Moved with Compassion

When Jesus went out He saw a great multitude;
and He was moved with compassion for them,
and healed their sick.
(Matthew 14:14 NKJ)

On a number of occasions the Gospels record that Jesus was moved with compassion.[1] The word used here for compassion is an interesting word choice. The word splagchnos is the Greek word for bowels or intestines. The bowels were regarded as the seat of the more violent passions, such as anger and love; but by the Hebrews as the seat of the tenderer affections, especially kindness, benevolence, compassion; hence our heart (tender mercies, affections, etc.)[i] The word could be used to describe tender emotions, or it may picture deeply felt feelings for someone else.[ii] Splagchnos was also used outside of the New Testament context. It was used in pagan worship rituals. One would take an animal to be sacrificed and cut its heart and insides out. They would then lift up the insides with outstretched hands towards their god. They called that which was in their hands the compassions. Thus, this word spoke of a deep emotional and spiritual churning within ones personhood. Jesus was moved with compassion. Rick Renner, author of Sparkling Gems from the Greek, describes this word in the context of Jesus ministry by saying,

In every example where Jesus felt compassion for someone or for a mass of people, there was such a movement of compassion from within Him that it surged out of Him to meet the needs of people. In some cases, that movement of compassion caused Him to provide food, to raise the dead, to deliver the demon-possessed, to heal the sick, and to provide teaching for those who were like sheep without a shepherd.

Forgive me for being so straightforward, but I want to tell you exactly why the Holy Spirit chose the word splagchnos (bowels) to describe compassion. Let me get a little biological for a moment. What happens when a persons bowels move? The movement of the bowels produces action, doesnt it? Likewise, when the human spirit is deeply touched and moved by the need of another person, it causes a movement or a release of divine power to surge from deep within that person to reach out and meet the needs of the other individual.

This is the reason that every time Jesus was moved with compassion, it always resulted in a healing, deliverance, resurrection, supernatural provision, or some other action that changed someones life. You see, compassion always produces action. The force of compassion cannot leave a person in the sad condition in which he was found; it moves one to do something to change that other persons situation.[iii]

Interestingly, the Apostle John uses the word splagchnos (bowels) in 1 John 3:17, where he writes, But who ever has the worlds goods, and sees his brother have a need, and shuts up his bowels of compassion from him, how does the love of God abide in him? The word shuts up means to lock up or to tightly shut up. It is a picture of a believer who sees someone elses need, but instead of letting that compassion move him to action, they subtly, perhaps deliberately tighten down the valve of their spirit and shut down the flow of compassion.

We live in a time when it is easy to see the needs of others and feel no movement on the inside, no deep emotion, no stirring of the bowels no spagchnos. If we are not attentive, our valves will become rusty, tightened and shut down, thus diminishing the flow of compassion to others in need.

It is easy to love the people far away.
It is not always easy to love those close to us.
It is easier to give a cup of rice to relieve hunger
than to relieve the loneliness and
pain of someone unloved in our own home.
Bring love into your home for this is
where our love for each other must start.
(Mother Teresa)

Everybody today seems to be in such a terrible rush, anxious for greater developments and greater riches and so on, so that children have very little time for their parents. Parents have very little time for each other, and in the home begins the disruption of peace of the world.
(Mother Teresa)

Reflection...

Have you ever had something happen within a relationship that caused you to shut down the flow of compassion in future relationships?





Have you ever been burnt in trying to reach out to someone in compassion and it has caused you to tighten down on the release of compassion to others in similar situations?

I have found the paradox, that if you love until it hurts,
there can be no more hurt, only more love.
Mother Teresa


Be kind and compassionate to one another,
forgiving each other,
just as in Christ God forgave you.
(Ephesians 4:32 NIV)

[1] Mathew 14:14, 15:32, 20:34; Mark 1:41, 6:34, 8:2; Luke 7:13-15.
[i] New Testament Greek Lexicon, ref. no. 4698.
[ii] Rick Renner, Sparkling Gems from the Greek, (Tulsa, OK: Teach All Nations, 2003), 771.
[iii] Ibid., 772.