cross of Calvary. Only in Jesus could mercy and justice find perfect harmony.

Regarding the mercy of our compassionate Savior, let’s consider one specific phrase found in the New Testament. The Greek New Testament often repeats a special compound verb that describes Christ’s mercy: σπλαγχνίζομαι (splagchnizomai). When read aloud, this verb may sound unusual to our ears, but it conveys the compassion of our Lord in a rich way. The verb literally means “to yearn from the bowels.” The compound verb is often translated “moved with compassion.”

The word is used on several important occasions in the life of Christ. Let’s examine three specific times the verb is used in Scripture and consider what practical lessons we can draw from these accounts.

When Christ had compassion upon the sheep without a shepherd

“But when he saw the multitudes, he was moved with compassion on them, because they fainted, and were scattered abroad, as sheep having no shepherd” (Matthew 9:36, emphasis added). This statement was made just after three accounts of healing: the cleansing of the demoniac, the healing of the woman with the issue of blood, and the raising of Jairus’s daughter. Christ was moved with compassion each time. His compassion was stirred not merely by the physical needs of men and women but also by the spiritual needs of His people who seemed like wandering sheep, helpless and lost.

It is relatively easy for us to feel pity for those who are suffering physically. However, it is sometimes more difficult for us to be “moved with compassion” when we see others’ spiritual needs. May God open our eyes and hearts so we might learn to be merciful as Christ is merciful. May He help us see and be moved to meet the spiritual needs, as well as other needs, of those who are lost and helpless like wandering sheep.

When Christ had compassion upon the sick

“And Jesus went forth, and saw a great multitude, and was moved with compassion toward them, and he healed their sick” (Matthew 14:14, emphasis added). In the preceding verses, Jesus had just come down from a secluded mountainside in the hills around the Sea of Galilee where He had retreated for a season of private communion with the Father. On several occasions during the busy days of His Galilean ministry, Jesus withdrew from the thronging crowds and spent time alone with the Father in prayer.

But on every occasion, Jesus descended the mountain again into the valley to behold the multitudes of sick and sinful humanity. On this particular occasion, He was “moved with compassion,” and His compassion was manifested in His healing the sick.

Have you ever enjoyed the solitude and solace of private prayer so much that you isolated yourself from the sick and sorrowful? It is easy to pursue private piety to such an extent that we become less caring and removed. Instead, ask God to make you more like the Master, so that you may arise from your prayer time as Jesus did: He descended the mountain after His refreshing time with the Father and reentered the valley to seek out and assist the sick and the sorrowful.

When Christ had compassion upon the leper

“And Jesus, moved with compassion, put forth his hand, and touched him, and saith unto him, I will; be thou clean” (Mark 1:41, emphasis added). Certain diseases cause us naturally to shrink back in horror rather than to respond with compassion. Repulsive diseases, nasty burns, infectious plagues, and filthy conditions sometimes affect people, even Christians, so that they want to avoid touching and ministering to certain needs. For an upright Jew in Bible times, the revolting, disgusting disease was leprosy.

In the opening chapter of Mark’s gospel, a vivid description is given of a leper approaching the Teacher from Nazareth with a plea for cleansing. “And there came a leper to him, beseeching him, and kneeling down to him, and saying unto him, If thou wilt, thou canst make me clean” (Mark 1:40). The typical Pharisee or Levite would have pulled back in horror from such a scene. Lepers often had ugly patches of white flaking skin covering the face and hands. Noxious sores festered all over the body as pieces of flesh dropped off.

Particularly affected were fingers and toes, noses and ears. These body parts would slowly rot and drop off, leaving lepers horribly disfigured. To touch a leper, even for a moment, was to become ceremonially unclean. No rabbi would ever think of touching a leper.

However, our Lord’s response was one of mercy and humble condescension. “And Jesus, moved with compassion, put forth his hand, and touched him, and saith unto him, I will; be thou clean” (Mark 1:41). In this case, instead of the normal process of the unclean defiling the clean, the reverse was true! The clean made the unclean man clean!

Whenever you meet a disgusting sin, a revolting disease, or an ugly situation, do not turn away in horror. Be “moved with compassion”! Point the sinner, the sick, and the needy to the cleansing power of the blood of Jesus and do what you appropriately can to alleviate their suffering.