Compassion: A Quality We Dare Not Sacrifice

According to Psychology Today, decades of intense clinical research has shed a great deal of light on the psychology of human suffering. No matter how difficult and unpleasant the suffering, human suffering is often accompanied by beautiful acts of compassion by others wanting to help relieve the suffering. Suffering leads to a positive response from many.

This dynamic led about 30% of Americans to volunteer this past year. It leads people to serve food at a homeless shelter, pull over on the highway in the rain to help someone with a broken down vehicle, or to feed a stray animal. In almost every one of America’s school shootings, a hero emerges, rising to the occasion with strength and compassion.

The Story of Marshall County

Together Maranda Hanson and Tonya Clevidence have more than thirty years of experience working as 911 dispatchers. Twice that much experience could not have prepared them for what they heard on a cold Tuesday morning at Marshall County High School.

Marshall County High School, a school in a rural portion of Kentucky, became another statistic in a growing number of tragic school shootings in America.

“It truly was just terrifying in every aspect,” said Hanson. It was a feeling of helplessness as the two ladies answered hundreds of calls coming into the Marshall County dispatch center.

“Every line we had was ringing,” said Hanson. “It was constant. Just get the information the best we can and get to the next call. The hardest part for me was having to disconnect from kids who were scared. It was really hard when I had kids begging me to stay on the phone with them.”

On top of taking calls, reporting injuries and notifying hospitals, Clevidence said it was their duty to relay information to police about the gunman’s location. In all the incident lasted only 12 minutes. But for both Hanson and Clevidence, it seemed like 12 hours.

“You are at where God puts you,” said Clevidence. “You are placed there. You know it.”

Compassion and empathy are cornerstones of human behavior, particularly for people of faith. There has long been the consideration that the feelings are innate. But many are beginning to question that premise. A study from the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor found that college students’ self-reported empathy has declined since 1980. At the same time, reported narcissism has soared to new heights.

The Story of the Lord Jesus

We have been talking about what we can do to be a living sacrifice. Returning to our passage of Scripture, shortly after the incident about James and John desiring to be seated next to Jesus in heaven, Jesus encounters two blind men as they were traveling from Jericho to Jerusalem.

29 As Jesus and his disciples were leaving Jericho, a large crowd followed him.30 Two blind men were sitting by the roadside, and when they heard that Jesus was going by, they shouted, “Lord, Son of David, have mercy on us!”

31 The crowd rebuked them and told them to be quiet, but they shouted all the louder, “Lord, Son of David, have mercy on us!”

32 Jesus stopped and called them. “What do you want me to do for you?” he asked.

33 “Lord,” they answered, “we want our sight.”

34 Jesus had compassion on them and touched their eyes. Immediately they received their sight and followed him (Matthew 20:29-34 NIV).

Jesus had compassion on them and healed them. Do you remember the previous time that we are introduced to this road that ran from Jericho to Jerusalem?

30 In reply Jesus said: “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, when he was attacked by robbers. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him and went away, leaving him half dead. 31 A priest happened to be going down the same road, and when he saw the man, he passed by on the other side. 32 So too, a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side.

33 But a Samaritan, as he traveled, came where the man was; and when he saw him, he took pity on him. 34 He went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he put the man on his own donkey, brought him to an inn and took care of him. 35 The next day he took out two denarii and gave them to the innkeeper. ‘Look after him,’ he said, ‘and when I return, I will reimburse you for any extra expense you may have’ (Luke 10:30-35 NIV).

A Sacrifice of Compassion

Your altar is waiting, the fire is never going out.

Sacrifice today the ability to look at people and suffering with no compassion.

It is a difficult sacrifice to make. We have learned to be hardened. We have learned to look the other way.

Go against the trends in society.

Go against the flavor of our culture.

The priest could not do it.

The Levite could not do it.

But the Christ could.

When He looked at the blind men.
When He told the story about the man beaten on the road.
When He hung on the cross and thought of you.

Be the good neighbor. Be there.