Jesus on earth lived out perfect compassion. Not only did he physically heal people’s bodies, he healed our souls through his death and resurrection. His compassion for us is so huge that it can be intimidating sometimes! I mean, what can I possibly do that would matter compared to what Jesus has already done for the whole world? Fortunately, Jesus has promised us the help of the Holy Spirit. Our job isn’t to try and do everything Jesus did (I mean, we couldn’t!), but to find the place that God is calling us to serve and to show compassion. Let’s watch a video. Pay special attention to all the different ways compassion shows up in this video.

Share this video with  your students [4:18]:
The Present – OFFICIAL

• Let’s start with the negative—where was compassion missing in this video? (When the boy rejects his puppy because of its disability.)
• How did you feel toward the boy when he rejected his new puppy? (Answers will vary: Outraged, angry, etc.)
• Did your feelings changed when we saw that the boy also had a disability? (Possible answers may include: I understood why he might have rejected the puppy. He must have some angry feelings because of his disability. I still wish he would have been kinder to the puppy, though.)
• What other examples of compassion did you notice in this video? (The mom was compassionate in bringing her son a gift. The puppy showed compassion by continuing to love the boy even when he was rejected. The boy eventually acts compassionately to the puppy by playing with him.)

Jesus showed compassion even when it messed with His plans and even when the people didn’t deserve it. That puppy loved that boy even when the boy didn’t deserve it. True compassion does not depend on the person receiving it, but on the person giving it. When we show compassion, our motivation has to be that we are doing it for God, regardless of how the receiver feels.

• How might God be calling you to demonstrate compassion, even to someone who doesn’t deserve it? (Allow your students some time to process this. Examples might be: I can be kind to my siblings, even when they’re mean to me. I can patiently help my friend learn how to do our math problems, even though he wasn’t paying attention in class. I can shovel my neighbor’s sidewalk, even though they’re grumpy, etc.)

Remind your students that true compassion comes from the Lord. When we act in true compassion, we’re following Jesus. Divide the students into pairs. Ask them to come up with one concrete way they plan to show compassion to another this week. Ask the pairs to exchange contact information and hold one another accountable to their commitment this week.

End by praying that God would open your hearts to the opportunities to show compassion that He puts in front of you this week