The Missing Ingredient

Jesus was really the only one who could have told the story, since He was the only one who knew all that had transpired. Not one of the three active principals knew, or cared, anything about the actions of the other two whose individual paths led them into contact with the passive fourth man that day.

Each, in his turn, came by, clearly saw, and understood the situation. The band of robbers, so brazen and bold with their evident security of numbers until they could perform their nefarious deed in full view of the road right-of-way, had stripped their victim of his raiment, wounded him, and had departed, leaving him half dead.

The next two on the scene, according to the words of Jesus, were men of high religious fervor; totally committed to the belief in one God, and dedicated to the proposition that this belief was necessary in order for anyone, anywhere in the world, to be saved.

One, the priest, regularly went into the temple’s holy place to render service to the Lord. The Levite, of course, was part of the supporting staff who kept the temple clean and the processes of sacrifices, etc., functioning, as well as supplying the singing and music for the temple worship.

They only looked at the situation and passed on by. Had you been able to accost them down the road a piece and inquire as to their lack of concern for the wayside stranger, they could have — and probably would have — given you book, chapter and verse for the work they did.

Their attitude could have easily been, “Don’t bother me with such things. I am too busy doing tasks ordained of God. Besides, I have just come from Jerusalem where I served my course of time in the temple. I’m not an idler. I’m a man busy with more important things; things that the one true God has established and ordered to be done.

“As for this fellow on the side of the road, he should have been more prudent and waited for a caravan to join with, instead of taking off in such a hurry. Thieves don’t respect other lone travelers as they do us priests and Levites. Now see the result? He really brought it on himself and will have to suffer the result of his haste and lack of prudence.”

The scene was unchanged when the third active principal came on the scene. There was one, and only one, thing different — period. …he had compassion on him.

That wonderful commodity of compassion came into play. The Samaritan likewise was a busy man. He had a regular course he traveled in his business; for he later told the innkeeper, …when I come again…. Yet compassion compelled him to divert his time, energy and resources to the need, as all three of them saw and understood that need.

Later in the story, the lawyer answered Jesus’ query as to which of the three active participants had been a neighbor to the unfortunate man, by saying, He that shewed mercy on him.

Jesus used the true answer of the lawyer to let us know that mercy and compassion are inextricably linked; compassion being the trigger, possibly, that brings mercy into being.

While none of us would be so foolish as to pretend to have all the answers about compassion, yet there are a couple of points that stand out to even a casual perusal of our story.

First, compassion cannot be faked. None of this, “Fake it till you make it; Blab it and grab it” business. It is either a genuine part of our lives, or it is not.

Then, if there was anyone whose ministry should have been cut-and-dried, that is, following its prescribed path without variation, it should have been the ministry of our Lord Jesus.

Knowing all things as He did, His itinerary would have been clear, in His mind at least: “I’ll go here today and minister to and heal these, tomorrow I’ll go there, and next week I’ll journey on to this other place, etc., etc.” All neatly worked out in advance with everything filling its divine order. To this end was I born, and for this cause came I into the world, that I should bear witness unto the truth. His ministry fitting into the clear-cut will of God, day after day.

Yet, I find an unusual story — unusual to me at least — in Mark 6/31-34. Here it was Jesus’ idea for Him and His disciples to go apart into a desert place to rest a while. They had no leisure to even eat, because of so many coming and going.

They went into a ship to cross to the selected site, but the crowd …outwent them…and were on hand when they came down out of the ship for their time of relaxation, which had been suggested and set in motion by Jesus himself.

But look what happens! And Jesus, when he came out, saw much people, and was moved with compassion toward them…

God-made plans were set aside under the compelling influence of compassion, leading us to understand the other point: If there is compassion present, it will move you.

You, as well as all those around you, will know it is present, because your plans, no matter how important they may seem, can be interrupted by the needs of others.

The need of the crowd arrested Jesus’ attention …and he began to teach them many things, finally ending by miraculously feeding five thousand men, besides the women and children, with the five loaves and two fishes.

And, it all started with Jesus’ suggestion to get away for a bit of rest. Compassion changed even Jesus’ plans. Why shouldn’t it change ours from time to time?

It would be the easiest thing in the world to pretend we have no control over compassion — that it is either there or not there — thereby relieving us of any responsibility. However, scripture teaches otherwise.

But whoso hath this world’s good, and seeth his brother have need, and shutteth up his bowels of compassion from him, (yet closes his heart of compassion against him – The Amplified Bible) how dwelleth the love of God in him?

So, compassion is something we do have control over. We can close our heart of compassion, or we can open it to the needs around us. It is time to pull out the popular acronym of these days; WWJD? (What Would Jesus Do?)

He has already shown us how He reacted on any number of occasions. He has gone the way before us …leaving us an example, that ye (we) should follow his steps.

At a camp meeting in south Texas, the summer of 1999, I was sitting and listening to Pastor Gary Howard do some very good, anointed preaching about the good Samaritan, when the Lord spoke to me, saying, “Compassion is the ingredient missing from the North American church.”

Doubtless, we have talented singing and music, great pulpit preaching and finance enough to have the nicest and best in the way of facilities. This is all well and good.

Yet the Lord sees us as lacking in an area that we cannot sham our way through. The Laodiceans saw themselves at the opposite end of the spectrum from where Jesus saw them. So what is there to do?

Only what Jesus prescribed: Therefore I counsel you to purchase from Me gold refined and tested by fire, that you may be [truly] wealthy, and white clothes to clothe you and to keep the shame of your nudity from being seen, and salve to put on your eyes that you may see. (Revelation 3:18 The Amplified Bible)

When all is said and done, it matters not at all how we see ourselves; the only thing that matters is how He sees us. He sees us as severely lacking in compassion.

Please pardon the personal reference, but I know my own story better than any other. We came back in 1965 to Lake Charles LA, my hometown, accepting the church my father and mother had pioneered in 1939.

There were only 29 in Sunday School and 10 voting members left when we got there. Also, we were surrounded by strong, talented, financially secure Oneness churches, any of which would quickly take anyone desiring to change churches. And, all of them were much more liberal than ours.

So how were we able to grow to an average of 250 in Sunday School and 100 voting members with 10 acres of land and 14,400 sq. ft. of buildings in 10 years’ time, while leading the church into the Top Ten in foreign missions giving in all of North America for two different years?

It certainly wasn’t my pulpit ability. The sum total of my conference/camp meeting preaching was one (1) ladies auxiliary rally way back in the boonies of Louisiana at a place called Smokey Cove. So what could it have been?

I never prayed for the Lord to give me great sermons, singing ability, or such other talents. But there was something I did pray very earnestly for, and that was compassion, believing that if I had compassion, all else I truly needed would somehow flow from that one attribute. I leave it for you to decide if I prayed the proper prayer or not.

Not only that, but I believe it will still work. The apostle was speaking of more than material things when he said, But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus.

Lord, send your Spirit to make intercession for us, that we can be moved with compassion — the missing ingredient — without which we cannot fulfill your plan for this sin-cursed world.