Two current issues related to compassion.
As Jesus followers, are we to be compassionate to those we come across in the course of our everyday lives or are we to be more intentional and put ourselves in the position of crossing the paths of the poor and suffering?
Mark 1:35-38 Jesus said..."Let us go to the towns near here..."
Mark 6:56 ...this happened in the towns and in the cities and in the country where He went.
Mark 7: 24 Jesus went from their towns and cities to the cities of Tyre and Sidon.
Was Jesus going about his business and being compassionate as the opportunity arised or was he more intentional in his outreach? From these and other verses, it seems that he was intentional about preaching the good news. How about the compassion part, though?
The second issue relates to meeting physical versus spiritual needs (a form of dualism).
Interesting that he said in the Mark 1 passage that the reason he came was to preach the good news. He said this after doing lots of compassionate things like healing everyone that was brought to him and liberating the possessed. This always created lots of excitement, so much so that it made movement difficult. He tried to keep the news of his compassionate acts under raps, probably because it created too much of a ruckus and made it difficult for him to do what he felt like he came to do. He did not want to get sidetracked from his purpose, so he moved on and preached the good news. As he did this though, he responded compassionately to all that were brought to him whereever he went.
Is this a model for us? If so, I see a pattern of both/and rather than either/or. He did not see compassionate acts as "not getting at the real need." He did not look past their present suffering. Did he do compassionate things strategically - as a way of "earning the right to be heard"- or did he do this because he WAS compassionate.
Mat 15: "I have compassion for these people; they have already been with me three days and have nothing to eat. I do not want to send them away hungry, or they may collapse on the way."
Mat 20: Jesus had compassion on them and touched their eyes.
I am getting the picture that he did compassionate things because he was compassionate. No other hidden motives.
Yes, he came to preach the good news and we are to do the same. But I seen no need to argue that point here. Isn't that the evangelical default? What seems to be missing from the picture is the compassion part - the intentional compassion toward all that are suffering. We're not exactly overwhelming our culture.
Next issue (there are many more). Should we be taking care of our own first?
As Jesus followers, are we to be compassionate to those we come across in the course of our everyday lives or are we to be more intentional and put ourselves in the position of crossing the paths of the poor and suffering?
Mark 1:35-38 Jesus said..."Let us go to the towns near here..."
Mark 6:56 ...this happened in the towns and in the cities and in the country where He went.
Mark 7: 24 Jesus went from their towns and cities to the cities of Tyre and Sidon.
Was Jesus going about his business and being compassionate as the opportunity arised or was he more intentional in his outreach? From these and other verses, it seems that he was intentional about preaching the good news. How about the compassion part, though?
The second issue relates to meeting physical versus spiritual needs (a form of dualism).
Interesting that he said in the Mark 1 passage that the reason he came was to preach the good news. He said this after doing lots of compassionate things like healing everyone that was brought to him and liberating the possessed. This always created lots of excitement, so much so that it made movement difficult. He tried to keep the news of his compassionate acts under raps, probably because it created too much of a ruckus and made it difficult for him to do what he felt like he came to do. He did not want to get sidetracked from his purpose, so he moved on and preached the good news. As he did this though, he responded compassionately to all that were brought to him whereever he went.
Is this a model for us? If so, I see a pattern of both/and rather than either/or. He did not see compassionate acts as "not getting at the real need." He did not look past their present suffering. Did he do compassionate things strategically - as a way of "earning the right to be heard"- or did he do this because he WAS compassionate.
Mat 15: "I have compassion for these people; they have already been with me three days and have nothing to eat. I do not want to send them away hungry, or they may collapse on the way."
Mat 20: Jesus had compassion on them and touched their eyes.
I am getting the picture that he did compassionate things because he was compassionate. No other hidden motives.
Yes, he came to preach the good news and we are to do the same. But I seen no need to argue that point here. Isn't that the evangelical default? What seems to be missing from the picture is the compassion part - the intentional compassion toward all that are suffering. We're not exactly overwhelming our culture.
Next issue (there are many more). Should we be taking care of our own first?
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