Three Components of Compassion

Three Components of Compassion 

Not only is compassion about suffering with, but also compassion is the virtue that motivates and enables us to care for one another. Throughout the Gospels, Jesus not only sees others in their pain and feels for them, but Jesus also is moved to action. Let’s look at a Jesus story and talk more about the components of compassion. 

 When Mary came where Jesus was and saw him, she knelt at his feet and said to him, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.” When Jesus saw her weeping and the Jews who came with her also weeping, he was greatly disturbed in spirit and deeply moved. He said, “Where have you laid him?” They said to him, “Lord, come and see.” Jesus began to weep. So the Jews said, “See how he loved him!”

When he had said this, he cried with a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out!” The dead man came out, his hands and feet bound with strips of cloth and his face wrapped in a cloth. Jesus said to them, “Unbind him, and let him go.”

John 11:32-36, 43-44

In the story, Jesus displays compassion towards Mary and the others grieving the loss of Lazarus through three main elements. First, Jesus sees their sorrow. Second, Jesus feels their pain, weeps with them, and is “greatly disturbed in spirit and deeply moved.” Thirdly, Jesus acts. The pain and suffering Jesus witnessed and felt moved him to help. 

Unlike pitying or feeling bad for others, compassion, modeled by Jesus, sees others’ pain in their full dignity, feels their suffering, and responds. As we pursue being Christ-like, let’s practice embodying these three components of compassion. Sometime today, bring a dear friend or family member to mind. Notice an area of pain or sorrow in their life. Think about them for several minutes. See them. Observe any internal reactions or feelings you have to their sorrow. Notice any obstacles you have. Tune-in to your emotions. Ask God to be with you to respond.