Bowels of Compassion

“But whoso hath this world's good, and seeth his brother have need, and shutteth up his bowels of compassion from him, how dwelleth the love of God in him?”  —1 John 3:17 (KJV)

When Darlene and I were first married, we went on a three-week mission trip to Honduras. We were just twenty years old and had never really been anywhere by ourselves. We jumped on a plane in Pittsburgh, joined a team of strangers in Miami, and departed for Central America. On our team, we met a couple who had been on earlier mission trips, and were so moved by their experiences that they returned home, left their business, and became the missionaries leading our trip.

Throughout our three-week “vacation with a purpose” I was waiting for my moving moment, but it never came. I wondered if I was too hard hearted or was God simply not calling me to missionary service. Was I too emotionally detached to be moved? Eventually, God called me into pastoral ministry and confirmed for me that God was not calling me into overseas service.

Since 1 John 3:17 (NIV) tells us, “If anyone has material possessions and sees a brother or sister in need but has no pity on them, how can the love of God be in that person?” as Christians we should be concerned if we are not moved to compassion when faced with the needs of others, questioning whether God’s love really dwells in us. What about you? When you see sick and starving children on TV, are you repulsed and turn the channel or are you moved? When is the last time you opened your “bowels of compassion” to the needs of others. In other words, when is the last time you allowed the needs of another person to move you so deeply that you acted?

I quoted the King James Version at the top of this article because it tries to correctly and graphically translate the original language of the New Testament. To be moved to compassion literally means to open your bowels toward a person or circumstance, to become nauseous or sick over a need that you can meet. In the New Testament, when Jesus was moved to compassion it actually says, His bowels were moved. The bowels were thought to be the seat of love and pity. The verbal form of the noun “bowels” means to be moved as to one’s bowels or to be moved with compassion or have pity.

Compassion connects our eyes with our hands directly through the stomach. We see a need with the eyes of Jesus, and are moved in our guts to do something. Most of the Bible passages describing Jesus being moved to compassion begin with Jesus seeing a person in need. Matthew 14:14 records that Jesus saw a great multitude, was moved with compassion toward them, and healed their sick. Luke 7:13 describes how Jesus saw a widow who lost her only son. He had compassion on her and raised her son from the dead.

In the Parable of the Good Samaritan, Jesus describes a neighbor as one who shows compassion. The Samaritan saw an injured man, was moved with compassion, and offered help (Luke 10:33).  Jesus illustrates His Father’s love for lost souls by describing how the father of the lost son upon seeing his son’s return, had compassion, ran to him, and embraced his son (Luke 15:20).

The recurring theme: Jesus, God the Father, and Christians see, are moved with compassion, and act. Are you allowing yourself to be moved to compassion? You must first be in a position to see. Secondly, you must open your heart (our bowels) to be moved or touched. If you are truly moved to compassion, you will act to alleviate pain and suffering.