Jesus didn’t get to do everything he wanted. His mother asked him to do a miracle before he was supposed to, and he agreed. He healed a leper and asked him to be silent about it so a crowd wouldn’t form, forcing him to leave the city, but the leper didn’t listen. He sometimes tried to escape crowds to find some rest, but they hunted him down until he ministered to them.

Why did Jesus do these things? Because he was moved by splanchnizomai—the Greek word for compassion, pity, or deep empathy—a feeling that comes from the gut or heart. Such compassion sometimes had a way of overriding God-in-flesh’s decisions, causing him to do positive things for others that might have negative effects on him.

What are you praying about these days? God the Father is made of the same splanchnizomai, and he’s listening to your concerns. Jesus actually teaches us to pray impudently, asking God for the kinds of things we need. He is full of lovingkindness, and is driven by compassion to care for you.

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