Abstract
Ministry to the sick and suffering has been a timeless tradition among religious peoples: Moses, Elijah, Elisha, Isaiah, among others in the OT and Peter, Paul, John, Philip and others in the NT. Jesus-the founder of the Christian Churchtook this ministry to a new level while he tabernacled with us. In fact, Jesus' ministry was characterized by empathetic listening and compassionate acting. The preferred word the Gospel writers used to describe his feelings implies "the gut, viscera, the bowels, the inward parts, the entrails. ' This is what went out from him in pity, sympathy, or compassion to suffering humanity (Matt. 9:36, Luke 9:22, Mark 1 :41). The English translators often render the noun, "bowels of compassion." Jesus has thus left a high standard for us to emulate.