Compassion in Evangelism

Compassion is a key component in evangelizing the lost. Jesus continuously showed compassion to the lost. Matthew records the loving motivation of our Lord in Matthew 9:36: “But when He saw the multitudes, He was moved with compassion on them, because they fainted, and were scattered abroad, as sheep having no shepherd.”

The Greek word translated compassion has the idea of being moved in one’s inside with pity and sympathy, especially when the person stands in great need. Compassion yearns to help and does what it can to render aid. Jesus saw the great spiritual need of the multitudes and their inability to help themselves. He saw that they needed the Savior.

You can have compassion on the lost when you see them as weary souls, without spiritual guidance and protection, headed for eternal destruction. God made all people in His image and wants to deliver them from so great a death. See the lost as individuals in desperate need of salvation; and then reach out in tenderness, with pity and affection, from a position of strength, with a desire to help, and point them to the Lord with compassion.