This afternoon I went for a walk in my community to get some exercise and it wasn't long into my walk when I saw two ducks on the swale in front of some of the condos and one duck seemingly sitting in the road. Many cars were driving down this road where the duck was as it is a very busy street and it was rush hour after work. I then noticed that the duck that was in the road was struggling and seemed to not be able to walk or fly. It was lame. I couldn't tell whether or not it had any feet or not, but it was clear that one way or another it was lame. The two ducks on the swale seemed to be watching on with agony hoping that it could make it. Cars were halting and swerving so as not to strike the duck. Some looked out of their windows with wonderment at what had happened to the duck. Then came along a man on a motorcycle who was whizzing by, but he noticed the struggle of the duck. Though this cyclist had passed by, he turned around and came back to rescue the duck. He pulled up next to the duck and revved his engine so as to startle the duck into movement to get out of the road. I am glad to say that the duck miraculously to me was able to muster enough strength to drag and hop itself out of the road and onto the swale with its companions.
This unfolding of events struck me because just this morning I heard in the news about an incident that occurred in Miami over the weekend where a pedestrian was struck in the road by multiple vehicles. Not one, not two, not three, but 5-8 vehicles ran this man over causing his death. Out of all of these drivers who struck the man, only one (the first one stop to render aid to him). It is interesting to me that we live in a society where drivers will stop; come to an immediate halt to allow ducks to cross the street or so as to not strike a duck who is stuck in the street, but where multiple drivers would hit a human being and keep going without even thinking of stopping to render care. I am all for stopping for ducks or any other animal to allow them to get out of the road because it is a living thing created by God, but isn't human life more valuable and sacred as we are made in the image of God? How can you hit a living thing and not feel it within your being that you hit another living thing? When and where did we as a society stop having compassion for one another?
When we see another person or living thing in distress we should have the compassion to stop to see if there is something that we can do to help. In the gospel according to Luke 10:25-37 Jesus tells a parable that we know as "the good Samaritan." And in this parable Jesus gives an account of a man who was robbed and left for dead as he was travelling from Jerusalem to Jericho. As he laid there beaten and left for dead there three different men crossed his path; a priest, a Levite, and a Samaritan. You would have thought that the priest and the Levite would have stopped to render aid to the man and make sure that he was okay, but they saw him and crossed over to the other side to continue on their way. The Samaritan, however, saw him and had compassion on him. It was that compassion that caused the Samaritan to (1) stop, (2) render first aid to the man, (3) pick the man up and put him on his own beast of burden (perhaps a donkey), (4) take the man to an inn or place of public lodging, (5) stay with him at the inn for a season to continue to take care of him, (6) and to leave extra money with the inn keeper when he had to leave so that the man could stay there and be taken care of.
In Matthew 14:13-21 Jesus gives another lesson in compassion in demonstration through his life. Upon hearing the news of King Herod's killing/ beheading John the Baptist Jesus departed by boat into a secluded area, but was followed by a multitude that had left their towns to follow him on foot. When Jesus looked at them, verse 14 says, "and he had compassion on them" [NLT]. When his disciples admonished Jesus to send the multitude away to go into their respective towns to get something to eat, Jesus' compassion led him to refuse the disciples' admonishment and feed the multitude by faith from 5 loaves and 2 fish.
The word compassion as used in Luke 10:33 and Matthew 14:14 is the Greek word "splagchnizomai," which means "to be moved as to one's bowels, which were thought to be the seat of love and pity." www.blueletterbible.org. Compassion is that characteristic that causes us to help someone or render aid to someone or meet someone's need simply because they need it. Compassion causes us to reach out to others in their time of need regardless of who they are. Compassion causes us to stop if we run over another human being, call 911, and render whatever aid we can. Compassion causes us to not run over animals in our path and to render aid to those that are injured. Because of compassion we can mourn with those who mourn as Romans 12:15 instructs us. In order to fulfill Hebrews 13:3 that tells us to "remember those in prison as if you were their fellow prisoners, and those who are mistreated as if you yourselves were suffering" we need to have compassion. It takes compassion in order to bear one another's burden as we are instructed to in Galatians 6:2.
Compassion is the heart of God. "...And he had compassion on them." Matt. 14:14 [NLT]. Jesus looked upon the multitude of people and had compassion because of their need. Over and over again in the bible Jesus showed compassion on people who were afflicted with various illnesses, demonically possessed, lost without leadership, etc. If Jesus showed compassion then should we not do the same?
My prayer is that we, humanity, as the crown of God's creation, would not allow ourselves to be desensitized to the needs of others. Society has evolved into a place where no one wants to help another because of suspicion, distrust, selfishness, and bitterness, but Christ has not changed. His nature has not changed. May we not be like the priest and the Levite in Luke 10, but take our lead from Christ and look upon others with compassion and reach out to meet their need when we have the ability to do so.
- Dr. DeShonda Bailey
