The Compassion of Jesus Christ

June is National Men’s Health month. We also celebrate Father’s Day. The Compassion of Jesus Christ has been on my mind. In Strong’s Concordance, the Greek word is Splagchnizomai, which means “to have the bowels yearn, feel sympathy, to pity, have compassion, be moved with compassion.” It also means “to be moved as to one’s inwards (splanchna), to be moved with compassion, to yearn with compassion.” The root word (splen) translates as the spleen, intestines, and bowels. It refers to inward affection and tender mercy. Those are actional terms. This was not just empathy or even sympathy, but a stronger pursuit. This Compassion was a forceful, gut punch of His Great Love for humanity, John 3:16. Jesus is the Sacrificial Lamb for the world. He came into our midst to establish The Kingdom of God into Earth, Matthew 6:10. His Time to Reveal God had Come! He would not leave humanity how it was.

Reveal Christ — Matthew 8:1-4, a leper came to Him, Pleading and Worshipping Him. “Lord, if You are willing, You can make me clean.” Jesus, who was moved with Compassion, stretched out His hands and touched him. He said, “I am willing, be cleansed.” Jesus did not ignore, rebuke, or tell him to go away to be cleansed by the priest first. His Compassion was available to him. The humility of this man to seek out Jesus in the crowds—they could kill him for being in public. Jesus, the willing Lord, was encountered by the humility of the leprous man.

Renew Minds — Jesus acted on his behalf! He redeemed the man. Leprosy is a highly contagious disease that causes deformities, loss of limbs, even death. The leper was not supposed to be in public. If he was, he had to announce loudly “Unclean, Unclean” for everyone to know of his presence. Lepers were often banished to the outskirts of town or camps. To be reinstated, they had to be inspected and declared clean by the priests after a series of visits over many days. A Trespass, Sin, and Burnt offerings with atonements using doves and lambs were offered up by the priests, Leviticus 13 & 14. Christ became his Sacrificial Lamb! But before any of this redemption could take place, the leper first had to find Jesus—and that was no small feat.

How did this leper know where to go? There was no United States Postal Service, no email blasts, or social media invitations. There were no cars, trucks, or SUVs. People traveled miles on foot, horses, donkeys, or carriages. They stopped along the way to rest and get refreshment for themselves and their animals. Word of mouth did not travel very fast. This leper was so zoned into where Jesus was, like a direct GPS. He traveled directly to Jesus, like The Spiritual Beacon that Jesus Is! It was like a signal was going off in Jesus that the leper tracked to His exact spot. This was not a coincidence or happenstance. It was a Divine, Clanging Call to the leper to come out of hiding and be healed and cleansed.

Restore Lives — When he finally stood before Him, this leper called Jesus, Lord! He knew of Jesus’ Character and Likeness, Gen 1:26-28. He knew Jesus was the Only One who could cleanse him. He was Desperate! The leper had already experienced others, including the Sadducees and Pharisees. He remained unhealed. When he encountered Jesus, He would cleanse and heal his whole life! Jesus, The Lover of His Soul. Jesus, The Sacrificial Lamb. Jesus, The Saviour of the world. Jesus, The One who sees and hears him. In Matthew 8:4, Jesus said, “say nothing to anyone, go show yourself to the priests, and offer the gift that Moses commanded.” Jesus Became his Sin, Burnt, and Trespassing Offerings as well as The Atonement. The leper’s Revealed healing to the priests showed that Christ was in their midst.

Reform Culture — Beyond healing the man, this encounter struck at the stigma surrounding him. The stigma with leprosy was that it could lead to death. Christ not only handled death but broke off the stigma in front of others. He revealed His true nature as Lord, Saviour, and Sacrificial Lamb to a hurting, decaying world. This is something He still does today! You may be saying, “you don’t have leprosy, so this doesn’t apply to you.” I beg to differ! What leprosy (decaying thing) is Christ revealing to you that needs to be removed? What have you avoided bringing to Jesus? When was the last time you encountered, surrendered, pleaded, or worshipped Christ like the leper did? You might be sitting in a classroom, a vehicle, boardroom, or on the side of your bed waiting for “the right moment.” There’s No Such Thing!

Whether you’re silently praying or crying out to God, Jesus will Cleanse and Heal you. Seek Him in Humility! You cannot wait until you’re in the right audience, place, worship center, or on vacation. Christ is in your midst. You might be saying, what’s the use! I have tried many times before. Jesus has been signaling for you to come! The Lord honored the leper’s humility in seeking Him for his healing. Christ healed him from this contagious, dreaded disease that had injected death into him and his livelihood. He healed his every cell to his lineage to come. Jesus restored more than his physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual spaces. The man’s renewal was Eternal. Christ’s Compassion recompensed his very existence. Christ was His Compassionate, Sacrificial Lamb, and He is ours too.