Divine Compassion
"Jesus traveled through all the cities and villages of that area, teaching in the synagogues and announcing the Good News about the Kingdom. And wherever he went, he healed people of every sort of disease and illness. He felt great compassion for the crowds that came, because their problems were so great and they didn't know where to go for help. They were like sheep without a shepherd." Matthew 9:35-38
As a kid, it somehow makes sense to get into a rock throwing fight with other kids. The story of Goliath should have alerted me to the potentially harmful outcomes of such an endeavor. Yet, the rock battle was engaged. It lasted until I, like the unusually large aforementioned Bible character, caught one of those stones with my forehead. This predictable outcome was followed by a steady stream of blood and terrified panic. Fortunately, there was a sweet lady who lived near the war zone who opened her door to me and tended to my wound. It turned out to be a glorified scratch, but her tender care is something I still remember to this day.
Matthew records for us how Jesus cared for wounds of all kinds all the time. There were wounds that were obvious and wounds that only he could see. His response? Compassion. He didn't lose patience. He didn't tell them to toughen up. He didn't grow cold. No ... he chose to care and to care deeply.
How about that? God the Son looked at the problems of people just like us and thought of them as "so great". They weren't big to him. He dealt with them with a word and power. They were big to the people and that's whose eyes he was choosing to look through. Your problems matter to him too. The reason? You matter to him. Don't ever think that the struggles you are facing are outside of God's interest. His divine compassion compels him to care.
Grace and Peace,
Tom
As a kid, it somehow makes sense to get into a rock throwing fight with other kids. The story of Goliath should have alerted me to the potentially harmful outcomes of such an endeavor. Yet, the rock battle was engaged. It lasted until I, like the unusually large aforementioned Bible character, caught one of those stones with my forehead. This predictable outcome was followed by a steady stream of blood and terrified panic. Fortunately, there was a sweet lady who lived near the war zone who opened her door to me and tended to my wound. It turned out to be a glorified scratch, but her tender care is something I still remember to this day.
Matthew records for us how Jesus cared for wounds of all kinds all the time. There were wounds that were obvious and wounds that only he could see. His response? Compassion. He didn't lose patience. He didn't tell them to toughen up. He didn't grow cold. No ... he chose to care and to care deeply.
How about that? God the Son looked at the problems of people just like us and thought of them as "so great". They weren't big to him. He dealt with them with a word and power. They were big to the people and that's whose eyes he was choosing to look through. Your problems matter to him too. The reason? You matter to him. Don't ever think that the struggles you are facing are outside of God's interest. His divine compassion compels him to care.
Grace and Peace,
Tom
Comments
Post a Comment