"Moved with compassion, Jesus touched their eyes; and immediately they regained their sight and followed Him" Matthew 20:34.

Perhaps you know the difference between passion and compassion. Having a passion for something involves how we will benefit from it. Compassion, on the other hand, involves caring about something or someone regardless of any personal benefit. For that reason, compassion is the appropriate word to describe Jesus’ motivation. Deep compassion moved Him to help those suffering from diseases, injuries, and defects.

There are numerous instances in the gospels in which we read of that which Jesus did because of compassion. He raised a widow’s only son back to life (Luke 7:13). He miraculously fed a large crowd (Matthew 15:32). Especially outstanding is what we read in Matthew 9:36 - “Seeing the people, He felt compassion for them, because they were distressed and dispirited like sheep without a shepherd.”

The common theme we see in each of Jesus’ acts of compassion is that He involved Himself. While it would have been more convenient not to have intervened, the compassion He felt for others moved Him to be inconvenienced.

Sorting out whether it is passion or compassion that motives us is not easily done. The praise and recognition of others can undermine our compassion, and turn our good deeds into acts of passion that are personally beneficial. These words speak with clarity as to good things done that lack compassion: "if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. And if I give all my possessions to feed the poor, and if I surrender my body to be burned, but do not have love, it profits me nothing" (1 Corinthians 13:2-3).

Compassion is closely related to agape love, and is the identifying mark of a follower of Jesus: “By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another” (John 13:35).

What am I doing that is motivated by compassion? How am I involved in the needs of others, regardless of personal benefit? These are questions worthy of consideration as we seek to walk according to the example of our Lord Jesus, who has compassion for each of us.

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