A STORY OF COMPASSION

There are hurting people all around us

“And just how would you define ‘neighbor’?” Jesus answered by telling a story. “There was once a man traveling from Jerusalem to

Jericho. On the way robbers attacked him.

They took his clothes, beat him up, and went off

leaving him half-dead. (Luke 10:29-31 – The Message)

Our response has everything to do with

our walk with God

Just then a religion scholar stood up with a question to test Jesus. “Teacher, what do I need to do to get eternal life?” He answered, “What’s written in God’s Law?

How do you interpret it?”

He said, “That you love the Lord your God with all your passion

and prayer and muscle and intelligence-and that you love your neighbor as well as you

do yourself.”

“Good answer!” said Jesus. “Do it and you’ll live.”

(Luke 10:25-28 – The Message)

RESPONSE 1: I can pass by like the priest

Luckily, a priest was on his way down the same road,

but when he saw him he angled across to the other side.

(Luke 10:31 – The Message)

We often choose to simply

keep our distance

RESPONSE 2: I can look down like the Levite

In the same way a Levite also came there, went over and looked at the man, but then

walked on by on the other side. (Luke 10:32 – Good News Bible)

We often choose to be curious

but uninvolved

RESPONSE 3: I can show sympathy

like the Samaritan

A Samaritan traveling the road came on him. When he saw the man’s condition, his heart went

out to him. He gave him first aid, disinfecting and bandaging

his wounds.

Then he lifted him onto his donkey, led him to an inn, and made him comfortable. In the morning he took out two silver

coins and gave them to the innkeeper, saying,

‘Take good care of him. If it costs any more, put it on my bill-I’ll pay

you on my way back.’ (Luke 10:33-35 – The Message)

We should choose to treat everyone the way

we want to be treated

Our compassion must be more than good intentions

it must be translated into practical actions

“What do you think? Which of the three became a neighbor to the man attacked by robbers?”

“The one who treated him kindly,” the religion scholar

responded. Jesus said, “Go and do the same.”

(Luke 10:36-37 – The Message)

‘Master, what are you talking about? When did we ever see

you hungry and feed you, thirsty and give you a drink? And when did we ever see you sick or in

prison and come to you?’

Then the King will say, ‘I’m telling the solemn truth: Whenever

you did one of these things to someone overlooked

or ignored, that was me- you did it to me.’

(Matthew 25:37-40 – The Message)

Our compassion has everything to do with

our walk with God

My beloved friends, let us continue to love each other since love comes from God. Everyone

who loves is born of God and experiences a relationship

with God.

The person who refuses to love doesn’t know the first thing

about God, because God is love - so you can’t know him if you

don’t love. (1 John 4:7-8 – The Message)

Oh, the suffering souls crying out for love

in a world that seldom cares

See the hungry hearts longing to be filled

with much more than our prayers

And a young girl sells herself on Seventh Avenue and you hear her crying out for help My God! What will we do?

Don't tell them Jesus loves them till you're ready to love them too

Till your heart breaks from their sorrow and the pain

they're going through

With a life full of compassion may we do what we must do

Don't tell them Jesus loves them

till you're ready to love them too

All the desperate men are we reaching for the souls that are sinking down sin?

Oh, cry for the church we've lost our passion for the lost and there are billions left to win

And another 40,000

children starved to

death today would we risk all we

have to see one of them

saved?

Don't tell them Jesus loves

them till you're

ready to love them too

Till your heart breaks from their sorrow and the pain

they're going through

With a life full of compassion may we do what we must do

Don't tell them Jesus loves them till you're ready to love them too

Why have we waited so long to show them Jesus lives to share salvation's song

Why have our hearts become so proud that we fail to see

to love them is to love God

And a young girl sells herself on Seventh Avenue

hear her crying out for help What will we do?

Don't tell them Jesus loves them Till you're ready to love them too

Till your heart breaks

from their sorrow and

the pain they're going

through

With a life full of compassion

may we do what we must do

Don't tell them Jesus loves them till you're ready to love them too

THE ULTIMATE QUESTION:

Who is YOUR neighbor?

Treat other people exactly as you would like to be

treated by them. (Matthew 7:12 – Phillips Translation)

Let’s Pray