The Love and Compassion of Jesus Christ

Introduction

I was asked to speak on the love and compassion of Jesus Christ. I am grateful for the opportunity to speak and study this topic. I think the first question that we need to ask is why is it even important to understand or elaborate on this? It's obvious to us that Jesus had love and was compassionate. And it's obvious to us that he is someone worthy of emulation. Even atheists have used Jesus as a perfect example of what human love and compassion can look like. That is to say that his love is so deep and profound that even those who say they do not believe in God realize that if you attempt to emulate his love, even if only in action, You will love others in a way that is so far above any other categorization, the only thing we know how to call it is “christlike”. It's also obvious that Christ's compassion knew no limits. So then with this understanding of what is already obvious to us, we need to ask, why is it important to Expound on his love and compassion even further?

I came to one solid conclusion, and that is, Because knowing something exists and allowing it to change you are two different things.

In this talk I would like to address two key topics, the first is how we can let the love and compassion of Jesus Christ change us. And second, how we can use his examples of love and compassion to guide and structure our efforts in this mortal existence.

To the first Point.

knowing something exists and allowing it to change you are two different things.

Moving from knowing to changing.

I would like you to think back to a time when you were worried about an outcome. Maybe you had gotten caught by your parents doing something you shouldn't have. Maybe you were taking a test for a certification and were worried about the results. Maybe you were in a disagreement with a loved one and you are waiting to hear their thoughts. In any of these situations and any others you can think of the common denominator is that we are waiting to discover if we lived up to the standard. When ever i was in these situations i felt like i was waiting to discover if i was good enough. Waiting to discover if i met the minimum qualification. For me in the past Christs love often did not come to mind during these situations. I knew i was loved by christ and i knew he had compassion for me. But what difference did that make for the situation i was in? It wasn't until later in my life that I started to lean on this understanding in situations where my worth was in question. As I have gotten older I've noticed that what happens when you let Chrsts love change you, you start to play a different game. You no longer are playing the world's game of popularity and looking cool. You no longer are trying to receive your worth from sources of external validation. These source do not become worthless, far from it. When you let the love of Jesus Christ change you, you become more grateful for those things in your life that support, value and validate you.

This matters because when we simply know in our minds that Christ loves us without letting it change us, we still play the small games. These games consist of The need to be the popular kid, the need to be seen with the popular kid, the desire to have the material objects that will make us worthwhile in the eyes of people. Or, one i see a lot is validation by being overworked and burnt out. What happens here is that because our source of love, validation and worth comes from things external, things finite and ONLY from the opinion of other people we literally cannot play the bigger games in life. Don't get me wrong, there is nothing wrong with these small games. THey are fun, and part of our mortal experience, but ask your self a question, is all you're meant to do is to attend to matters of opinion, material objects, and external validation? Is that why you exist on this earth?

What are the small games? The first example that comes to mind is when Christ visited Martha and Mary. There are two examples in Scripture here that I think point to what the small games look like. These are found in Luke 10 and John 12. Luke 10 we meet Martha and Mary, Martha is running around the house being very careful and attentive to the matters of the house while Mary is kneeling at the feet of Jesus. Martha complains to Jesus that she's doing all the work and Mary isn't doing anything. She asked Jesus to tell Mary to get off her lazy butt and help. And it's here where Jesus says that Martha is being very careful and attentive, that she's doing a great job with the household that she's been given but that her priorities have been misplaced. He says that there's only one thing that truly matters and Mary has chosen that. Does this mean that Jesus would rather have us let our house get into disarray and completely abandon any chores that should be done? No. What I think instead is trying to be conveyed here is that when You must choose between having a relationship with Jesus Christ or simply making sure the chores are done, you should choose Christ. In John 12 we again meet Mary kneeling at the feet of Jesus and this time we see Judas complaining to Jesus. Mary is putting expensive ointment on Jesus's feet and Judas complains that that could have been sold for 300 pence and given to the poor. Here again Jesus tells us that we will always have chores to do, things in this moral experience that we need to attend to. But when given the choice between doing those chores or having a relationship with our Lord and Savior, we should choose Jesus. See what is meant by letting the love of Jesus Christ change us is that we no longer fear neglect in the chores for a few hours. We're no longer worrying about spending “300 pence worth of ointment” on showing our devotion to Jesus Christ.

The way that we let his love change us is by letting him love us and knowing that we are loved. We then turn and build a relationship with our savior. As with Martha and Judas there is more than simply the mundane here for us. Knowing that you are loved by the savior of mankind, The only begotten of the father does something to you if you allow it to enter into your heart.

I am a graduate of BYU-Idaho. I loved my time there, I also enjoyed going to the Devotionals they held. One of my favorites was the devotional given by Clark G. Gilbert called "Preserving the Pioneers Heart". The first paragraph of that devotional reads as follows:

“It was a pioneer's heart that enabled the Lord to gather His Saints at the opening of this dispensation. Those early pioneers brought a spirit of frugality, a faith and optimism for the unknown, a longing for prophetic direction, and a spirit of personal sacrifice to their trek west. It was those same attributes that allowed the Lord to reveal the ideas and innovations needed to gather His people . . . .”

later in the talk he says

“Again, President Henry B. Eyring has taught that "[t]he purpose of the gospel of Jesus Christ is to change you so that you're not trying to resist change."[4] Change can be frightening, but facing such fear with faith and optimism is what the Lord expects of His pioneers. In fact, Elder Kim B. Clark has taught that "[i]f you want to know the Savior, go to the frontier because that is where you will see Him in action. It is at the frontier where He does His work."”

This is an example of how the Love of Jesus Chirst can change us if we allow it. It can grant us the Pioneers Heart, give us the courage and direction necessary to further the work and gather our Brothers and sisters into the fold. Knowing Christ's love grants me courage to do the hard things, take the roads less traveled and to talk with those who may not fit nicely and comfortably into the way I want the world to look. Christ's love is a support that strengthens and emboldens in times of trial and trouble. A section of Clark G Gilbert's devotional I think about often is in the closing section of his talk

“Finally, preserving the pioneer's heart requires personal sacrifice. I shared the following story on the day of the announcement of BYU-Pathway Worldwide. It comes from Elizabeth Claridge McCune who wrote of her father's call to serve in the Mission on the Muddy.[12] The exchange came during a meeting where Brigham Young simply called out names at a conference for those assigned to the mission. When Elizabeth heard her father's name called, she cried and cried. Trying to console her (and I'm paraphrasing), a friend said, "I don't know why you are so sad. My father's name was called, and there is no way he'll go." Elizabeth replied in tears, "My father wouldn't be my father unless he would go."”

I invite you to look into your genealogy to find examples of times when your ancestors let the love of Jesus Christ change them and how they interacted with the world.

I asked a friend who suffers from a chronic illness to share some thoughts on the love and compassion of Jesus christ and what was sent to me is so beautiful and powerful i felt like i should include it verbatim

“I feel like Christ has this ability to love unconditionally beyond what we can even comprehend. Humans have limitations, judgments, bias, opinions, etc. Christ sees us as we are, as we have been, and as we can be. He meets us where we are at. If that's at 1% of our best, or 99% of our best. He is there without judgement, with compassion, and with complete love. An example, when I'm at my lowest or darkest moments, I know he is there with compassion and love. He's not judging me. He's not telling me I'm failing or I'm not good enough. He doesn't tell me I'm not trying hard enough. He builds me up with unconditional love and support. Because Jesus is love, and always builds. That is his truest gift. The building up is compassion. Not judging is compassion. Meeting me where I am at, is compassion. I am always enough for him. That I know with all my heart. Because I am his, every broken cell belongs to him.”

Imagine what things we could be capable of if we too understood Christ’s love the way my friend does.

Is all you're meant to do is to attend to matters of opinion, material objects, and external validation? Is that why you exist on this earth?

Matthew 5:44, Matthew 9:36–37, Matthew 15:32 Matthew 20:31–34, Matthew 22:37–39, Matthew 25:35–40, Mark 1:41, Mark 6:34, Romans 5:6–8, Galatians 2:20–21, Luke 7:12–14, 1 corinthians 13: 1-3

A guided and strategic effort

Christ has given us a blueprint in his miracles of how we should administer love and compassion to others. Let's dive into what that looks like and how we can use it for our own lives. Though there are many others, the scriptures i chose to help us to discover this blueprint are Matthew 5: 44, Matthew 9:36-37, Matthew 15:32, Matthew 20:31-34, Matthew 22: 37-39, Matthew 25:35-40, Mark 1:41, Mark 6:34, Romans 5:6-8 Galatians 2:20-21, Luke 7:12-14 and . Throughout His ministry, Christ repeatedly modeled a sacred pattern: He was moved with compassion—and then He acted. . Jesus lived the law, but He didn’t just follow checklists. He responded when the Spirit moved Him and there is a powerful pattern here. What this pattern is teaching us is how to have a deeper relationship with the holy ghost. we should become more sensitive to that member of the Godhead in ourselves. We know that faith without works is dead. Christ has shown us how to use a mortal world to develop a deeper connection with the Holy Ghost. As go about in this fallen plane we will encounter opportunities to carry out the fathers will. As we allow the sprit to move us with compassion and then act on that we can deepen our relationship with the Spirit. The holy Ghost is also the one who quickens the flesh and also the one who will reviel the truth of all things to us. As we build this deeper and more sensative relationship with the Holy ghost we will become more able to carry out the Fathers will in our lives.

I asked another friend who is an edurance and strength athlete to share some thoughts on the love and compassion of Jesus christ and recieved this in reply

"I think of the first few verses of 1st Corinthians 13.The famous verses about charity. We know that charity is the pure love of Christ. You can speak with the tongues of angels. You can receive prophecies and know the mysteries of God. You can move mountains or give everything that you own to the poor. You could do the most holy of acts, and it would mean nothing if you don't love those you serve, and your Father in heaven. So if you can do all those things without it meaning anything, how little do our feigned affections and false praises mean if they lack charity"

We see this phrase again and again in the scriptures:

Matthew 9:36 – “But when he saw the multitudes, he was moved with compassion on them…”

Matthew 15:32 – “I have compassion on the multitude… I will not send them away fasting.”

Matthew 20:34 – “So Jesus had compassion on them, and touched their eyes…”

Mark 1:41 – “And Jesus, moved with compassion, put forth his hand…”

Luke 7:13 – “When the Lord saw her, he had compassion on her, and said… Weep not.”

Christ lived the law. He fulfilled it as one who knew its spirit. And in so doing, He showed us something hidden in plain sight: compassion is not merely an emotion it is a spiritual sensitivity. It is the Holy Ghost, moving within the soul, calling it into alignment with the Father’s will. There is a power in this pattern. And if we pay attention, we will see that it is not just a method of ministry it is an invitation. An invitation to cultivate a deeper, more intimate relationship with the Holy Ghost.

The gifts of the Messianic Law

learn more aobut the mosiac and messianic laws here

A law of performances, why was that insufficient? Why is the law that requires an outlining of steps and performances insufficient and in need of a higher and more sufficient law? What is it about this law that makes it insufficient? In the mosaic law, people were told when to give and how to give. The Mosaic Law offered a divinely appointed structure to help the children of Israel learn obedience through physical acts and strict observances. The spirit was there after the performance. In the messianic law we see a reversal of this. We see action when called, an adherence to the spirit that moves us with compassion. How often in the scriptures are we told that Jesus was moved with compassion and then acted. No longer should we structure our offerings soley based on the detailed outline of the organization, No longer should we survive by bread alone. We are called to heed to the spirit of God and then fulfill those promptings as we are guided by the spirit. Where the Mosaic Law often kept people apart based on ritual cleanliness, the higher law calls us to reach out in compassion—just as Jesus ate with sinners and healed on the Sabbath. Again, a turning inside out of where the generating and guiding spirit comes from. The beauty of this is that it builds in us a deeper connection and relationship with the one who guides, the holy ghost. We are given an opportunity to foster a relationship with a member of the godhead and let him transfigure us one lay at a time. This is a reminder though, that the mosaic law is one where you only do as the law tells you. In the messianic law you move as the spirit moves in you.

How does this have a correlation with the love and compassion of Jesus christ? Well, he is the ultimate example of what moving when the spirit moves looks like. The verbiage of the scriptures is that he was “moved with compassion” and then acted as he felt guided. Using this as a guide we can help to administer Christ-like love to those we interact with. Not just this though, but we can administer love to all kindreds creeds and peoples.

You are enough. You are His. There is no point in your history where he has not loved you. He loves you as you are, as you were, as you will be. Knowing Christ loves us gives us the courage to not be concerned with being accepted or belonging. We already know we are accepted. Our hands are no longer tied by others acceptance. We are free to be a man about our fathers business.

A man finds his Masculinity when he displays strength on behalf of others