The Gospel of John - The Power of Compassion

You are meant for compassion. Studies indicate that compassionate people are far more satisfied with their lives than people who call themselves less compassionate. Not only do they indicate fuller and more meaningful lives, but also a greater sense of connection to others. This begs a question: If compassion is a key to happiness, why aren’t more people practicing it? There are probably a couple of reasons. First, compassion isn’t convenient. The needs of others rarely wait until we have an opening in our calendar. Second, compassion is inefficient. It’s rarely a “one and done”, but more like a sloppy and uncomfortable pouring out of ourselves. Truth is, our culture is built around both convenience and efficiency, and compassion doesn’t check either of those boxes. Compassion asks the question, “Who are you looking out for?”, while culture would encourage us to ask, “What’s in it for me?” In John 9, Jesus and His disciples encounter a man who had been born blind. The disciples don’t really see this man or his needs but instead see him as an on-ramp to an interesting discussion about theology. The religious leaders clearly don’t care about this man’s needs, but only the keeping of the law. In this story, only Jesus sees this man’s need and responds with compassion to the glory of God. While we are called to be like Jesus, the reality is that many of us act more like the disciples and teachers of the law. We live our lives blind to the needs of others. Join us this weekend as we explore the amazing power of compassion, both to grow you in your own walk with Jesus and to point others to Him.