The Compassion of Christ
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Introduction
Introduction
For the last couple of weeks, we have been building up to this text. Jesus’s last beatitude was informing us that those who are hated, excluded, insulted, and slandered are blessed and therefore ought to rejoice when persecuted because their reward is great in heaven. And then last week we saw that Jesus built on that idea with the idea of extreme love. How we are to express that love for our enemies—those with whom we have hostility with and that as we do so, we are seek a reward from God’s hand. We aren’t loving and kind so that we can receive back from those to whom we’ve been kind and loving, but so that God rewards us in heaven.
This morning, we come to the nitty-grittiness of it. In many ways, it is the conclusion of this whole thought process of being blessed despite persecution. And as we get into the text, I want us to see how compassion acts in our every day lives.
And so I want us to observe four characteristics of compassion as we go through this text. The first characteristic is compassion lives a life of exoneration. The second characteristic is that compassion lives a life of exuberance. The third characteristic is that compassion lives a life of exemplification. And finally the compassion lives a life of examination.
Exoneration
Exuberance
Exemplification
Examination
“Judge not, and you will not be judged; condemn not, and you will not be condemned; forgive, and you will be forgiven;
give, and it will be given to you. Good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put into your lap. For with the measure you use it will be measured back to you.”
He also told them a parable: “Can a blind man lead a blind man? Will they not both fall into a pit?
A disciple is not above his teacher, but everyone when he is fully trained will be like his teacher.
Why do you see the speck that is in your brother’s eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye?
How can you say to your brother, ‘Brother, let me take out the speck that is in your eye,’ when you yourself do not see the log that is in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take out the speck that is in your brother’s eye.
Compassion Lives a Life of Exoneration
Compassion Lives a Life of Exoneration
The first characteristic that we come to when reading this text is that compassion lives a life of exoneration. I struggled with this one as I was studying and writing out this sermon. And the reason is because of what it might insinuate. Because if we use a word like exonerate, then it might convey an idea that we are not allowed to seek justice when justice is what is called for. But that isn’t actually what exoneration means. What exonerate means is to literally release one from a burden. It does not mean to be found innocent. Many criminals are exonerated of their crimes. They may be declared not guilty, but not guilty and innocent are two different realities. Not guilty simply means there was not enough evidence to convict of the crime committed. Innocent means that a person did not commit the crime at all. Thus both innocent and guilty people can be exonerated—both have the burden of the crime released from them—there is no punishment received. But that doesn’t mean that both are in the same boat.
Compassion lives a life of exoneration. It releases an offender of the burden of offending you. Or as Paul said in 1 Corinthians. Love holds no record of wrong. This is what Jesus is getting at in
“Judge not, and you will not be judged; condemn not, and you will not be condemned; forgive, and you will be forgiven;
The idea of judging and the idea of condemning are the same idea. This is what we call a parallelism. It’s saying the same thing in two different but connected ways. So if we misunderstand what judgment means, we can look to the parallel phrase and see that judgment here does not mean that we cannot make a moral judgment as to what the person did. Jesus would call out the Pharisees and Sadducees for their teachings and even their judgmentalism. Jesus isn’t referring to moral judgments. A sin is a sin is a sin, and we can see it for what it is and say that it is a sin. What we are being cautioned about is condemning the person for whatever reason—whether sin, preference, shortcomings, or even persecution. We see this most clearly with the woman caught in adultery, in which the leaders want to stone her to death (condemn), but Jesus refuses, showing compassion instead. He tells her to go and sin (a judgment of what she did)—go and sin no more. Exoneration.
Compassion doesn’t judge/condemn. Now I have been using that word “compassion” quite a bit and you may be wondering why. Where did this idea of compassion even come from. It’s not in the text anywhere! But it is.
It’s easy to leave behind a train of thought, when we get to a stopping point—a train station. We were in the middle of a train of thought last week, when I ended the sermon. We got off the train at the train stop and all went home for the week. Now that we’re back, we’re boarding a train, and if we aren’t observant, we may think we’re on a whole new train of thought, but we’re not. We got back on the same train headed for the same destination. Let’s look back up to verse 36 for a moment.
Be merciful, even as your Father is merciful.
That word merciful is different than the word that is usually translated as merciful. In fact, this word in the Greek is used only three times in the New Testament. Twice in Luke and once in James. The two times in Luke are right here in this verse. Let’s jump to
Behold, we consider those blessed who remained steadfast. You have heard of the steadfastness of Job, and you have seen the purpose of the Lord, how the Lord is compassionate and merciful.
The infinitive form of the verb is found in
For he says to Moses, “I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion.”
The word for compassionate in James and compassion in Romans is the same word Luke used right here. The word is used 17 times in the Greek translation of the Old Testament and 14 of those times it is translated as compassion or compassionate. It actually means to feel lament for someone, leading to action favorable to them.
So how then, what is one characteristic of compassion? It is not to condemn, but instead to live in exoneration. We forgive. If our lives are characterized in non-compassionate ways, then we have a critical spirit, a condemning spirit, and unforgiving spirit.
This isn’t easy by any stretch of the imagination. None of God’s commands are easy. But as Augustine so famously stated, “O Lord, command what you will and give what you command.” If God requires us to be merciful—to be compassionate—then he must give what he commands. Or better yet, as Paul prayed in
To this end we always pray for you, that our God may make you worthy of his calling and may fulfill every resolve for good and every work of faith by his power,
so that the name of our Lord Jesus may be glorified in you, and you in him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ.
Compassion exonerates, it does not hold the burden of offence over the head or causes their shoulders to bear the weight of the offense any longer. It keeps no record of wrongs. It doesn’t bring up the offense time and time again, causing the offender to relive it. It doesn’t passive-aggressively or subtly point it out when things get heated. Compassion exonerates and forgives. And the promise comes with it. If you don’t judge, you won’t be judged. If you don’t condemn, you won’t be condemned. If you forgive, you will be forgiven.
Compassion Lives a Life of Exuberance
Compassion Lives a Life of Exuberance
But it is not only that compassion lives a life of exoneration. It also lives a life of exuberance. Following the idea of exoneration—not condemning, but forgiving, Jesus added, that if you give, it will be given to you. And the idea is to become a giver! The idea is to become a generous man, woman, or child. It is not not be stingy. And as Paul wrote in
Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.
So our giving is to be abundant and exuberant. I say abundant and exuberant because it is this kind of giving that is rewarded.
Now I need a couple of volunteers and Michael and Savannah have graciously accepted my invitation. And as a reward for their volunteerism, they get to eat ice cream the rest of the service. But how much is up to them.
So I would like one of you to come up to make the other person an ice cream sundae. As you do, I want to tell you some things that your spouse and I talked about the other day. I hear that you’re a terrible cook. Like, you burned water kind of terrible cook. In fact, from what I hear, you could order a pizza and when it’s delivered, it has no taste whatsoever. I was told that the other day, your spouse apparently got food poisoning from your cooking. And they said that the worst thing you make is an ice cream sundae.
Now, all of that was a joke, and I let both Michael and Savannah know this in advance. But notice the ice cream sundae that was made. Did you notice that I was also making an ice cream sundae as well, and I was making it along the same lines as Michael/Savannah was. For every item added to the sundae, I added the same. The quantity was the same as well.
I do this so we have a better understanding of the text.
give, and it will be given to you. Good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put into your lap. For with the measure you use it will be measured back to you.”
Jesus is calling us to be generous. Compassion lives a life of exuberant generosity. Jesus says to give a good measure. As one commentator wrote, Jesus wasn’t talking about a bad measure or even a fair measure, but rather a good measure. We might say that it was a good helping of whatever the product is. In this case, a good helping—a good measure—of ice cream. And then you would take the measure and press it down. Get as much to fit in it as you can. Shake it a bit to make sure there are not air pockets and so make room for more. In the first century, the people would have pouches attached to their belts—kind of like pockets. And the person in the market place would take whatever was measured out and pour into that pocket on their lap.
The point that Jesus makes in all of this is that whatever measure you use, it will be measured back to you. So if you’re holding on to grudges and refuse to forgive and so refuse to give generously, then understand that the reward you receive will be in like measure. Savannah got the same measure of ice cream as she was willing to give to Michael.
How we treat our enemies, those with whom we have some hostility, will affect how we are rewarded in heaven. Jesus calls on us to be compassionate and our Father is compassionate—to live a life of exoneration and a life of exuberant giving.
Compassion Lives a Life of Exemplification
Compassion Lives a Life of Exemplification
But compassion also lives a life of exemplification. To exemplify is to be an example. It is to be a living illustration. Thus, compassion must be expressed for others to see—not so that we can be rewarded by them (our reward comes from God), but so that they can see our good works and give glory to the Father.
Jesus said,
He also told them a parable: “Can a blind man lead a blind man? Will they not both fall into a pit?
A disciple is not above his teacher, but everyone when he is fully trained will be like his teacher.
Here is Jesus asking a rhetorical question, but the meaning behind it is simply this: do you want to be the blind man leading another blind man? If that’s who you seek to live as, then you’re both in trouble. Again, the statement, is simply meaning this: as my disciple, you are to grow to be like me. Until you’re like me, you’re not fully trained. If you don’t live a life exemplifying compassion, then that doesn’t mean you’re better than me (as if compassion is a weakness); it only shows you’re not yet mature.
When we look at Jesus’s life, we see it full of compassion. We’ll get here in a few months, but in Luke 13, Jesus asked about the men who died in the tower of Siloam or by the hand of Pilate in Galilee asking if the people thought they were worse sinners than they were. Here’s that judgmentalism resurfacing. They must have done something pretty bad to befall such a death. No lament, no compassion. Jesus warned them that they too were just as sinful and needed to repent. In a couple of weeks, we’ll see Jesus filled with compassion (a different word, but a synonym) when he saw a widow who was about to bury her only son. Again, this compassion wasn’t just felt, but expressed. It was exemplified for all to see. And in the same way, the Son is not greater than the Father. Jesus said that if we have seen him, we have seen the Father. So if we marvel at Jesus’s compassion, then we ought to marvel at the Father’s as well.
So we need to decide, what kind of person do we want to be? Do we want to be blind—unChrist-like—as we seek to lead others who are also blind, or do we want to conform to the exemplified life of compassion demonstrated by our Rabbi?
Compassion Lives a Life of Examination
Compassion Lives a Life of Examination
So we’ve seen three characteristics of a compassionate life; it lives a life of exoneration, exuberance, and exemplification. And finally, we see it lives a life of examination. Self-examination to be exact.
Jesus is in some ways giving a humorous illustration to a serious situation. A guy who has a big old log stuck in his eye somehow doesn’t realize it’s there but has such keen sight that he sees a little speck in someone else’s eye. It’s very much Monty Python or Tim Conway. Imagine a man who is in battle and has his arm chopped off, but happens to nick his opponent’s arm with his sword. He doesn’t even notice his arm lying on the ground, but mocks the guy for having a cut. When pointed out that his arm is gone, he looks and says, “Merely a flesh wound.”
So here is a man walking a round with a log in his eyes seeing the tiny splinter in someone else’s eye. Now, I have had a metal shard in my eye once. It was nearly invisible to the naked eye. But the problems were enormous. I remember waking up on a Sunday morning and not being able to hardly open my eyes. It was too bright. I had to preach that day with the lights off and even the light streaming in from the windows was nearly too much for me. I had an emergency appointment with an optometrist who examined my eye and saw the shard and then took a needle and popped it out. And immediately, my pain went away. It was still a bit irritated, but not in pain.
That shard could have done real damage to my eye. But you know what; I wanted someone with two good eyes helping me to get rid of it. If she had come in with a metal rod sticking out of her eye, you better believe, I would have asked for another eye doctor. She wasn’t coming anywhere near me.
Jesus told his disciples that they need to examine themselves before others. That’s what compassion does. Is there something in my life that is similar to them? Do I behave in a similar way even if its a different situation?
Just about everyone in here knows that I do not do pineapple. We have fun with it; I was just given a cookie over Christmas in the shape of a pineapple, though no pineapples were harmed in the making of it. There was no pineapple in the cookie itself. I’m fine with that. But in compassion, not one of you have actually ever set anything in front of me that contains pineapple. Why? I don’t know. Perhaps though it is because you have food aversions yourself. You know what it is like to eat something that makes you sick to your stomach and so you don’t judge me for mine, but are sensitive to it.
We talked about last week how people have been hurt by those inside the church—not necessarily here, but in some church somewhere. You know the pain and so when you see someone hurt within the church, rather than condemn them and tell them to get over it, you show compassion. You’ve examined your own life and know how it feels.
But what Jesus is saying is that, perhaps you act as if you have no food aversions though you do have them and so you try to get others not to have them. You have been hurt by someone and you’re still not over it, and yet you show no sympathy to the one who has been hurt. Pretending like you’ve never experienced or done what someone else is experiencing or done is called being a hypocrite, which is why Jesus used it in this lesson. Actors were called hypocrites. They played the part of someone they were not. They were pretenders. It literally means “under criticism” or “under judgment.” The idea is really trying to get a feel for the character they’re supposed to play. If you’ve heard an actor try to figure out what makes their character tick, you get the idea. How do I want to portray this character to an audience?
That’s what hypocrites do. They play a part. They speak their lines well. They figure out how they want people to view them well. Meanwhile, they simply wear a mask and no one knows them at all. Method actors are those types of actors who try to do everything to become the person they play. Daniel Day-Lewis is famously known for being a method actor. Once he takes on a role, he lives that role as closely as possible, whether or not the cameras are rolling. When one does that, no one knows the real man or the real woman. Most of us are method actors.
Jesus tells us that we are so busy playing a role that we don’t examine who we really are. We don’t see our own foibles, sins, missteps, or logs even though they are patently obvious! We want to play the role of holy man, holy woman, holy child, and thus point out how unholy, ungodly, unrighteous someone else is. And we miss our own lack of holiness, godliness, and righteousness.
Compassion puts the mask aside. Compassion puts the role-playing, the acting aside, and examines the one trying to be something he is not—the self. It is only then that he/she can lead others. I love Superman, but if Henry Cavil actually thought himself to be the Son of Krypton, and wanted to take me flying by jumping off a bridge, I’d have to decline the invitation. No one follows a person who is lost in the role he is trying to play.
If we’re living a life of compassion, we live a life in reality—of self-examination—seeing our issues and dealing with them before we see other people’s issues to deal with them.
Conclusion
Conclusion
As we close out this section of Luke, we have seen that compassion has a lot of characteristics. It lives a life of exoneration—forgiving rather than condemning. It lives a life of exuberance—giving cheerfully rather than withholding. It lives a life of exemplification—showing the world who Jesus is through our actions. And it lives the life of examination—looking at who we really are before trying to fix someone else.
Jesus, the only sinless one, lives with compassion. He lives this way. He is always willing to forgive. He gives liberally and exuberantly. He exemplifies compassion like no one else. And he was always real. He never pretended to be something or someone he wasn’t even if it meant being judged and condemned for it. Jesus is really the only one who has the right to condemn. He’s the only one who has the right to judge in this way. Yet how does he respond? Be becoming the one judged so we would not have to.
For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.
for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,
and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus,
whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith. This was to show God’s righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over former sins.
It was to show his righteousness at the present time, so that he might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.
If this is who Jesus is, and we follow him in faith, then it is who we must become. If all things work together for good of those who love the Lord and are called according to his purpose so that we may be conformed to the image of Jesus, then maybe, just maybe, God has put these difficult people in our lives to teach us to bear the characteristics of Christ’s compassion.