WATANI International
14 June 2009
[ Among the characteristics of love are kindness, compassion, and pity.
The first type of such love is natural love.
Natural love characterizes blood relations, i.e. of parents, brothers and sisters, where kindness is natural and the opposite is against nature. When Joseph##s brothers wanted to kill him, that cruelty was against the natural love supposed among brothers, but the natural love was apparent in the attempt of his brother Reuben to save him. However their natural love appeared when they tore their clothes and fell before Joseph to the ground entreating him for Benjamin to let him return lest their father die of grief for him. Furthermore, Judah asked Joseph to let him stay as a slave instead of Benjamin his brother not willing that any evil would befall their father (Gen 37: 19- 22; 42: 22).
The same applies to David with regard to Absalom: Although Absalom behaved against the natural love of a son towards his father, fighting him, taking his kingdom, and doing much evil to him, David nevertheless behaved as a father with natural love in kindness, commanding his men going to the war to deal gently with Absalom (2 Sam 18: 5). And when he knew of Absalom death in war he was deeply moved and wept and wished that he had died in his place! (2 Sam 18: 33) Such was the natural kind love of a father towards his son in spite of his deeds.
The Lord likened His love to mankind to such natural love.
He called us children and Himself our Father, and taught us to pray saying, “Our Father in heaven.” (Lk 11: 2) David likewise in the Psalms likened God##s compassionate love to a father##s love for his children, saying, “As a father pities his children, so the Lord pities those who fear Him.” (Ps 103: 13) As for a mother##s love the Lord said to Jerusalem, “Can a woman forget her nursing child, and not have compassion on the son of her womb? Surely they may forget, yet I will not forget you.” (Isa 49: 15) To such an extent is God##s love greater than a mother##s love!
An example of compassionate love is the love of the shepherd for his sheep.
The Lord says, “I will seek out My sheep and deliver them from all the places where they were scattered,” “I will feed My flock, and I will make them lie down … I will seek what was lost and bring back what was driven away, bind up the broken and strengthen what was sick,” (Ezek 34: 12- 16) “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd gives His life for the sheep,” “they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand.”(Jn 10: 11, 28)
Young David was such a good shepherd, as he said to King Saul, “Your servant used to keep his father##s sheep, and when a lion or a bear came and took a lamb out of the flock, I went out after it and struck it, and delivered the lamb from its mouth … has killed both lion and bear.”(1 Sam 17: 34- 36)
The Lord Christ in His kindness was the Good Shepherd: “He was moved with compassion for them (the multitude), because they were weary and scattered, like sheep having no shepherd.” (Mt 9: 36; Mk 6: 34) And in His compassion He went after the lost sheep, and finding it, He laid it on His shoulders rejoicing (Lk 15: 4, 5).
Love of this type involves compassion and pity on the heavy laden, the sorrowful and the mean-spirited.
An example is the Samaritan who saw a man who had fallen among thieves who stripped him and wounded him and left him half dead. He had compassion, bandaged his wounds, brought him to an inn, and took care of him (Lk 10: 30- 34).
The most prominent example of such love is the Lord Christ who said, “Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” (Mt 11: 28) In His love and compassion He wipes away every tear from our eyes (Rev 7: 17; 21: 4). He had compassion on the widow in Nain whose son had died and He said to her, “Do not weep,” touched the coffin, raised him and presented him to her (Lk 7: 12- 15). And in His compassion on the family of Lazarus He did not only raise him, but He also wept (Jn 11: 35) He is truly the Comforter of those who have no comforter, and the Helper of those who have no helper. Therefore the inspiration says to Jerusalem in (Isa 30: 19) “You shall weep no more. He will be very gracious to you at the sound of your cry; when He hears it, He will answer you.” He is indeed the Father of mercies and God of all comfort (2 Cor 1: 3).
In His love He cares for the mean-spirited.
We say to Him in our prayers, saying, ##You are the comforter for those who are mean-spirited and the harbor to those who are in the storm.## He comforted Peter who wept bitterly after denying the Lord thrice (Mt 26: 75). He said to him after the resurrection, “Feed My lambs … Feed My sheep.” He wanted to comfort him lest he think that by denial he lost his apostleship or will be denied by the Lord before the Father in heaven as the Lord had said before (Mt 10: 33).
He had compassion on Thomas and let him put his hand in the wounds that he might believe (Jn 20: 26- 28). He did the same to Mary Magdalene and removed away her doubts (Jn 20). Therefore the apostle says, “Comfort the fainthearted, uphold the weak, be patient with all.” (1 Thess 5: 14)
A distinct example of compassionate love is compassion for sinners.
The apostle requires us to have such love, saying, “Remember the prisoners as if chained with them – those who are mistreated – since you yourselves are in the body also.” (Heb 13: 3) The Lord had compassion on the Samaritan woman and did not put her to shame (Jn 4), and likewise the sinful woman who was caught in the very act. He delivered her from those who wanted to stone her, and kindly said to her, “Neither do I condemn you; go and sin no more.” (Jn 8: 11) In the same way He treated the sinful woman who poured the fragrant oil on His feet in the house of Simon the Pharisee (Lk 7), and revealed to him how she was better than him. In His compassion He did not rebuke the Lost Son after his return (Lk 15), and was kind to Zacchaeus the tax-collector and to the other sinners and tax-collectors.
With the same compassion He dealt with the sinful Jerusalem and said to her, “I spread My wing over you and covered your nakedness … entered into a covenant with you, and you became Mine … I washed you in water (i.e. baptism) … I anointed you with oil (Chrism). I clothed you in embroidered cloth (righteousness) … I adorned you with ornaments … a beautiful crown on your head … you … succeeded to royalty. Your fame went out among the nations because of your beauty, for it was perfect through My splendor which I had bestowed on you.” (Ez 16: 8- 14)
Compassionate love for sinners appears in warning them before inflicting punishment.
God warned the people before the great flood (Gen 6), and warned the people of Sodom on the mouth of Lot (Gen 19). He commanded Ezekiel the Prophet to warn the people on His mouth (Ez 3; 33), and gave warnings in the Book of Revelation before the Second Coming. So many are the Lord##s warnings, for in His love He does not want to punish all of a sudden. Paul the Apostle, for instance, said to the elders of the church in Ephesus, “Watch, and remember that for three years I did not cease to warn everyone night and day with tears.” (Acts 20: 31)
Compassionate love can be seen in opening a door of repentance for sinners.
The Lord opened a door of repentance even for the thief at the last hours of his life saying to him, “Today you will be with Me in Paradise.” (Lk 23: 43) God also granted to the Gentiles repentance to life (Acts 11: 18). He opened the door of hope for everybody for He has no pleasure that the wicked should die but that he should turn from his ways and live (Ezek 18: 23). He also gave us the ministry of reconciliation (2 Cor 5: 18) that in love and compassion we may call sinners to reconcile with God.
Compassion on the poor, the needy, and the sick also is a type of deep love.
The Scripture says, “The righteous shows mercy and gives,” “A good man deals graciously and lends.” (Ps 37: 21; 112: 5) However giving is not enough by itself, for it should be with feelings of love. See what the Lord says: “Inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me.” (Mt 25: 40) His care for the hungry, the thirsty, and the needy is very clear in His command to the disciples: “You give them something to eat.” (Mt 14: 16) Therefore I blame the societies that establish orphanages and hurt the feelings of the children by publishing ads with their pictures to collect money!
Take for instance the healing miracles worked by the Lord, they were not mere healing, but were mixed with kindness and compassion.
When healing the two blind men He had compassion and touched their eyes and immediately their eyes received sight (Mt 20: 34); and He was moved with compassion on the leper, touched him and he was cleansed (Mk 1: 41). And when He saw a great multitude, He was moved with compassion for them and healed their sick (Mt 14: 14). So, compassion or kindness is the cause and healing is the result.
So often did the Lord have pity on the barren!
There is the beautiful song recorded in (Isa 54: 1, 7): “Sing, O barren, you who have not labored with child … Break forth into singing … For a mere moment I have forsaken you, but with great mercies I will gather you.” We also remember His compassion on Hannah and how He gave her Samuel who became afterwards a prophet who anointed kings (1 Sam 10; 16), His compassion on Elizabeth and giving her John in her old age who became the greatest of those born of women (Mt 11: 11), and His compassion on Leah who was hated yet from whose offspring Christ came!
A prominent example of compassion is represented in the Lord##s command to build cities of refuge where the manslayer who kills any person accidentally may flee from the avenger until a judgment is rendered on his case. However, a murderer who kills out of anger, malice and cruelty shall be put to death. He cannot flee to the cities of refuge because God is against hard-heartedness. Truly, as the Psalmist says, the Lord will judge for the oppressed. We read that Jacob the Patriarch said to his children before his death, “Simeon and Levi are brothers; instruments of cruelty are in their dwelling place. Let not my soul enter their council; let not my honor be united to their assembly; for in their anger they slew a man, and in their self-will they hamstrung an ox.” (Gen 49: 5, 6)
A beautiful image of love and compassion is compassion on enemies or those who behave with enmity even if they were brothers.
Joseph is an example, for when he made himself known to his brothers he wept, forgave them, dealt generously with them, and made them dwell in the land of Goshen which was good for shepherding. Another example is David when he wept over Absalom in spite of what Absalom had done against him. Compassion on the beloved in their weaknesses is a sign of love, as when the disciples could not watch with the Lord in Gethsemane but the Lord in his love found them an excuse that the spirit is willing but he flesh is weak (Mt 26: 41)! He also did not rebuke them when they fled at the time of His arrest, nor when they hid in the upper room out of fear.