Translations that say Jesus was "moved" or "felt compassion" aren't really conveying the depth of the original Greek.
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| The Resurrection of the Widow's Son at Nain, James Tissot Brooklyn Museum |
When Jesus saw the crowd of ordinary men and women, he was moved with compassion. The word which is used for moved with compassion (splagchnistheis) is the strongest word for pity in the Greek language. It is formed from the word splagchna, which means the bowels, and it describes the compassion which moves a man to the deepest depths of his being. In the gospels, apart from its use in some of the parables, it is used only of Jesus (Matthew 9:36; 14:14; 15:32; 20:34; Mark 1:41; Luke 7:13). When we study these passages, we are able to see the things which moved Jesus most of all.So that's our homework. Go look up those passages and see what moves Jesus to the depths of pity.
It is rich food for thought to me to consider that he was moved so much by people who were like sheep with no shepherd. That is equal to some of the other, possibly more understandable things that moved him so. I think of how it was when I was like one of those sheep and how happy I was to find that shepherd. How many of the people we know are the same? Searching, bewildered and dejected.
Quote is from Daily Study Bible Series: Gospel of Matthew, vol. 1 by William Barclay. This series first ran in 2008. I'm refreshing it as I go.
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