Compassion Isn’t In You—It Had To Be Nailed To A Cross
Text: Luke 6:36-42
Are you compassionate?
Think about that for a moment.
Are you compassionate?
Answer that in your mind right now.
Now, for those of you who answered, “Yes,” I want to challenge you a bit. Are you just as compassionate and full of mercy as God the Father?
You see, it is true that some of you may be more compassionate than others. You may even be the most tender-hearted person in your family, workplace, or community. But if you stack your compassion next to God’s compassion - if you weigh your mercy next to the mercy of your heavenly Father? Well, then, everything changes.
You see, in Luke 6:36, Jesus says, “Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.” That little phrase, “just as,” is everything. It doesn’t say, “Be merciful when it’s convenient,” or “Be merciful according to your standards.” No, Jesus says, “Be merciful (compassionate) JUST AS your Father is merciful (compassionate).”
That means the degree, the measure, the proportion of our mercy is not to be determined by our feelings, circumstances, or other people’s level of compassion, but by God’s compassion.
And so, I ask you again, are you compassionate? Hold your compassion next to God’s compassion? What do you see? Well… you better see that your compassion falls short. Far short. Therefore, in light of this, you must confess:
I am not in the least compassionate!
But truth be told, we still like to think we are. We tell ourselves we are. We declare ourselves merciful, and then we go and judge others as if we were God. We forgive others with conditions, strings, and limits, forgetting that all our forgiveness comes from a well that we did not dig. We give to others and then secretly pat ourselves on the back, as if the gifts we give weren’t first given to us from the Lord’s open hand. Lord have mercy, we are so blinded by our sin. We are so distracted by our pride. We are so misled by our hypocrisy.
Blunty stated, we play the role of a compassionate God without realizing that we aren’t even playing the part very well.
But this begs the question: why are we so lacking in compassion?
Jesus answers this: He tells us why in verses 39 through 42 of today’s Gospel reading. Listen carefully!
Verse 39—Jesus says, “Can a blind man lead a blind man? Will they not both fall into a pit?” In other words, we are not compassionate like the Father because we are spiritually blind.
Yes, blind. We cannot see rightly. We don’t see others rightly, and we don’t see ourselves rightly. We stumble through life not knowing the depth of our own sin or the beauty of God’s grace. We think we see clearly, but in truth, we are groping in the dark. Again, only those who are spiritually blind think they are truly compassionate.
Verse 40—Jesus says, “A disciple is not above his teacher, but everyone when he is fully trained will be like his teacher.” In other words, we are not compassionate because we are full of pride.
Yes, we think we know more than our Master. We want to be the teacher rather than the student. We want to sit on the throne rather than at the foot of the cross. And so we look down our noses at others, judging their sins while ignoring our own. And again: only those who are full of pride dare think they have any compassion worth mentioning.
Verses 41-42—Jesus says, “Why do you see the speck that is in your brother's eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye? ... First take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take out the speck that is in your brother's eye.” In other words, we are not compassionate because we are hypocrites.
Yes, we are quick to notice the sins of others—quick to critique, quick to gossip, quick to condemn. But when it comes to our own sin? We excuse it. We rationalize it. We pretend it doesn’t exist. We walk around with spiritual lumber in our eyes, trying to do spiritual surgery on others. And hear this again: only hypocrites parade their compassion around for all to see but conceal their pride and ulterior motives within.
To the point: we are not compassionate like our heavenly Father because we are spiritually blind, full of pride, and walking contradictions—hypocrites, every one of us.
And that is why we have no business judging others as if we were God Himself. We don’t graciously give grace — truth be told, we hoard it. We want vengeance, not mercy. We give with strings; we forgive with reluctance; and we bless only when we get something in return.
You and I are not compassionate.
* * *
Now, if Jesus had ended His sermon at this point—if this message of Christianity were to conclude with verse 42—we would be lost. The Law would have rightly crushed us.
But praise be to God—this is not the end.
So, where do we go from here? If Jesus commands compassion like the Father’s compassion, and we don’t measure up, what should we do? Where should we go?
The answer is not to try harder. The answer is not to fake it until we make it. The answer is not to pretend that we are something we’re not.
No. The answer is Christ.
Thanks be to God that Jesus is compassionate to us. He is compassionate like His Father.
In fact, His compassion is in perfect harmony with the Father's. His mercy is just as deep and wide as the mercy of the One who sent Him. That is why He is not just our teacher—He is our Savior.
Baptized Saints, listen up! Jesus does not simply preach compassion. He embodies it. He fulfills it.
He came into the world not for the righteous, but for sinners—for the blind, the proud, and the hypocritical. He came for me. He came for you.
Dear friends, Jesus is not like us. He did not walk around with a log in His eye while critiquing others. No, He had clear vision. And with that clear vision, He saw our sins—not just the specks, but the full forest of sin that we try to hide—and He had mercy.
In His compassion, though, He did not turn away from us. He turned toward Jerusalem. He set His face toward the cross. And at that cross, Jesus did the most compassionate thing ever done in all of human history: He died for the uncompassionate.
He bore the weight of our pride. He carried the blindness of our hearts. He was condemned for our hypocrisy. And there, on that cross, He didn’t cry out, “Judge them, Father!” No. He cried out, “Father, forgive them.”
That’s compassion; Divine compassion. That’s the mercy of God in flesh and blood.
And because He died, your sin is judged—on Him. And because He rose, your sin is forgiven—in Him.
Now hear this, dear Baptized Saints: Jesus’ mercy is not cheap. It is not soft. It is not sentimental. It is blood-bought mercy. It is mercy that cost Him everything so that you might receive everything freely.
Mark this: you are not forgiven because God overlooks sin. You are forgiven because God judged your sin—on Jesus. And because Jesus took your place, you now take His: loved, clean, holy, and whole.
Do not forget, in your baptism, you were joined to this Jesus. You were drowned with Him, buried with Him, and raised with Him to new life. That old Adam—that hypocritical, prideful, stingy, bitter old self—was crucified with Christ. And daily, that old Adam is drowned anew in repentance and faith.
This is what it means to take the log out of your own eye. It means confessing your sin. It means admitting your blindness. It means falling on your knees and crying,
“Lord, have compassion on me, a sinner.”
And the Lord does. Every time!
And then, as one forgiven, you are sent out to be of use to your neighbor with compassion.
Remember, only forgiven people can truly forgive.
Only those who have received compassion from Christ can show compassion to others.
And make no mistake—this is not about becoming moral superheroes. This is not about earning spiritual gold stars. This is about Christ’s mercy invading your thoughts, words, and deeds.
That is why we come here, week after week. Not to impress God, but to receive from Him. In the Word, in Holy Absolution, in the Supper—He gives. And gives. And gives mercy and compassion to you.
His compassion knows no limits. His mercy is always fresh. And it’s yours. Yours!
And so, leave this place today not with the old Adam in charge, but with Christ. Leave today not with a hypocritical blind spirit of judgment, but with the joy of those who have been judged righteous in Christ. Leave today knowing this:
Jesus has been merciful to you.
And because He has, you are now free—free to love, free to serve, free to forgive.
All because of Christ.
In the name of Jesus. Amen.
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