This page gives you Bible passages about Jesus’ compassion, the moments where the Gospels show him moved by people’s pain and acting on that feeling. It is for anyone who wants to see how Jesus responded to hunger, grief, sickness and loneliness, and who needs to be reminded that the same heart still attends to them. Each passage shows Jesus noticing a person in need, and in each case his response is tender and deliberate rather than distant.
Verses About Jesus Seeing the Crowds as People in Need
Before Jesus ever performed a miracle in these accounts, he looked at people and felt something. The Gospel writers often pause to describe his inner response, which tells you that compassion was not an afterthought for him but the lens through which he saw everyone around him.
Matthew 9:36
But when he saw the multitudes, he was moved with compassion for them, because they were harassed and scattered, like sheep without a shepherd.
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This verse describes Jesus looking at a crowd and seeing people worn out and scattered. When you feel overwhelmed by the people in your own life, try naming one person you find difficult and asking Jesus to help you see them the way he saw that crowd.
Mark 6:34
Jesus came out, saw a great multitude, and he had compassion on them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd, and he began to teach them many things.
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Here Jesus meets a crowd that had come looking for him, and he responds by teaching them at length. Compassion in this passage shows up as attention and time given freely. Consider where you might give a little more of your time today to someone who is searching for direction.
Matthew 14:14
Jesus went out, and he saw a great multitude. He had compassion on them, and healed their sick.
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After a long day, Jesus steps out of a boat and finds a great crowd waiting, and he heals their sick. This verse shows compassion turning into action even when he was tired and had hoped for quiet. Think about one small act of help you could offer this week even when your own energy is low.
Verses for When You Are Grieving or Heartbroken
Some of the most moving scenes of Jesus’ compassion happen at funerals and in the presence of weeping friends. These passages show that he does not hurry past sorrow or treat it as a problem to fix quickly. He enters into it with those who are hurting.
John 11:35
Jesus wept.
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This short verse is one of the shortest in the Bible, and it shows Jesus weeping beside friends who had lost their brother. If you are carrying grief, you can take comfort that Jesus did not rush past tears. Tonight, let yourself sit with the loss honestly before God rather than pretending you are fine.
Luke 7:13
When the Lord saw her, he had compassion on her, and said to her, “Don’t cry.”
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Jesus sees a widow walking behind her son’s coffin and feels compassion before he says a word to her. The verse shows that he notices grief in people who did not even ask for his help. Consider the people near you who are grieving quietly and whether a simple phone call or a meal could let them know they are seen.
Luke 19:41
When he came near, he saw the city and wept over it…
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As Jesus draws near Jerusalem, he weeps over the city, grieving the choices its people are making. His compassion here is not only for personal loss but also for communities that are heading toward harm. When you pray for your city or your church, you can ask God to give you this same tender concern for the people around you.
Verses About Jesus Healing and Restoring the Hurting
Many of the Gospel accounts of Jesus’ compassion involve physical healing, and these moments are often shaped by his willingness to touch people others avoided. The passages below show him moving toward the sick, the outcast and the ones society had given up on.
Mark 1:41
Being moved with compassion, he stretched out his hand, and touched him, and said to him, “I want to. Be made clean.”
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A man with a serious skin disease comes to Jesus, and Jesus reaches out and touches him before healing him. In that culture, touching someone like this was socially risky, which makes the gesture especially meaningful. Think about one person who feels rejected and consider how you might show them warmth in a practical, visible way.
Matthew 20:34
Jesus, being moved with compassion, touched their eyes; and immediately their eyes received their sight, and they followed him.
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Two blind men call out to Jesus for mercy, and he stops and asks what they want. The verse shows Jesus taking their request seriously and responding with care. You can bring your own specific requests to him in prayer today, trusting that he listens closely to the details of your need.
Luke 15:20
“He arose, and came to his father. But while he was still far off, his father saw him, and was moved with compassion, and ran, and fell on his neck, and kissed him.
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In the story of the prodigal son, the father sees his returning child from a distance and runs to him with compassion. This picture of Jesus’ heart toward the lost reminds you that God does not wait coldly for you to earn your way back. If you have wandered, consider taking the first step toward God in prayer today.
Verses That Show Jesus Caring for Those Who Are Overlooked
Jesus’ compassion consistently reached people the wider culture tended to ignore, including children, outsiders and the poor. These passages reveal a Savior who gave dignity and attention to those with little social standing.
Mark 10:14
But when Jesus saw it, he was moved with indignation, and said to them, “Allow the little children to come to me! Don’t forbid them, for God’s Kingdom belongs to such as these.
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When the disciples try to keep children away, Jesus is indignant and welcomes them warmly. This verse shows that Jesus values people who have no status or power to offer him. Consider how you might make room for the younger or quieter people in your home, church or workplace this week.
Matthew 25:40
“The King will answer them, ‘Most certainly I tell you, because you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.’
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In this teaching, Jesus identifies himself with the hungry, the stranger and the sick, so that serving them becomes serving him. This verse invites you to see Christ in the ordinary people who need your help. Pick one practical need you have noticed and do something about it before the week ends.
Luke 7:47
Therefore I tell you, her sins, which are many, are forgiven, for she loved much. But to whom little is forgiven, the same loves little.”
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Jesus accepts the love of a woman others had judged harshly and tells her that her sins are forgiven. Here his compassion meets shame directly and lifts it. If shame is weighing on you, bring it to Jesus in prayer and let his acceptance speak to the places where you feel unworthy.
How to Use These Verses
The most useful way to read these passages is slowly, one at a time, rather than all at once. Choose one verse that matches what you are facing this week and read it in the morning or before a hard conversation. Writing the reference and a single sentence about what it means to you on an index card or in a notebook helps it stay with you through the day.
You can also turn these verses into prayer. Read a passage, then pause and ask Jesus to show you how his compassion applies to a particular person or situation in your life. Many people find it helpful to return to the same few verses over several weeks, noticing how their understanding of Jesus’ heart deepens as their circumstances change.
A Short Prayer for Jesus’ Compassion
Lord Jesus, thank you that you looked on the crowds with real feeling and that you still see people as they truly are. You wept with those who grieved, you reached out to those others avoided, and you welcomed the ones the world pushed aside. Open my eyes to the people around me who are tired, hurting or overlooked. Soften my heart where it has grown hard, and give me the courage to act on the care you put in me. Let your compassion shape how I speak and serve today. Amen.
