What the Bible can teach us about compassion (2023)

pieces of compassionkindnessand sympathy, but there is something deeper, something even more powerful.Meaning.

The origin of the word helps us understand the true breadth and meaning of compassion. In Latin, "compati" means "to suffer with". Compassion means that someone else's anguish becomes your anguish. The suffering of the other becomes your suffering. True compassion changes the way we live.

“We must learn to see people less for what they do or fail to do than for what they suffer.” —Dietrich Bonhoeffer

The Bible is full of stories about compassion.Many Compassionate Biblical CharactersThey populate the pages of the Old Testament and examples of Jesus Christ's compassion abound in the Gospels. These examples of compassion are both a call and a challenge to followers of Jesus. They speak of a God who has compassion on Israel. They speak of a Savior who suffers for the world and exhort us to live and act with compassion.

To help you embrace compassion in your life, we've compiled this list of Bible verses that point to a compassionate God, Savior, and people. that your sympathybe encouragedand strengthened by the truth of these scriptures.

All Bible passages are from the New International Version.

a merciful God

However, the Lord wants to have mercy on you; therefore he will rise up to show him compassion. Because the Lord is a God of justice. Blessed are all who wait for him!

– Isaiah 30:18

And the Lord said, “I will cause all my goodness to pass through you, and I will proclaim my name, the Lord, in your presence. I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy and I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy.

- Exodus 33:19

They will neither hunger nor thirst, nor will the desert heat or the sun burn them. He who has compassion on them will guide them and lead them to springs of water.

– Isaiah 49:10

Rejoice, heavens; Rejoice, earth; Burst into song, mountains! For the Lord comforts his people and will have mercy on the afflicted.

– Isaiah 49:13

"Though the mountains and hills are shaken, my unshakable love for you will not be shaken, nor will my covenant of peace be shaken," says the Lord, who has compassion on you.

– Isaiah 54:10

I will speak of the goodness of the Lord, of the works for which He is to be praised, after all that the Lord has done for us, yea, of the many good things that He has done for Israel, according to His mercy and many Qualities.

– Isaiah 63:7

But they, our ancestors, became arrogant and stubborn and disobeyed his orders. They refused to listen and did not remember the miracles you performed among them. They became stubborn and appointed a leader in their rebellion to return to slavery. But you are a merciful God, merciful and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in love. That's not why you left her.

- Nehemiah 9:16-18

Have mercy on me, O God, according to your inexhaustible love; blot out my transgressions according to your great mercy.

— Salmo 51:1

But you, Lord, are a merciful and merciful God, slow to anger, great in love and faithfulness.

– Psalm 86:15

As a father pitieth his children, so the Lord pitieth them that fear him.

– Psalm 103:13

The Lord is merciful and just; our God is full of mercy.

– Psalm 116:5

Thy mercy come upon me that I may live, for thy law is my joy.

– Psalm 119:77

The Lord is gracious and merciful, slow to anger and great in love. The Lord is good to all; he's sorry for everything he's done.

– Psalm 145:8-9

As you know, we count those who persevere as blessed. They heard about Job's perseverance and saw what the Lord finally did. The Lord is full of compassion and mercy.

— Santiago 5:11

If all these blessings and curses that I have set before you come upon you and you take them to heart, wherever the Lord your God scatters you among the nations, and if you and your children return to the Lord your God and obey him with with all your heart and with all your heart, according to all that I command you today, then the Lord your God will restore your riches and will have mercy on you and will gather you again from all the nations where you have been scattered. Even if you have been banished to the farthest land under heaven, the Lord your God will fetch you from there and bring you back.

- Deuteronomy 30:1-4

A merciful Savior

For we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who has been tempted in every way as we are, and yet has not sinned.

- Hebrews 4:15

When Jesus learned what had happened, he withdrew alone in a boat to a deserted place. When the crowd learned of this, the crowd followed him on foot outside the cities. When Jesus landed and saw a large crowd, he took pity on them and healed the sick.

– Matthew 14:13-14

Two blind men were sitting by the wayside, and when they heard Jesus passing by, they cried out, "Lord, Son of David, have mercy on us!" Son of David, have mercy on us!" Jesus stopped. and called to them. "What shall I do for you?" asked. "Lord," they replied, "we want our sight." Jesus took pity on them and touched them their eyes. They immediately regained their sight and followed him.

– Matthew 20:30-34

As he approached the city gate, a dead man was brought out: his mother's only son, and she was a widow. And a large crowd from the city was with her. When the Lord saw her, his heart went out to her and he said, "Don't cry." Then he approached and touched the coffin in which he was carried, and the bearers stopped. He said: "Young man, I say to you, get up!" The dead man got up and began to speak, and Jesus gave him to his mother.

— Lucas 7:12-15

When Jesus disembarked and saw a large crowd, he had compassion on them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd. Then he began to teach them many things.

– Marcos 6:34