Living in the Image of God M03S03
If you recognize a need, care about the needy, and commit to doing what you can to alleviate the need; then you have received a task of God. He will guide you and would perform a miracle as necessary to complete the task. We discuss two examples: one regarding the compassion and faith of a Centurion that invited Jesus on behalf of his servant; and another regarding Jesus’ compassion for a bereaved widow. The events show that God could intervene with miracle to complete human responsibility in a call to compassion.
We discuss two examples from Christ ministry to understand a relationship between compassion and faith. Compassion means a person recognizes the need of another and provides goods or service to alleviate the need. Faith in compassion means a person recognizes that a call to compassion is a task of God and that God will guide him or her to accomplish the objective. He will guide your human effort through and beyond your human capabilities.
In the first example, a Centurion had pity on his servant that was sick and recognized that Christ could heal his servant. He had compassion for his servant and faith that Christ will heal his servant. He invited Christ on behalf of his servant [Matthew 8:8]: “Lord, I do not deserve to have you come under my roof. But just say the word, and my servant will be healed.” Christ healed the servant in response [Matthew 8:13]: “Then Jesus said to the centurion, ‘Go! Let it be done just as you believed it would.’ And his servant was healed at that moment.” The Centurion’s compassion and faith led to his intercession and resulted in healing for his servant.
In the second example, Jesus encountered the funeral procession for the only son of a widow. He had compassion on the widow, stopped the funeral procession, and restored the dead son back to life. As human, he had compassion for the bereaved widow: “When the Lord saw her, his heart went out to her and he said, ‘Don’t cry’” [Luke 7:13]. As God, he performed a miracle to restore her dead son [Luke 7:14–15]: “…He said, ‘Young man, I say to you, get up!’ The dead man sat up and began to talk, and Jesus gave him back to his mother.”
The examples illustrate that God can perform a miracle to complete human responsibility in a call to compassion. Therefore, in responding to a call to compassion, focus on your human effort while having faith of God guiding you through and beyond the limits of your human capabilities.
Compassion and Faith of the Centurion
The Centurion, battalion commander in the Roman army that ruled Israel during the time of Jesus, was powerful and had several servants. He recognized that one of his servants was seriously sick and needed help. He cared about the servant and wanted to help him. He believed that Jesus could heal his servant and invited Jesus on behalf of his servant.
The gospel according to Matthew reports that the Centurion went to Jesus by himself: “‘Lord,’ he said, ‘my servant lies at home paralyzed, suffering terribly’” [Matthew 8:6]. In contrast, the gospel according to Luke indicates the Centurion sent a delegation of Jewish elders to Jesus: “The centurion heard of Jesus and sent some elders of the Jews to him, asking him to come and heal his servant” [Luke 7:3]. Both versions of the gospel provide the basic fact that the Centurion invited Jesus on behalf of his servant—an example for intercession motivated by compassion.
He recognized his servant was sick, cared about his servant, determined his best option was to go to Jesus, and invited Jesus to heal his servant. That is: he recognized the need, cared about the needy, committed to doing what he could, and persevered through to alleviate the need. He accomplished the final step through prayer by inviting Jesus to heal his servant.
Motivated by Compassion and Encouraged by Faith
The Centurion determined that his best option for helping his servant was to go to Jesus. Faith of healing from Jesus strengthened his commitment to do something to alleviate the suffering of his servant. He was motivated by compassion and encouraged by faith to intercede on behalf of his servant. His compassion and faith resulted in healing for his servant: “When Jesus heard this, he was amazed at him, and turning to the crowd following him, he said, ‘I tell you, I have not found such great faith even in Israel’” [Luke 7:9].
The compassion and faith of the Centurion provide a reminder to take it to God in prayer while seeking a path forward in a call to compassion. You have been assigned a task of God when you recognize a need, care about the needy, and commit to doing what you can to alleviate the need. Persevere in seeking a path forward and be encouraged that God will guide you and could perform a miracle as he considers necessary to complete the task. That is a message from the compassion and faith of the Centurion.
Compassion for Bereaved Widow
Jesus encountered a funeral procession for the only son of a widow. He had pity on the bereaved widow and restored her dead son to life. As human, he had compassion for the bereaved widow: “When the Lord saw her, his heart went out to her and he said, ‘Don’t cry’” [Luke 7:13]. As God, he performed a miracle to restore her dead son [Luke 7:14–15]: “…He said, ‘Young man, I say to you, get up!’ The dead man sat up and began to talk, and Jesus gave him back to his mother.”
As human: Jesus recognized a need, cared about the needy, and committed to doing something to alleviate the need. As God, he performed a miracle by restoring life to the dead son to alleviate the widow’s suffering. The event reminds us to seek God while searching for a path forward in a call to compassion. His options are unlimited and include intervening with miracle. That is, God may intervene with miracle to complete human responsibility in a call to compassion.
Summary of What We Learned
If you recognize a need, care about the needy, and commit to doing what you can to alleviate the need; then you have received a task of God. He will guide you and could perform a miracle as necessary to complete the task.
We discussed two examples: one regarding the compassion and faith of a Centurion that invited Jesus on behalf of his servant; and another regarding Jesus’ compassion for a bereaved widow. The events show that God could intervene with miracle to complete human responsibility in a call to compassion.