Compassion, A Part Of Evangelism
Hello. Compassion makes a difference friends. Our text today is found in Mark 1:35-45. Please note two verses in particularl as we find a couple of lessons for us in this event. Verse 38 says, “And he said unto them, Let us go into the next towns, that I may preach there also: for therefore came I forth.” First, notice the task of the master in whose footsteps we follow. He came to preach. He said it many ways. He told Pilate that he came to bear witness to the truth (John 18:37). He told Zachaeus and the disciples around him that he came to seek and save the lost (Lk. 19:10). He told the Jews in John 8:31-32 that if they would continue in his word, they would be free from sin. So, everything Jesus did on this earth revolved around his purpose to evangelize the world. Thus, when he left, he gave the commission to all of us to do the same (Mt. 28:19-20).
Having seen clearly the purpose of Jesus, we now consider the implications of verse 41 of our text. As Jesus was going about his purpose, his path crossed that of a leper who asked to be healed. Immediately the text records the compassion of Jesus toward this man and healed him. It is in the task of spreading the gospel (an act stemming from the Lord’s compassion toward the souls of men) that we come across myriad opportunities to do good. When our compassion moves us to do good, more opportunities open up as they did for the Lord (Mk. 1:45). Those opportunities lead to souls (Mt. 5:16). Sometimes, showing our compassion takes only a few moments. Other times, it can be a considerable investment of time and effort. But, as with Jesus, our compassion becomes part of our evangelism. Often, we are blind to the needs around us and fail to show compassion because we are so busy or rushed with other things we have chosen. The old cliché is true more often than not, “People do not care how much you know until they know how much you care.” Let’s always be evangelistic by being compassionate.
Mike