Desire

Go and learn what this means: 'I DESIRE COMPASSION, AND NOT SACRIFICE,' for I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners.  Matthew 9:13.
In this verse Jesus makes it clear what He desires.  Compassion.  Other translations put it mercy.  When I can find it in the Hebrew I'll let you know a little bit more.
Sin left a broken road.  If we're not walking with Jesus we are wandering aimlessly.  When Jesus spoke with the Samaritan woman,"Go, call your husband and come here.  "The woman answered and said, "I have no husband."  Jesus said to her, "You have correctly said, 'I have no husband', ' for you have had five husbands, and the one whom you now have is not your husband;  this you have said truly."  John 4:16-18.    Knowing everything about the woman before hand Jesus reached out and had compassion on this woman.  What's even more amazing is it sprang from the depths of his soul.  There wasn't even a crowd of followers so it wasn't a public miracle.  He just felt the depth of her need and offered to satisfy it.
That's compassion.

By Grace,

Travis P. Dickerson