why Jesus? one of my reasons

because He was, and is Compassionate.

e.g. 'When Jesus went ashore, He saw a large crowd, and He felt compassion for them because they were like sheep without a shepherd; and He began to teach them many things'. (Mark 6:34)

"Compassion constitutes a radical form of criticism, for it announces that the hurt is to be taken seriously, that the hurt is not to be accepted as normal and natural but is an abnormal and unacceptable condition for humaness"
(Walter Brueggemann 'The Prophetic Imagination', p.85)

Compassion is not just a feeling. It sounds like... 'Come to me, all who are weary and heavy laden, and I will give you rest' (Matthew 11:28).

How? In part, because compassion brings us to the level of the one who is suffering. We SHARE in it, we help carry the burden. One thing we can say with certainty - Jesus knew what suffering felt like (read Isaiah 53...), and His suffering was not without purpose. Just like campaigners for justice who act in SOLIDARITY with groups of people, their actions demonstrate a belief in the worth of others, and can bring about change .

Compassion moved Jesus ACT; to teach, to feed, to heal, to set free, to give his time and energy and love. The kingdom that Jesus invited people to be apart of was about clothing the naked, giving shelter to the homeless, welcoming the stranger, inviting the outcasts to a banquet. I'd like my life to look like that.