Now when Jesus saw the crowds, he had compassion for them because they were troubled and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. — Matthew 9:36
When Jesus arrived and saw a large crowd, he had compassion for them and healed those who were sick. — Matthew 14:14
Jesus had compassion on them and touched their eyes. Immediately they were able to see, and they followed him. — Matthew 20:44
The above verses, along with the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5-7), make the not-so-subtle point that Jesus was all about compassion. He felt the hunger, disease, distress, grief, and anxiety of others. And he addressed it as only he could. It moved him to act on behalf of people who were Jewish or not, clean or unclean. It didn’t matter. People were people, not categories.
It strikes me that the foundational hope of the world is for people to dare have the courage to feel the pain of ALL others and be moved by it. Jesus saw all people as equally loved, equally important citizens of his Father’s kingdom. That citizenship trumps all lower ones of tribes and nations. It also undercuts the wranglings of competing political parties and nations. After all, when people lack empathy, they view the world as “us-them.” You can fill in who “us” and “them” are. Lately in this country it seems that the division, “Americans-immigrants,” is the most popular.
But empathy affirms the counter-cultural assertion that we are ALL brothers and sisters, just as God intends. And “all” means “ALL.”
When Jesus prayed, “Thy kingdom come,” maybe he was envisioning a kingdom where empathy–and the compassion and justice that flow from it–was the foundation. Each time we dare let it drive us, we affirm our higher calling.
.