Luke 10:30–37 NIV84: “30 In reply Jesus said: ‘A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, when he fell into the hands of robbers. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him and went away, leaving him half dead. 31 A priest happened to be going down the same road, and when he saw the man, he passed by on the other side. 32 So too, a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. 33 But a Samaritan, as he traveled, came where the man was; and when he saw him, he took pity on him. 34 He went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he put the man on his own donkey, took him to an inn and took care of him. 35 The next day he took out two silver coins and gave them to the innkeeper. “Look after him,” he said, “and when I return, I will reimburse you for any extra expense you may have.” 36 ‘Which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?’ 37 The expert in the law replied, ‘The one who had mercy on him.’ Jesus told him, ‘Go and do likewise.’ ”

Four Stages of Compassion

1. The eyes of compassion

• The eyes of Jesus
• You have to lift up your eyes.
  • John 4:35 NASB: “35 Do you not say, ‘There are yet four months, and then comes the harvest’? Behold, I say to you, lift up your eyes and look on the fields, that they are white for harvest.”
• Two reasons we don’t see the need
  • How fast our lives are moving—it’s easy to not see the need. Pushing through our own needs to see others—“everybody’s got problems.”
• Compassionate eyes see the true need.
  • See the why behind the what
  • See the past in light of the present

2. The heart of compassion

• Jesus had a bleeding heart.
  • Matthew 14:14; Matthew 15:32; Matthew 20:32–34; Luke 7:12–13
  • Mark 1:40–41
• Love your neighbor as yourself—Jesus knew that if we could see ourselves suffering the way our neighbor does, we could feel what we see.

3. The touch of compassion

• At some point, the deep feeling of compassion has to result in action.
• Touch requires getting your hands dirty.
• The touch of compassion brings healing.

4. The walk of compassion

• Sometimes help can happen in a moment, but most of the time, it is a commitment.