This is a re-hash of a sermon called Compassion: Just Do It that I wrote for Vineyard Leadership Institute. It’s the same scripture passage, but I changed the thesis (the point I would drive home). I used slightly different illustrations. This was also presented in a home group setting, so it has conversational elements built-in. It could easily be adapted for a full-blown sermon.

Compassion: Conquering Apathy with the Love of Christ

Thesis: Apathy blinds our eyes, closes the door of our heart, and paralyzes the body of Christ. We are called to have the transforming love and compassion of Jesus Christ.

Introduction
I’m going to give you a quick quiz. Don’t worry, it’s easy! I’ll give you a word and you give me the opposite. READY?
The opposite of Fast is… Slow.
The opposite of Long is… Short.
The opposite of Cold is… Hot.
The opposite of Young is… Old.
The opposite of Soft is… Hard.
The opposite of Sour is… Sweet.
The opposite of High is… Low.
The opposite of Rich is… Poor.
The opposite of Love is… Hate???

Are we sure about that? From my own experiences, I’m coming to realize that the greatest insult against someone is not to hate them, it’s to be apathetic.

Here’s a definition of apathy:
It’s a lack of emotion or concern, especially when it relates to matters of general concern.

An Irish author, George Bernard Shaw said, “The worst sin toward our fellow creatures is not to hate them, but to be indifferent to them: that’s the essence of inhumanity.” George Bernard Shaw

If you please, turn your Bibles to Matthew 9:35-38. In this passage, Jesus addresses the issue of apathy.

Matthew 9:35-38
35 Jesus went through all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the good news of the kingdom and healing every disease and sickness. 36 When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. 37 Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. 38 Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.”

1) SAW THE CROWDS (EYES)
A) Jesus “saw the crowds”
B) It all starts with opening our eyes.
C) When Jesus saw a need; he didn’t turn a blind eye.
D) How can we make any difference in our world if we’re not aware of what’s going on?
E) Apathy blinds our eyes,
Apathy urges us to avoid those who need us.
Apathy makes us loose sight of the Kingdom.

How are we doing with looking at the crowds?
Who have we seen that is harassed, helpless, sick, or without a shepherd?
Who have we tried to “not see” or “avoid”?

2) FELT COMPASSION (HEART)
A) Jesus “had compassion on them”.
B) The Greek origin of the word “compassion” is splangkh-nid’-zom-ahee (Splagchnizomai)
The root Greek word is Splagchnon means bowels or intestines.
C) Have you ever seen something so intense that it affected your stomach? Butterflies, queasiness
D) German Theologian, Karl Barth gives us a revealing look at to what this Greek word means: “The term obviously defies adequate translation. What it means is that the suffering and sin and abandonment and peril of these men not merely went to the heart of Jesus, but right into His heart, into Himself, so that their whole plight was now His own, and as such He saw and suffered it far more keenly than they did. Splagchnizomai means that He took their misery upon Himself, taking it away from them and making it His own.”
E) Jesus didn’t insulate himself from their pain and suffering.
F) He lowered his guard and made himself emotionally vulnerable.
G) Some of the most amazing signs and wonders happened immediately after Jesus expressed emotion. 1) weeping; 2) anger; 3) rebuke; 4) moved with compassion; 5) being deeply distressed; 6) deeply sighing.
H) Apathy closes the door of our heart. Apathy rejects the poor and the oppressed. Apathy suppresses the transforming love of Jesus Christ.

How are we doing with feeling compassion?
What are some of the barriers to feeling compassion?
1) “The almighty I” – Are we too wrapped up with ourselves to care about others? Oh, I have so many problems right now. I’m so busy. I have no time.
2) Permission – Do we give ourselves permission to be emotionally vulnerable to bear another person’s burden?
3) Rationalize – How do we rationalize the situation and make ourselves feel better about not helping?
Homeless:
a) If I give him money, he’ll just spend it on drugs. I don’t want to enable him.
b) Giving him a buck won’t have any impact on getting himself out of this mess.
c) I would give him a big financial gift to get him back on his feet, if it were tax-deductible
d) Why doesn’t he just get a job at McDonald’s?

People who are stuck on the side of the road:
a) I’m in such a hurry right now; I don’t have time to pull over to help.
b) I’m alone right now; I don’t want to put myself in danger.
c) Huh, I thought everyone had a cell phone. Oh well.
d) Oh shoot, I didn’t see him in time to pull over. Maybe another person will help him.
4) Disassociation – It’s not my problem. There are good church ministries, non-profit organizations, and government-funded services to help those people. The “us and them” mentality.

I’d like you to ponder this quote from Dorothy Day. She was a social activist and co-founder of a charity called the “Catholic Worker Movement”. The Catholic Worker Movement was a ministry that offered hospitality for the impoverished and downtrodden. Dorothy Day once said, “I really only love God as much as I love the person I love the least.” My question for us is, who are we “loving the least”? Who are we pushing out of our heart?

3) TOOK ACTION (MOUTH, HAND, FEET)
A) Jesus took action.
B) He “went through all the towns and villages”, “taught in their synagogues”, “preached the good news of the kingdom”, “healed every disease and sickness”
C) Their pain became his pain, so he restored them physically, emotionally, and spiritually.
D) Throughout the Bible we read of Jesus raising the dead, casting out demons, bringing sight to the blind, giving speech to the mute, restoring hearing to the deaf, curing the leper, and healing the paralyzed.
E) Jesus wasn’t a benchwarmer!
F) Listen guys
Apathy paralyzes the body of Christ.
Apathy robs us of our salt.
Apathy covers our light.
Apathy neutralizes our effectiveness in the Kingdom.

How are we responding to the people that we see and the emotions that we feel? Are we doing the stuff or are we just sitting on the bench?

God hasn’t called us to be benchwarmers. Let’s re-read Matthew 9:37-38. 37 Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. 38 Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.”

CONCLUSION/MINISTRY TIME: THE HARVEST IS PLENTIFUL BUT THE WORKERS ARE FEW
I’d like to leave this time open to respond and pray for each other. The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Perhaps God has been speaking to you about how you interact with a specific individual or certain people groups. Perhaps God is talking to you about getting involved with a particular ministry, or leading a new ministry, or leading a home group, or even going into full-time ministry. I want us to pray for you to be sent out into the harvest field.