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Unforgiveness and Other Barriers to
Compassion
Catherine Brown
Catherine@gatekeepers.org.uk
www.gatekeepers.org.uk
"What then shall we say: Is God unjust? Not at all! For he says to Moses,
'I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on
whom I have compassion.' It does not, therefore, depend on man's desire or
effort, but on God's mercy." Romans 9:14-16
In today's study I would like to examine some of the things that might
prevent us from being compassionate, and, in acknowledging them, we will
discover how to overcome the things that hold us back from moving in God's
mercy. These may include such obstructions as unwillingness, unbelief,
fear of failure, and weariness.
JESUS HEALS THE MAN WITH LEPROSY
"When he came down from the mountainside, large crowds followed him. A man
with leprosy came and knelt before him and said, 'Lord, if you are
willing, you can make me clean.' Jesus reached out his hand and touched
the man. 'I am willing,' he said. 'Be clean!' Immediately he was cured of
his leprosy. Then Jesus said to him, 'See that you don't tell anyone. But
go, show yourself to the priest and offer the gift Moses commanded, as a
testimony to them." Matthew 8:1-4
Jesus clearly demonstrates through His loving compassion to the leper that
He is (1) WILLING to heal, (2) ABLE to heal, (3) and the result of
Christ's compassion is a healing miracle!
If we will only see and believe the fundamental truth in these three
points from Scripture, we can lay our unbelief, fear of failure, and
weariness at the feet of Christ and trust that Jesus is the healer and
that HIS COMPASSION IS ALWAYS EFFECTIVE AND ETERNALLY PRESENT. What a
liberating thought! We are not to strive to produce compassion. We simply
position ourselves in the mercy of God and, by faith, surrender as His
power and miracles flow to those in need.
PARABLE OF THE UNMERCIFUL SERVANT
"Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, 'Lord, how many times shall I forgive
my brother when he sins against me? Up to seven times?' Jesus answered, 'I
tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times. Therefore the kingdom
of heaven is like a king who wanted to settle accounts with his servants.
As he began the settlement, a man who owed him ten thousand talents was
brought to him. Since he was not able to pay, the master ordered that he
and his wife and his children and all that he had be sold to repay the
debt. The servant fell on his knees before him. 'Be patient with me,' he
begged, 'and I will pay back everything.' The servant's master took pity
on him, cancelled the debt and let him go.
"'But when that servant went out, he found one of his fellow servants who
owed him a hundred denarii. He grabbed him and began to choke him. 'Pay
back what you owe me!' he demanded. His fellow servant fell to his knees
and begged him, 'Be patient with me, and I will pay you back.' But he
refused. Instead he went off and had the man thrown into prison until he
could pay the debt. When the other servants saw what had happened, they
were greatly distressed and went and told their master everything that had
happened.
"'Then the master called the servant in. 'You wicked servant,' he said, 'I
cancelled all that debt of yours because you begged me to. Shouldn't you
have had mercy on your fellow servant just as I had on you?' In anger his
master turned him over to the jailor to be tortured, until he should pay
back all he owed.
"'This is how my heavenly Father will treat each of you unless you forgive
your brother from your heart.'" Matthew 18:21-35
These are strong and striking words from Christ, which should impel us to
examine our hearts honestly before the Lord and allow him to search us for
any trace of unforgiveness. Unforgiveness chokes the breath of God in us.
It binds us spiritually and we will not be able to move in God's
compassion if we are thus ensnared. If we hold unforgiveness in our hearts
towards another, we will not seek Father's heart for that individual and,
in so doing, we demonstrate unwillingness and unbelief. Jesus wants us to
receive compassion and He also wishes to teach us to show compassion to
others without pride or prejudice. If your heart is hard today, allow
Jesus to minister His grace to you and repent for your unforgiveness.
Compassion is God's manna in this hour to the church. A heavenly feast of
the Bread of Heaven, upon which our thirsty souls may feed and be
satisfied and through which we might serve others: "Finally, all of you,
live in harmony with one another; be sympathetic, love as brothers, be
compassionate and humble." 1 Peter 3:8
WHO DID JESUS SHOW COMPASSION TO?
Jesus shows compassion to the sick, the afflicted, the wounded, the weary,
the lost, the broken hearted, the bereaved, the poor, the starving
(physically, spiritually, emotionally), the prodigals, the sinners (those
in need of salvation), the lonely, the persecuted, the devastated, all
those in need, the hurting, the abused, the marginalized, the harassed,
the helpless, those needing deliverance...the list is endless. His
compassion resulted in many miracles: healing, comfort, provision,
salvation, deliverance, and resurrections to name but a few. The blind
see, the deaf hear, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the prodigals
return home, the hungry are fed, the dead are raised - Christ's compassion
transforms lives and communities in astonishing, undeniable ways.
COMPASSION: LEADS TO ACTION = LOVE & TRUTH
"If anyone has material possessions and sees his brother in need but has
no pity (compassion) on him, how can the love of God be in him? Dear
children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in
truth." 1 John 3:17,18
Our challenge today is to respond to Christ's compassion in our daily walk
with Him; to be open and willing vessels through which our Master may pour
out His miracle-working power and compassion. May we know a fresh wave of
grace on our lives today to believe that Jesus entrusts this wonderful
gift to us, His bride, and may we be ever faithful in our stewardship of
His mercy and compassion.
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