He had compassion on her and said to her, “Do not weep.” Then He came and touched the open coffin, and those who carried him stood still. And He said, “Young man, I say to you, arise.” So he who was dead sat up and began to speak. And He presented him to his mother. Then fear came upon all, and they glorified God, saying, “A great prophet has risen up among us”; and, “God has visited His people.” (Luke 7:13–16; NKJV)

Compassion is a very popular idea today. In the 21st century West, compassion, often understood as “being nice,” is a cardinal virtue. Western culture goes so far as to argue that a compassionate God must accept us, even our sin, without consequence, while also arguing that, since pain and suffering exist, the compassionate God of Christianity cannot exist.

Obviously, both conclusions cannot be true. In fact, neither is true. The fact that most of the Western world gets wrong is this—compassion and “being nice” are not the same. True compassion—God’s compassion—is kind and loving. It is also holy and just.

God is holy and just (Mark 10:18; Ps 99:1–3). God’s holiness refers to His separateness from Creation as sacred and divine, having a superior, spiritual existence.¹ God’s justice refers to His activity and authority as ruler over all Creation.² Together, these ideas highlight God’s inherent glory, purity, and sovereignty.

God alone is above all in both substance and character. He is wholly sacred, pure, worthy of honor, and untainted by evil in both His character and His superintendence over His Kingdom, including world affairs.

The problem isn’t with God, it’s with us. Humans are finite and inclined toward sin from birth. From our earliest moments of awareness, we naturally pursue our sinful inclinations, failing to live up to the standard of God’s glory (Eph 2:1; Rom 3:23). And although God created us to live in ongoing, life-giving relationship with Him, our sinfulness prohibits such relationship.

How then is the God of Christianity compassionate? Because He has looked upon our helpless bondage to sin and determined that He would not abandon us to eternal death. He made provision for our salvation from sin and death so we would have the possibility of living in ongoing relationship with Him. This is why He sent Jesus, the only begotten Son, Who died the death that we deserve that we might receive eternal life with Him (John 3:16–17).

But God’s compassion isn’t merely a promise for eternity. It’s also a reality this side of heaven in the here and now. Jesus came to preach the gospel of the Kingdom of God not only in word and life but also with miraculous demonstrations of His great love for us (Luke 11:20).

When Jesus arrived in Nain and saw the funeral procession for the woman’s deceased son, He was moved with compassion for the woman. Luke describes the woman as “a widow” and the deceased as her “only son” (Luke 7:12). As one theologian explains, “For a widow’s only son to die before she did was considered extremely tragic; it also left her dependent on public charity for support unless she had other means or relatives of means.”³

Does God care about our lives here on earth? Yes! Does God’s heart grieve with ours at the death of a loved one? Yes! Although physical death is sovereignly ordained for every human (Heb 9:27), God has also proven on rare but repeated occasion that He has the power and desire to raise to the dead to life (e.g., Luke 8:34; John 11:43; c.f., Luke 12:4–9).

Jesus showed compassion for the woman by restoring her only son back to life. This is an earthly demonstration of God’s eternal, unfailing kindness and mercy toward us (Rom 2:4).⁴ God loves each of us and desires each of us to live eternally in ongoing relationship with Him. He patiently tolerates evil this side of heaven so we might have every possible opportunity to receive His invitation to eternal life with Him (2 Pet 3:9).

Some have asked, if God is real and loves us so, why has He not revealed Himself more clearly to us? But He has. God promised to send His Anointed One to heal our infirmities, save us from death, and bring all nations into the Kingdom of God (Isa 61). The fulfillment of such promises doesn’t get any more real than the Incarnation of the Son, Jesus Christ, Who has shown the compassion of God in so many miraculous, tangible ways.

Christian, take heart—our compassionate God has looked upon you and loved you richly with mercy and grace! Though life this side of heaven is filled with discouragement, grief, pain, and suffering, we can rest secure in the loving arms of Jesus. He has repeatedly shown His authority and power over sin and death. And He promises to one day bring an end to all evils—when we receive the promise of living in His Kingdom eternally with Him.

And I heard a loud voice from heaven saying, “Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people. God Himself will be with them and be their God. 4 And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away.” (Rev 21:3–4)

Notes

1. Christopher A. Beetham, ed., “ἅγιος,” in Concise New International Dictionary of New Testament Theology and Exegesis (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Academic, 2021), 17. Logos Bible Software.
2. Robert D. Culver, “שָׁפַט,” in Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament, ed. R. Laird Harris, Gleason L. Archer Jr., and Bruce K. Waltke (Chicago: Moody, 1999), 947–948. Logos Bible Software.
3. Craig S. Keener, The IVP Bible Background Commentary: New Testament, 2nd ed. (Downers Grove, IL: IVP Academic, 2014), 198. Logos Bible Software.
4. Helmut Köster, “splánchnon,” in Theological Dictionary of the New Testament, Abridged in One Volume, ed. by Gerhard Kittel, Gerhard Friedrich, and Geoffrey William Bromiley (Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 1985), 1068. Logos Bible Software.