True Sympathy

“And when Jesus went out He saw a great multitude; and He was moved with compassion for them, and healed their sick” (Matthew 14:14, NKJV).

True Sympathy

Question: What do these bible verses teach us about how true sympathy and compassion are expressed?

Matthew 9:35-38
35 Then Jesus went about all the cities and villages, eteaching in their synagogues, preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every sickness and every disease 9among the people. 36 fBut when He saw the multitudes, He was moved with compassion for them, because they were1weary and scattered, glike sheep having no shepherd. 37 Then He said to His disciples, h“The harvest truly is plentiful, but the laborers are few. 38 iTherefore pray the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest.”

Matthew 14:14
“And when Jesus went out He saw a great multitude; and He was moved with compassion for them, and healed their sick” (Matthew 14:14, NKJV).

Compassion and sympathy show that we not only understand what others are suffering but that we want to help alleviate and remedy the suffering.

When you hear about the sad things that have happened to people in your community, such as their house burning down or a death in the family, what is your reaction? Do you just mutter, “That’s so sad,” and then move on, which is so easy to do? Or are your sympathies aroused, moving you with compassion for them? True compassion will lead you toward comforting and actively helping friends as well as strangers in practical ways. Whether it is sending a sympathy card or showing even deeper sympathy by visiting and assisting with immediate needs, loving action is the clear result of true sympathy.

Fortunately, people and aid organizations tend to compassionately respond to big disasters. However, sometimes we may not pay as much attention to the “smaller” misfortunes and disasters that deeply affect someone.

Jesus didn’t just show sympathy but took that sympathy to the next level: compassionate action. We, of course, are called to do the same. Anyone can feel sorrow or sympathy for someone’s misfortune. The question is, What action does that sympathy lead us to perform?