The Gospel of Mark
The Compassion of Jesus
Mark 1:40–42
A man with leprosy came and knelt in front of Jesus, begging to be healed. “If you are willing, you can heal me and make me clean,” he said. Moved with compassion, Jesus reached out and touched him. “I am willing,” he said. “Be healed!” Instantly the leprosy disappeared, and the man was healed. — Mark 1:40–42
Pastors have been known for saying that we shouldn’t treat God like a vending machine, which is good advice. Except, God wants us to come to him. Jesus want us to come to him, trust him, and ask him for things.
Growing up, that’s all I did. I would come to Jesus when I needed something and once I got it or felt like he wasn’t listening, I moved on. I didn’t have a relationship with Jesus. I treated him like a supernatural and divine vending machine.
Then, as I got older and I actually believed in Jesus as my Lord and Savior, I found myself simply wanting to be in the presence of Jesus. Spending time praying, reading my Bible, and meditating on what I was learning.
In these moments, I would sometimes feel the compassion of Jesus.
At the time I could not explain what that was like. However, in the last five years, I have learned that my experience with Jesus is like experiencing one of the warmest of hugs I’ve ever had in my life.
The leaper in the story, he came to Jesus, likely because he heard that someone else had been healed. So, he sought out this man who could heal people. But, instead of straight asking for what he wanted, he came into Jesus’s presence and declared what he knew to be true.
“If you are willing, you can heal me…”
Not only, is Jesus always willing to step into our lives, he has the power to do so. But it isn’t because we boss him around. No. It is because he has compassion for us. He sees our hurts, pains, and troubles.
And when he sees these things, he is very willing to step in to heal and deliver us. All it takes is us stepping into his presence and be willing to ask him for help.
So, no, don’t treat Jesus like a vending machine, but remember, he has compassion for you. That is why he came to earth and was willing to die on a cross. When you embrace his compassion, you will being to feel the fulness of the love of God.
Transformed Faith is about helping people go deeper with God, experience Jesus, and walk in the power of the Holy Spirit. Connect with Transformed Faith on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram!
Support Transformed Faith by giving on Buy Me A Coffee (one-time or monthly) or by purchasing these bible study devotional on Amazon:
- The Book of Proverbs
- The Gospel of John
- The Gospel of Matthew
Also, I would like to invite you to join the Medium community where you can unlimited access to articles on Medium. Once you’ve joined the community, step into my inner circle by subscribing to all my articles (that way you never miss one).
A little more about J.R. Heimbigner
J.R. Heimbigner is a #1 Bestselling Author on Amazon who loves helping people grow in their faith and help writers become authors. You can connect with him on Medium, his website, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, and Substack!
***Please note: there may be affiliate links in this post.***
