The mission of Issues in Perspective is to provide thoughtful, historical and biblically-centered perspectives on current ethical and cultural issues.

As I have studied the Gospels over the years, I have been struck by how many times the text speaks of Jesus being “moved with compassion.” Jesus manifested compassion when He saw the crowds, responding with acts of healing (Matt. 14:14; 20:34; Mark 1:41), provision of food (Matt. 15:32), and teaching the word of God (Mark 6:34). Jesus not only modeled compassion; He also taught on the virtue of compassion, including the parable of the unforgiving servant (Matt. 18:23–35), the parable of the Good Samaritan (Luke 10:29–37), and the parable of the prodigal son (Luke 15:11–32).

It is obvious that in God’s economy of things compassion is an important virtue for the Christian.  In fact, the virtue of compassion runs throughout Scripture.  The psalmists frequently note God’s compassion (e.g., Pss. 78:38; 86:15; 103:4). Psalm 103:13, declares, “As a father shows compassion to his children, so the Lord shows compassion to those who fear Him.”

How might we define compassion? Karen Hahn of Ligonier ministries writes: “The Hebrew and Greek words translated into English as ‘compassion’ include the ideas of feeling distress over another’s ills, being moved in our innermost being (i.e., heart of compassion,’ or ‘bowels of mercy’), suffering with and being inwardly affected in a similar manner as the object of our compassion, and beneficence and assistance. One way we might try to capture these concepts is to define compassion as follows: Compassion is being moved in the affections of our inner being when we see the distress of others, coupled with a subsequent outer movement of action in which we seek to alleviate that distress out of love for God and love for neighbor.”

Hahn makes these observations:

• “First, compassion starts with seeing. Over and over in the Gospels, we read something to the effect of ‘And Jesus saw . . .’ His compassion was always preceded by seeing someone in distress. This may seem obvious, but it raises an important point as we seek to become more compassionate people: We can’t have compassion on people when we don’t see them in the first place.”
• “Second, compassion involves an inner movement of our hearts in which we take on the grief of others, weeping with those who weep (Rom. 12:15) . . . And so, we groan as we witness the suffering that sin has produced in the lives of those around us (see Rom. 8:18–23).”
• “And finally, compassion comes to fruition in an outer movement in which we act on behalf of people in need . . . When speaking of Jesus’ compassion, the Gospel authors typically use language to the effect of, ‘And Jesus, moved with compassion,’ followed by an action He performed that benefited the object of His compassion.”

One of my favorite movies over the last several years was the 2009 movie, The Blind Side, based on a 2006 nonfiction book of the same title written by Michael Lewis.  At about the time Lewis was researching the importance of the left-tackle position in football (which protects a right-handed quarterback’s “blindside”) and the economic resources that N.F.L. teams devote to the position, he discovered that an old friend, Sean Tuohy, his classmate at a New Orleans private school from kindergarten through 12th grade, had a potential N.F.L. left tackle living in his house. The Tuohys and Michael Oher became the main characters in his book.

Thus, both the book and the movie are the story of Leigh Anne and Sean Tuoy and Michael Oher.  For about a year, Oher lived with Leigh Anne and Sean (and their two children) in their home in the affluent East Side of Memphis, Tennessee.  Oher grew up in Hurt Village, a now-demolished housing project, where he lived with his mother, who was addicted to drugs, and, at various times, as many as seven of his 11 siblings. The Tuohys took him into their home and took him shopping for clothes, helped him get a driver’s license, bought him a pickup truck and arranged for tutoring that boosted his grades and made him eligible to play college football at Ole Miss, the University of Mississippi.

Oher eventually played eight seasons as a starting offensive tackle in the N.F.L. and won a Super Bowl with the Baltimore Ravens. He is now 38, and lives in Nashville, with his wife, Tiffany, and their five children.  In an article in the New York Times Magazine, Michael Sokolove writes that “Oher fondly recalls his time with the Tuohys. ‘Honestly, it was great. I had a bed to stay on. I was eating good. They got me a truck.’ In his own book, published in 2011 and titled I Beat the Odds: From Homelessness to ‘The Blind Side’ and Beyond, Oher includes this dedication: ‘To the Tuohy family, you are truly a blessing to me. Thank you for helping me to turn my dreams into reality.’ Later in the book he writes, ‘The more time I spent with that family, the more time I felt like I had found a home.’”

Yet, as Sokolove reports, “Oher is now suing the Tuohys. Last August, in the Probate Court of Shelby County, Tenn., Oher’s lawyers filed a suit claiming that the Tuohys have exploited him by using his name, image and likeness to promote speaking engagements that have earned them roughly $8 million over the last two decades—and by repeatedly saying that they had adopted him, when they never did.”

The Blind Side movie earned more than $300 million at the box office, and it brought widespread fame to the Tuohys. In subsequent interviews and public appearances, the Tuohys have referred to Michael as their son and themselves as his adoptive parents. “But they never adopted him. Instead, when he was 18, Sean and Leigh Anne petitioned to establish a conservatorship that gave them control over his finances and major life decisions; the legal measure was approved by a judge, despite the Tuohys acknowledging at the time that Oher had no known physical or psychological disabilities, which Tennessee state law requires be present for a conservatorship to be granted. It remained in force for two decades, through the end of his N.F.L. career, though it is not clear how the Tuohys exercised the power it gave them. Oher’s lawyers claim that the conservatorship gave the Tuohys a responsibility to look after his interests and put them above their own, and instead, they profited off him.”

Sokolove reports that “Oher’s lawsuit included a request to end the conservatorship, and the Probate Court judge, Kathleen Gomes, quickly dissolved it. (The Tuohys did not oppose the request.) She opened the hearing by saying that she had been a lawyer for decades, mostly practicing in the area of probate and conservatorship, and a judge for 10 years. ‘And in all my 43 years, I have never, ever seen a conservatorship being opened for someone who was not disabled,’ she said from the bench. What will be litigated, assuming the case goes forward is Oher’s demand for unspecified monetary damages for the Tuohys alleged misuse of his name, image and likeness in promoting their public appearances.”

In this important article, Sokolove makes this astute observation:  “The lawsuit, it seemed to me, is part of a different kind of rebuilding project, an effort to make himself emotionally whole. Several times he referred to having been ‘robbed’ by the Tuohys, which I came to understand as having a double meaning: robbed of money and perhaps, even more so, robbed of an identity.  But why had it taken him so long to go public and file the lawsuit? Why now? ‘Pro football’s a hard job,’ he said. ‘You have to be locked in 100 percent. I went along with their narrative because I really had to focus on my N.F.L. career, not things off the field.’ Away from the game, his focus turned to what he believed was his fair share of the money generated by the movie and the myths spawned by it. ‘For a long time, I was so angry mentally,’ he said. ‘With what I was going through. I want to be the person I was before ‘The Blind Side,’ personality-wise. I’m still working on it.’”

Sean and Leigh Anne Tuohy are Christians and evidenced genuine compassion in helping Michael Oher.  It is patently obvious that Oher would not have played for the N.F.L. had the Tuohys not helped him.  He admitted as much in his first book.  However, the Tuohys were not being truthful when they referred to Michael as their adopted son; he was not.  Further, it does not seem wise for them to have set up this conservatorship as they did.  They also earned significant amounts of money in public appearances and lectures.

I do not know enough about civil law proceedings to know if Michael Oher will succeed in his lawsuit.  The genuine compassion of the Tuohys was a clear blessing for Michael and his opportunity to play N.F. L. football.  Yet, as with so many things in this fallen world, their compassion was mixed with opportunities for personal gain, which gives the impression that Michael was used by them.

The case of the Tuohys and Michael Oher is a tragic story.  My recent prayer has been for reconciliation between them.  They need to make things right with Michael and he needs to acknowledge the enormity of his debt to them.  May God in His grace effect that reconciliation.

See Karen Hahn, “What is Compassion?” www.ligonier.org (8 January 2024); and Michael Sokolove in the New York Times Magazine (18 August 2024), pp. 20-27, 43.