Compassion: God's Compassionate HeartSample

Jesus' Compassion

Have you ever deeply wronged someone and then had to face that person later? If so, how did he or she respond? Angry and bitter or compassionate and forgiving?

In Jesus’ parable about the prodigal son, one son demands his inheritance early, rejecting his father and leaving home to waste the gifts given to him. When the inheritance cash runs out and he finds himself hungry and desperate, the son is full of remorse. So he returns to his father and tries to work as a hired hand on the estate. But when the father sees his hurting son, his heart moves with compassion. He sprints across the yard to meet him and throws a party to welcome him home.

But the other, older brother gets irritated by his father’s response. In his eyes, it’s unreasonable (and unfair) to celebrate his younger brother after he chose to act so dishonorably. And he thinks it’s obvious that he’s the one who deserves his father’s favor.

Jesus tells this story, in part, to communicate the tender care and forgiveness that God offers each of us. His parable challenges mainstream thinking as it bypasses “fairness” norms to embrace a sense of unrestrained compassion. However far we run from God, we can’t outrun his compassion. He’s always welcoming us home, patiently waiting to celebrate our arrival.

But to those of us who find ourselves in the role of the older brother, grumbling about God’s compassion toward those we view as undeserving, Jesus’ story delivers a poignant challenge to align our own hearts with God’s.

Reflection:

Reflect on the parable of the prodigal son. Which of the two sons do you most relate to right now, and what comfort or challenge do you find in the father’s response?

When we choose to leave harmful and corrupt ways of life and return to God, he meets us with compassion and forgiveness. Spend time reflecting on, discussing and perhaps confessing the harmful or broken ways of life that have driven you from God. Then, talk together about ways we can rest in the warm embrace that Jesus describes through this story — the compassionate forgiveness that fuels God’s impartial love for you.