Micah 6:8: Compassion

A friend was driving home from work recently when he noticed an 18-wheeler stopped on the side of the road just outside town with its hood up. He could see a man sitting in the cab, and he figured the driver was waiting for a tow truck to arrive. But as he got down the road a ways, he started to think about it more. The truck’s lights weren’t on. It was totally dark outside, and the semi didn’t have its hazards going or anything. That began to bother him. A lot. The weather was dangerously cold, and he thought perhaps there was no heat in the truck either. In those temperatures, frostbite or hypothermia can set in pretty quickly. He was already several minutes down the road, but he turned around and went back.  He walked up to the door of the truck and knocked.  “Are you warm enough?” The driver — a 31 year old man from Texas named Jeremy — responded, “Not really.” Jeremy had a coat, but he was wearing no socks and something like crocs on his feet. He was waiting for a tow truck to arrive, but he had no idea how long it would be. My friend asked Jeremy if he could take him to a restaurant in town so he could wait for the tow truck in a warm building. The guy seemed quite surprised that he would do that for him, and he gratefully accepted the ride. When he got into the vehicle, they chatted a bit, and then the trucker said (in reference to how potentially life-threatening it had been for him sitting there in the cold) that at least he was all prayed up, but that he regrettably could have lived a better life.  My friend asked him, “Are you a believer?” “I used to be.” My friend then explained how a good life is not what God expects, nor is it what God accepts…that God offers something so much better – an undeserved, unearned gift through Jesus. He shared the good news with Jeremy as they drove to the restaurant.

This got me thinking about Micah 6:8. Living as a disciple of Jesus is not about thumping folks on the head with a Bible and flaunting theological knowledge.  It’s not about standing aloof in a holy huddle under the guise of remaining unstained by the world. It’s not about going through religious motions or immersing ourselves in Christian busy-ness to satisfy self-imposed or others-imposed expectations. Micah 6:8 isn’t accomplished by flashy feats that draw recognition and accolades (Matthew 6:1-6). No, it’s largely lived out in everyday gestures of righteousness and thoughtfulness in the mundane moments of life.  Doing justice, loving kindness, and walking humbly with our God becomes a lifestyle as He molds and shapes us into the image of His Son.  It’s all about loving God and loving people (1 John 3:23; Matthew 22:35-40).

Have you heard the saying, “People don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care?”  That’s spot-on. Compassion reflects the heart of our Father and is a powerful catalyst for sharing “the hope that is in [us]…with gentleness and reverence” (Psalm 103:8,13; 1 Peter 3:15). Jesus showed us in human flesh just how intense God’s compassion is (John 14:8-9; Matthew 9:36; Ephesians 2:4-7). Compassion motivated Him to action as He demonstrated exactly what it means to “not love with word or with tongue, but in deed and truth” (1 John 3:18). Jesus’ compassion was profoundly expressed in how He lived His life…how He treated people…how He endured the cross for our sake. Likewise, He commands you and me to “go and learn what this means: ‘I desire compassion, and not sacrifice…’” (Matthew 9:13).

The word translated “compassion” (eleos) in Matthew 9:13 refers to mercy; kindness; good will toward the miserable and afflicted, joined with a desire to provide them with relief. Although the term is grammatically a noun, it effectively translates into an action verb in Kingdom language. It’s meant to be lived out. “If a brother or sister is without clothing and in need of daily food, and one of you says to them, ‘Go in peace, be warmed and filled,’ and yet you do not give them what is necessary for their body, what use is that?” (James 2:15-16). Compassion prioritizes others’ needs before our own (Philippians 2:3-4). Compassion allows Spirit-generated love to flow out from us in tangible ways within our everyday circumstances (Ephesians 5:8-9; Matthew 5:16; Colossians 3:12-4:5; Galatians 5:16-23).  Jesus said, “‘For I was hungry, and you gave Me something to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave Me something to drink; I was a stranger, and you invited Me in; naked and you clothed Me; I was sick, and you visited Me; I was in prison, and you came to Me.’ Then the righteous will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry and feed You, or thirsty and give You something to drink? And when did we see You a stranger and invite You in or naked and clothe You? When did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?’ The King will answer and say to them, ‘Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did it to one of these brothers of Mine, even the least of them, you did it to Me’” (Matthew 25:35-40).

Interestingly, eleos also bears a connotation of covenant-love. That confused me until I discovered that eleos is the New Testament (Greek) equivalent to the Old Testament (Hebrew) word checed (Hosea 6:6).  I learned that checed was a central component of covenants (binding agreements) – such as in a marriage in which both parties are required to be faithful in their love and mercy toward one another. In human relationships, checed can refer to acts of kindness that go even beyond obligation. Checed was often used in the Old Testament to describe God’s total commitment to His covenant of mercy and lovingkindness with Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and the nation of Israel, in spite of their repeated unfaithfulness to Him. <ding!> The light came on in my mind.  “If we are faithless, He remains faithful, for He cannot deny Himself” (2 Timothy 2:13).  Eleos, then, involves unconditionally extending mercy, kindness, and good will to others.  That is, it doesn’t depend upon who the recipient is or how the recipient behaves. It’s as though we’ve made a covenant to be compassionate to all, even if others do not reciprocate. “But I say to you who hear, love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you. Whoever hits you on the cheek, offer him the other also; and whoever takes away your coat, do not withhold your shirt from him either. Give to everyone who asks of you, and whoever takes away what is yours, do not demand it back. Treat others the same way you want them to treat you. If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners love those who love them. If you do good to those who do good to you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners do the same. If you lend to those from whom you expect to receive, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners in order to receive back the same amount. But love your enemies, and do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return; and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High; for He Himself is kind to ungrateful and evil men. Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful” (Luke 6:27-36).

God doesn’t want lip service (Mark 7:6-13). He doesn’t want hollow, hypocritical religion (Matthew 23; Isaiah 1:11-17). He wants our character to be rooted in the attitudes and actions of eleos, just as His is (Ephesians 5:1-2).

Our Father wants our hearts.