The Heart of Christ: A Fountain of Compassion
Imagine a person so pure, so holy, and so clean that the very thought of sin and suffering is unbearable to them. This person is Jesus Christ, the Clean One, who walked the earth rehumanizing the dehumanized and cleansing the unclean.
A Ministry of Compassion
When Jesus saw the crowds, he was moved with compassion because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. His heart flooded with pity, and he longed to touch them, to heal them, and to restore their humanity. And so, he did. He spent time with prostitutes and lepers, touching them, and cleansing them from their sins.
Reversing the System
In Jewish culture, when someone clean touched someone unclean, the clean person became unclean. But not with Jesus. When he touched an unclean sinner, the sinner became clean. Jesus reversed the system, spreading his cleansing mercy wherever he went.
The Same Yesterday, Today, and Forever
But what about today? Is Jesus still the same compassionate Savior? The answer is yes. According to the New Testament, “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever” (Hebrews 13:8). The same Christ who wept at the tomb of Lazarus weeps with us in our lonely despair. The same one who reached out and touched lepers puts his arm around us today when we feel misunderstood and sidelined.
His Spirit Lives Within Us
Although Jesus is now in heaven, his heart is not far off. Through his Spirit, he lives within us, touching us, and cleansing us from our sins. We don’t need to unburden or collect ourselves before coming to Jesus. Our very burden is what qualifies us to come to him.
Going with the Flow
When we come to Christ for mercy and love, we are going with the flow of his own deepest wishes, not against them. He longs to help us in our anguish and perplexity, and to cleanse us from our sinfulness. Rather than dispensing grace from on high, Jesus gets down with us, putting his arm around us, and dealing with us in the way that is just what we need.
A Fountain of Compassion
The heart of Christ is a fountain of compassion, overflowing with love and mercy. When we come to him, we find a Savior who is gentle and lowly, willing to touch us, to heal us, and to restore our humanity. May we always remember that his ways are not our ways, and that his love is the faintest echo of heaven’s cascading abundance.
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