When we look at his life and character as a whole we see that he realised fully and perfectly in his own Person, not only the ideals of the prophets but also those of the Law.  And here we see one aspect of the uniqueness of Jesus.  He, as no one before or since, loved God with all his heart and soul and mind and strength all the time.  And he surpassed the commandment to love one’s neighbour as oneself, for his whole life was a self-renunciation which reached its symbolic and literal culmination on Good Friday when he took up his cross and carried it to Calvary and so willingly paid the cost of his total love for God and his universal love for all mankind.  Thus in him human nature reached its full flowering as God meant human nature to be.

Conspicuous in his character was his compassion, the quality which above all others is truly human and whose lack constitutes inhumanity.  Compassion is a practical thing.  It is not feeling pity for, but taking pity on.  And over and over again we see it emphasised in his teaching and expressed in his life.

The father of the Prodigal Son – “…was filled with compassion; he ran and put his arms around him…” (NRSV, Luke 15:20).  The Good Samaritan – “he had compassion on him, and went to him, and bound up his wounds…” (Luke 10:33,34).

Jesus and the leper – moved with compassion, he stretched out his hand and healed him (Mark 1:41,42).  Jesus and the widow of Nain – “…he had compassion on her…” and took away her tears by bringing her son back to life (Luke 7:13-15).  Jesus and the Five Thousand – “…he had compassion for them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd…” and he taught them, and before they dispersed he fed them with five loaves and two small fishes (Mark 6:34-44).

The same tender compassion found its expression in his way of mixing freely and unpatronisingly with disreputable and outcast people (Mark 2:15), or in the tears which ran down his cheeks as he beheld the proud and sinful city of Jerusalem and contemplated its coming doom (Luke 19:41).

In a word, his nature was such that as he could not help loving his Father, so he could not help loving and caring for his fellow human beings.