Compassion

Terror Bombings at the Boston Marathon. Tragic. Fertilizer Plant Explodes in West, Texas. Calamitous. A brother and sister's son hospitalized. Heart-wrenching. Another brother's parents battle with cancer. Harrowing.

Compassion
COMPASSION, n.

1. A suffering with another; painful sympathy; a sensation of sorrow excited by the distress or misfortunes of another; pity; commiseration. Compassion is a mixed passion, compounded of love and sorrow; at least some portion of love generally attends the pain or regret, or is excited by it. Extreme distress of an enemy even changes enmity into at least temporary affection.

 I have been guilty of trying to ignore the pain and suffering so prevalent on the news. As long as my life is rocking along ok, things are good. But pain has a way of seeking us out in this fallen world. And ignoring the pain of others is not an appropriate Christian response.

When he saw the crowds, he had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.
Matthew 9:36
 
When he went ashore he saw a great crowd, and he had compassion on them and healed their sick.
Matthew 14:14
 
When he went ashore he saw a great crowd, and he had compassion on them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd. And he began to teach them many things.
Mark 6:34

I noticed some time ago while reading through the gospels, the trend of Jesus "seeing" the crowds, followed by a compassionate response. As a sinful person, I NEED to SEE the pain of others to make my compassion swell. And as tragedies and calamities and illness rip at the lives of those dear (and unknown) to me, I turn more and more often to the hope that Christ will one day return and restore His world!

Behold! I tell you a mystery. We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we shall be changed. For this perishable body must put on the imperishable, and this mortal body must put on immortality. When the perishable puts on the imperishable, and the mortal puts on immortality, then shall come to pass the saying that is written: "Death is swallowed up in victory." "O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?" The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain.
1 Corinthians 15:51-58
 
For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the sons of God. For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of him who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to corruption and obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God. For we know that the whole creation has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until now. And not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies.
Romans 8:19-23