Gods Compassion

When we read at the appointed readings for today it cannot other then touch our hearts. And if it doesn’t touch your heart, it surely touches mine. I can imagine that these scripture text must have comforted many people through out the ages. Think about all the suffering people as a result of war and famines. We, here in the free world cannot even imagine what that means. People that see their families destroyed and not being able to give food to their children on a daily basis.  I am convinced that if we in the free West would want to, we could put an end to hunger today. But we have to come to the bitter conclusion that our leaders don’t want to. They rather spend their money on weapons and other things, all for the purpose to remain in power, then to help the hungry and the poor. If we look carefully at the reading for today, we can discover one common theme: God’s compassion. Nehemia talks about the people of God. Though God freed them from the slavery in Egypt, they turned their backs on God through their disobedience. But still God did not abandon them. This shows Gods compassion. And the same in the second reading. Paul is writing to the Churches in Rome who were under heavy persecution. He tells them to have heart and courage because they serve a love of love and compassion. He writes these beautiful poetic words: “For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers,  nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord”.
 
These are very comforting words as we have our own trials in life. We have to remember, that we are loved, connected to the God that created us; we are not abandoned. In Jesus himself God comes close to us.  The writer of St. Matthew's Gospel gives us a picture of desperate people that are Fascinated by this new prophet from Galilee that preaches a God of Love and Compassion. He saw more in the crowds then they saw in themselves. Even though they were ignorant and of little faith, as he so often said. He showed them the love and compassion of God. He saw their dreams for the future, the hopes they had and gave them love and compassion, even if he needed time rather time for himself. He might have felt tired and in need of some alone time, maybe even annoyed with their pressing on him. But nevertheless, he shares in their sorrow and suffering. It shows Gods love and compassion in Jesus. In Jesus God comes near in our suffering. And that makes our God unique among all the other Gods. The word compassion means to suffer with, so it becomes one’s own. We have a God that shares in our suffering. He fully understands what we are going through, as He been through all of it himself.
 
That is why he feels the compassion that he feels. The Gospel tells us that when he was near the sick, he could not do other then heal them. Healing people is a natural response of the identity of who Jesus is. It is more than just a miracle; it is the compassion that is in him that drives him to do so. Remember that when he feeds the five thousand, he tells his disciples to feed them. No miracles from heaven like with the manna in the desert. Jesus calls upon the compassion of the disciples…upon our compassion. It is the commandment of Love that Jesus is teaching in everything he does. He does not only teach it…he lives it. And he wants us to live it too. Don’t say: “Oh God will solve it” or “the devil is to blame” but rather try to do something about the inequality in the world. It is all about the great commandment of Love Jesus gave us. We are called to feed the hungry. When it comes to that God is depending on us, waiting for our response. We have to be better then the secular world. We are not some kind of
Pagans that expect a solution from heaven to end the suffering.

NO! We are the hands and feet of God. There is a Dutch hymn that is often used in services for children. It is called “you have hands to give”. The bottom line of the text is that we have hands to give of our own abundance, feet to walk to the one that is lonely, Shoulders to carry the pain of others, a heart to forgive, eyes to see what someone is lacking and a heart to believe in the Spirit that is Love. And the chorus is that we should open our hearts. And that my brothers and sisters is what it is all about. We are Gods hands and feet in the world. In us he works to show his compassion for all of his creation. How can we see the suffering in the world and not respond if we claim to be followers of Jesus Christ? Even if we have our own pain and sorrow we can respond. In that way we become, what Henri Nouwen calls “a wounded healer”. Our wounds don’t affect the ability to be there for others. Jesus own grieve for the death of John the Baptist didn’t affect his ability to reach out to those in need. Jesus was moved deeply with pity. Scripture tells us “on seeing the crowd He took pity on them and healed their sick”. He acknowledged that they were a “tired and depressed crowd, for they were like sheep without a shepherd”.  In the Greek text the verb that expresses Jesus’ compassion says it all. It expresses that “Jesus’ heart was broken”. That is a parallel with the Hebrew verb which expresses the love of a mother for her child. Compassion is the identity of our God in Jesus Christ. This shows us that God is a father and mother at the same time.
 
God is Love and compassion. The scriptures do tell us that over and over again. This shows Gods unconditional love, just like a mother for her children. The prophet Jeremiah writes: “I have loved you with an everlasting love; I have drawn you with unfailing kindness. And in Isaiah we hear: “As a mother comforts her child, so will I comfort you”.  And in the book of Deuteronomy Gods says: “6 Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the Lord your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you.” He does not turn his back on us or our world, even not if we put our backs to God. God shows his love and compassion to the world…through us. We are the tools that God wants to use to show his care for the world. He is waiting for our response. He is waiting for our YES! So, what will our answer be? Let us pray that the Holy Spirit may give us the courage and compassion to be Gods tools in our suffering and hurting world. The world needs it more then ever! Amen.