No Sign, just Being

Just a short break from the observations.

Luke 11:29 “This generation is a wicked; it seeks for a sign, and yet no sign will be given to it…

Sometimes I think the reason we (evangelical church) do not proactively practice more compassion is because of our incomplete theology. Jesus’ teaching and examples seem clear, but we somehow have stripped them of their meaning and power. For the longest time, I viewed miracles as a sign that Jesus was who he said he was – sort of a proof of sorts. But as I am on my fourth year of my 6-month reflective reading of the gospels, the black letters are teaching me things. I am seeing many of the miracles not so much as a sign but as a response coming from who Jesus was. Those black letters indicate that Jesus feed the 4000 not to prove anything, but because he saw that they were hungry and he had compassion on them. I wonder if many of the miracles were simply emanations from the core of Jesus' being – a response of compassion that naturally flowed from encountering suffering and need. Maybe he healed, exorcised, fed, and forgave because that’s the kind of person he was.

This verse suggests that Jesus was not interested in signs. As his trainee, maybe we should focus less on what we are doing and more on what we are becoming. Let’s not befriend our neighbor because we want him/her to see a sign that we are different or that it might capture their interest in our church or faith. Let’s befriend our neighbor because we are becoming the kind of people that naturally care for the people around us. Let’s also lift our eyes up and see the neighbor-less in our community and naturally love them.