Jesus taught by example that compassion is love in action. The Gospels are filled with stories about Jesus feeding the hungry and healing the sick.

Some examples:

▪ A crowd of 5,000 men and uncounted women and children, who followed Jesus into the desert after he had healed their sick, were without food, Jesus fed them with five loaves of bread and two fishes. The story is found in Matthew, 14. It is written that Jesus “was moved with compassion toward them.” Jesus showed his compassion with love in action.

▪ In another instance, a crowd of 4,000 men and uncounted women and children spent three days with him and were without food. Jesus fed the multitude with seven loaves of bread and a few fishes (Matthew, 15). Jesus showed his compassion with love in action.

▪ When Jesus passed two blind men who cried out for mercy, he touched their eyes and their sight was restored (Matthew, 20). Jesus showed his compassion with love in action.

▪ When a leper came to Jesus and asked to be clean again, Jesus touched him, and the man’s leprosy was cured. Jesus, according to Mark 1:4, was moved with compassion. He showed his compassion with love in action.

▪ When people saw Jesus and came to him, “because they were as sheep not having a shepherd,” Jesus was moved with compassion and began to teach them. See Mark 6:34. Jesus showed his compassion with love in action.

▪ When Jesus came upon a funeral procession of a man whose mother was widowed, he had compassion on the weeping mother. He restored her son to life. (See Luke 7:13) Again, Jesus showed his compassion with love in action.

▪ In Luke, 10, Jesus tells the story of the good Samaritan, who had compassion on a man wounded by thieves and left nearly dead. The Samaritan tended the man’s wounds and took him to an inn. He told the inn keeper to take care of the man. The Samaritan assured the innkeeper he would cover all bills connected with the care of the wounded man.The story, told by Jesus, wonderfully illustrates compassion through love in action.

▪ Jesus told another story of a father and his two sons. The younger son had squandered the money he was due to inherit. When he was broke and starving, he made the decision to go home again. When his father saw him, the father had compassion on his younger son and welcomed him back into the family. The story, found in Luke 15:11-32, shows compassion through love in action.

In 1 Peter 3:8, followers of Christ are told to have compassion for one another, and to love others as brothers.

James puts it bluntly: “If a brother or sister be naked, and destitute of daily food, and one of you say to them, Depart in peace, be ye warmed and filled; notwithstanding you give them not those things which are needful to the body; what does it profit?” Faith without works, says James, is dead. — James 3:15-17

If we are faithful to the teachings of Jesus, if we are kind and caring people of other faiths, or no faith, we will have compassion, and we will show our compassion through love in action.

Thankfully, many people in our world are “Good Samaritans.” Sadly, there are many who also “look the other way,” or blame those in dire need for their plight.

Jesus To Judge Our Actions

One of Jesus’ most revealing teachings is about the judgment to come when he takes into account how we treat one another:

     When the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory: And before him shall be gathered all nations: and he shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divides [his] sheep from the goats: 

And he shall set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on the left.

Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed

of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: For I was hungry, and you gave me meat:

I was thirsty, and you gave me drink: I was a stranger, and you took me in: Naked, and you clothed me: I was sick, and you visited me: I was in prison, and you came unto me. 

Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee hungry, and fed [thee]? or thirsty, and gave [thee] drink? When saw we thee a stranger, and took [thee] in? or naked, and clothed [thee]? Or when saw we thee sick, or in prison, and came unto thee?

And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as you have done [it] unto one of the least of these my brethren, you have done [it] unto me. 

Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, you cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels: For I was an hungry, and you gave me no meat: I was thirsty, and you gave me no drink: I was a stranger, and you took me not in: naked, and you clothed me not: sick, and in prison, and you visited me not. 

Then shall they also answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee hungry, or athirst, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not minister unto thee?

Then shall he answer them, saying, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as you did [it] not to one of the least of these, you did [it] not to me. And these shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal. — Matthew 25:31-46

–Sermon is found in Matthew, Chapters 5-7

Where Does Love Come From?

I choose to believe love comes from God the Giver of All that is Good, and Love is His greatest gift of all.