Compassion for Everyone! | The Goodness of God (Part 8 )
June 17, 2026
Today, I was reading the bible passage about the widow of Nain in the Gospel of Luke 7:11-17. Jesus came upon the funeral procession of a widow’s only son and the widow was weeping.
13 When the Lord saw her, his heart overflowed with compassion. “Don’t cry!” he said. 14 Then he walked over to the coffin and touched it, and the bearers stopped. “Young man,” he said, “I tell you, get up.” 15 Then the dead boy sat up and began to talk! And Jesus gave him back to his mother. (NLT)
The word ‘compassion’ jumped off the page at me. When a word or phrase in the Bible jumps out at me, the Holy Spirit is trying to get my attention. I spent some time searching out examples of God’s compassion as described in the Bible, and I am sharing this with you because it is so encouraging!
God’s goodness is intimately related to His compassion. Compassion is defined as having a deep awareness of another person’s suffering combined with an urgent desire or motivation to alleviate it. It also means to have pity, sympathy, or mercy. The mercy of God stems from His compassion. And so, the compassion of Jesus flows from the goodness of God. Jesus is described as having been moved with compassion in a wide variety of situations.
Matthew 9:35-36
Jesus traveled through all the towns and villages of that area, teaching in the synagogues and announcing the Good News about the Kingdom. And he healed every kind of disease and illness. 36 When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them because they were confused and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.
Mark 1:40-42
Now a leper came to Him, imploring Him, kneeling down to Him and saying to Him, “If You are willing, You can make me clean.” 41 Then Jesus, moved with compassion, stretched out His hand and touched him, and said to him, “I am willing; be cleansed.” 42 As soon as He had spoken, immediately the leprosy left him, and he was cleansed.
Mark 6:34
As Jesus landed, He saw a great crowd waiting, and He was moved with compassion for them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd; and He began to teach them many things.
There are also many references to God having compassion on His chosen people who turned away from Him. As Christians, we are also His chosen people (Galatians 3:29) so this applies to us too. God is always ready to show compassion, then and now, because He is the same now as He was then.
Exodus 34:6
The Lord passed in front of Moses, calling out, “Yahweh! The Lord! The God of compassion and mercy! I am slow to anger and filled with unfailing love and faithfulness.”
Psalm 103:13 says The Lord is like a father to his children, tender and compassionate to those who fear him.
Psalm 145:8-9
The Lord is merciful and compassionate, slow to get angry and filled with unfailing love. 9 The Lord is good to everyone. He showers compassion on all his creation.
Isaiah 30:18
So the Lord must wait for you to come to him so he can show you his love and compassion. For the Lord is a faithful God. Blessed are those who wait for his help.
Lamentations 3:22-23 & 31-33
22 The faithful love of the Lord never ends! His mercies never cease.
23 Great is his faithfulness; his mercies begin afresh each morning.
31 For no one is abandoned by the Lord forever.
32 Though he brings grief, he also shows compassion because of the greatness of his unfailing love.
33 For he does not enjoy hurting people or causing them sorrow.
Joel 2:13
Don’t tear your clothing in your grief but tear your hearts instead. Return to the Lord your God, for he is merciful and compassionate, slow to get angry and filled with unfailing love. He is eager to relent and not punish.
Luke 15:20-21 is a parable that describes the compassion of the father toward the prodigal son.
“So he returned home to his father. And while he was still a long way off, his father saw him coming. Filled with love and compassion, he ran to his son, embraced him, and kissed him. 21 His son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against both heaven and you, and I am no longer worthy of being called your son.”
As children of a compassionate God, we are encouraged to show the same kind of compassion to others as God has for us. Don’t be hard-hearted toward others. If I want mercy springing from compassion, I must also give it. Jesus is instructing in Luke 6:36 that YOU must be compassionate, just as your Father is compassionate.
In the parable of the unforgiving debtor, Jesus points out the need to give mercy because God has been merciful to us.
Matthew 18:32-33
“Then the king called in the man he had forgiven and said, ‘You evil servant! I forgave you that tremendous debt because you pleaded with me. 33 Shouldn’t you have mercy on your fellow servant, just as I had mercy on you?’”
In Colossians 3:11-13, the Apostle Paul speaks of carrying out our new life in Christ.
11b …Christ is all that matters, and he lives in all of us. 12 Since God chose you to be the holy people he loves, you must clothe yourselves with tenderhearted mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience. 13 Make allowance for each other’s faults and forgive anyone who offends you. Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others.
1 John 3:17-18
If someone has enough money to live well and sees a brother or sister in need but shows no compassion—how can God’s love be in that person? 18 Dear children, let’s not merely say that we love each other; let us show the truth by our actions.
Whether you feel God’s compassion or not, it is there, nonetheless. It is waiting for you. Call out to Him and He will have compassion and mercy. Then, start looking for the evidence of it in your life! I see the compassion and mercy of God in situations that could have turned out very badly, but didn’t. If you look for it, you will find it. I promise.
Prayer: Father, I see throughout Your Word that you are a God of compassion. Even though I don’t deserve it, today I am asking for you to forgive my rebellious actions and take away my guilt and shame. Let Your compassion and mercy flow over me. Let Your compassion flow through me to others. You are a good, good God and I thank You for every good thing in my life. I ask this in Jesus’ holy name. Amen.