The Compassionate Christ

Whenever we talk about the Savior of the World, there are countless attributes that He has that we talk about. We talk about His perfect love, His grace, His mercy, His power, His glory, etc. A certain characteristic that I have been really intrigued by lately is His compassion.

First off, what does the word compassion mean? Merriam-Webster defines compassion as "sympathetic consciousness of others' distress together with a desire to alleviate it." I absolutely love that definition! Doesn't that just perfectly describe Jesus Christ?! He is so conscious of all of us, and so willing to alleviate our distress. As I have been thinking about this attribute of the Savior, stories and examples from His life have helped me see how critically important this quality was for Him and how essential it is for us to develop in order to become like Him. One in particular has really stuck with me this week.

One of the rulers of the synagogue by the name of Jairus came to Jesus and told Him that his daughter was about to die. He urged the Savior to follow him to his home and lay His hands on her so that she might be saved. As Jesus walked through the crowded streets following Jairus, a woman who had an issue of blood 12 years and had never found a cure for it, saw the Savior. She knew of Him, she had heard of Him, and had faith that if she could just touch Him, He could make her whole. Mark chapter 5 has the rest of the story. "And Jesus, immediately knowing in himself that virtue had gone out of him, turned him about in the press, and said, Who touched my clothes? And his disciples said unto him, Thou seest the multitude thronging thee, and sayest thou, Who touched me? And he looked round about to see her that had done this thing. But the woman fearing and trembling, knowing what was done in her, came and fell down before him, and told him all the truth. And he said unto her, Daughter, thy faith hath made thee whole; go in peace, and be whole of thy plague."

Christ knew everything about His dear sister. He knew how long she had suffered with this issue. He knew that she had tried so many different ways to alleviate it. He also knew that she had faith in Him that He could heal her. Rather than just allowing her to be healed and moving on to the next person, Jesus stopped. He found the one, and made a personal connection with her. In our struggles or challenges, the Compassionate Christ knows all of the situations surrounding our struggles. He knows our hearts and our faith in Him. He also allows each of us to experience His perfect compassion in a loving and personal, one-on-one way.

Elder Dieter F. Uchtdorf of the Quorum of the 12 Apostles has taught, “With this in mind, let our hearts and hands be stretched out in compassion toward others, for everyone is walking his or her own difficult path.” As we compassionately reach out to others as the Savior would, we are allowing ourselves an opportunity to better come to know Him, develop this Christlike quality, and prepare ourselves to return to His glorious presence.

But what about Jairus? I can only imagine how frustrating stopping must have been for him, with his daughter sick and dying at home. In fact, while Jesus is telling the woman that her faith has healed her, someone from Jairus' home finds him, and tells him not to trouble the Master any longer, because his daughter has died. Christ, upon hearing the news, tells Jairus, "Be not afraid, only believe".

"And he suffered no man to follow him, save Peter, and James, and John the brother of James. And he cometh to the house of the ruler of the synagogue, and seeth the tumult, and them that wept and wailed greatly. And when he was come in, he saith unto them, Why make ye this ado, and weep? the damsel is not dead, but sleepeth. And they laughed him to scorn. But when he had put them all out, he taketh the father and the mother of the damsel, and them that were with him, and entereth in where the damsel was lying. And he took the damsel by the hand, and said unto her, Talitha cumi; which is, being interpreted, Damsel, I say unto thee, arise. And straightway the damsel arose, and walked; for she was of the age of twelve years. And they were astonished with a great astonishment. And he charged them straitly that no man should know it; and commanded that something should be given her to eat."

Look at all of the ways Christ was compassionate in this situation!! He is compassionate with those who are weeping for the loss of this sweet young girl, offering them comfort through His words. He is also compassionate to them by dismissing those whose mocking laugh could have potentially diminished their faith. He is compassionate to this sweet 12 year old, even taking her by the hand to provide peace as she rises from the dead. And if all of that isn't enough, He is so aware and compassionate that He makes sure she gets something to eat after this experience!!

The above painting is titled "Compassionate Christ" by Kendra Burton. I don't know about you, but I love this painting. Our compassionate Savior, Jesus Christ, knows all of the situations and circumstances surrounding the every day experiences we face. Some are hard, and some are easy. Some don't make any sense why we might be facing them. Some last for years, while others only last a little while. Some may frustrate us or makes us angry, and others may humble us. Some include mocking laughter, while others involve sincere and silent pleading. No matter what the challenge, no matter what the circumstance, the Compassionate Christ is always near, with arms extended, to receive us into His all-encompassing love. As part of His enduring and saving Atonement, He perfectly knows how to succor us. Elder Jeffrey R. Holland of the Quorum of the 12 Apostles teaches what that word succor means in the video below:

It is my witness from personal experience that the Savior does know how to, and is always wiling, to run to us, to alleviate our distress, to help carry our burdens, and to show us the way to return back to the presence of our Father in Heaven.