Compassion

The one word that stood out above everything else in our scripture reading today is the word ‘compassion’ found Luke 7:13. Jesus sees what is happening with the widow’s only son now dead and he has compassion for her. Then as I was listening to a commentary about this scripture I heard the two hosts talk a lot about compassion and I realized how important and how powerful this word is for Jesus and for us.

As I was thinking about this word compassion I immediately thought of Mother Theresa. She spent over 45 years of her life dedicated to serving the poor, the sick, orphaned, and the dying in India. She had a real sense of compassion to help those who were in the most dire situations of their lives. She has so many amazing quotes and I would like share two of them with you.

She said that, "Not all of us can do great things. But we can do small things with great love". I love this quote because so many people have commented that they cannot be a Mother Theresa. She herself in this quote shows that we don’t have to do profound things like some of the things she did, but we can all do small acts of love and compassion in the ‘world’ that we live in to the people who live near us. The other quote that I wanted to highlight is, "It's not how much we give but how much love we put into giving.” Again, another great example of how it is less about the physical aspect of what we do, but the intent and the way that we do what we do, especially when it comes to love and compassion. I believe we all have our own ways of sharing love and compassion with those we encounter that need it the most.

I have heard many of you share stories about your experiences passing out the blessing bags that we put together every God’s Work Our Hands Sunday. I’ve heard how people have thanked you or smiled at the gift of food and hygiene kits. I remember one person tell me that they grabbed an extra kit to bring to another person who wasn’t at the intersection off the freeway, but then when you drove away you saw the two of them waving at you in thanksgiving for your gift of a meal. These are just a few great examples of how we can do small things with great love and how it’s not how much we give but how much love and compassion we put into the giving we do.

It’s the love and compassion that I see emanating from these stories more than anything else. Yes we see Jesus heal a servant who was ill and near death and yes we see Jesus raise a man back to life, but Jesus is moved by compassion to do these things. Jesus isn’t motivated to garner more crowds or to promote himself for the sake of personal glory. In the story of the centurion’s servant the Jewish elders came to Jesus on this man’s behalf it says that they pleaded with Jesus earnestly. They spoke of the love this man has for people and who does things with his own wealth that doesn’t benefit him or people who are ‘like’ him. He build the synagogue for the community which he has no faith relationship to himself.

In fact, he doesn’t even feel worthy to have Jesus to this for him when the two finally meet. Because of that our scripture says that Jesus was impressed with the centurion. The word for impressed can also mean: had wonder, astounded, respected, marveled at. Jesus is so impressed with this man’s faith, even though this centurion hasn’t used those words, that he is moved with love and compassion to heal his servant. Jesus is moved by this man. And what’s even more incredible is that Jesus is impressed, astounded, in wonder of a man who is a gentile. Just as this centurion has compassion for someone who is not like him, so too, Jesus has compassion for someone who is not like him. Jesus is engaging and praising those who are not even like him. Jesus sets the example that our love and compassion should even extend to those who people would stereotype as our enemy. Love and compassion for those on the outside.

Now that we have just seen Jesus surprised by the faith of a centurion for his servant’s wellbeing, Jesus then goes to a city called Nain and as the approaches the city he sees a widow in a funeral procession where she is mourning the loss of her only son. As I said already, this is where we see Luke use the word compassion. Jesus sees what is happening as well as what this all means for this widow and he immediately has compassion for her. And he tells her not to cry. I honestly see this comment not to cry the same way that we hear the angels proclaim that we should not be afraid. She is in the midst of mourning the loss of her son and Jesus tells her to not cry. I don’t think Jesus read any of the pastoral counseling books I had to read in seminary.

What is happening behind the scenes is that Jesus sees this widow. Widow, meaning she has no husband. No husband means she relies on her sons. Jesus sees that this is her only son that she was relying on. This only son she was relying on is now gone. This widow is now reliant on the society to care for her. We have no idea if the city of Nain would have stepped up to do that or not. Jesus doesn’t tell us, Luke doesn’t tell us, but what we do know is that with all this knowledge, Jesus knows that even if the society around her did take care of her, her life wouldn’t be the same. Her life would be difficult. In that moment of seeing all that, taking that all in, Jesus, in my minds eye can’t handle it. He can’t handle the sadness, he can’t handle all the unknown’s of what the future may look like for this widow who at the loss of her son has literally lost everything. In that moment, Jesus moved to his core has compassion on her and walks over to the stretcher holding her son and he brings him back to life, so that this widow may continue to have life.

Does the healing of the servant, or the raising of the widows son have dramatic effects on the life society of Israel? Does it bring about great change to the country as a whole? Not to downplay, the incredible miracles of Jesus, but no. The healing of a servant and a random man in no way changes the world as a whole, or even the cities these people lived in. But Jesus used his love and compassion for individual people to affect change in others. It’s that same love and compassion that has affected change in people for centuries. It’s that same love and compassion that has brought you and me to this place today. So Mother Theresa was right, we can’t all do great things we but we can do small things with great love, and we can put love into all the ways that give of ourselves. This is exactly what Jesus did to these two people today.

As we go out into the world embrace the love and the compassion you have received from God through the life, death and resurrection of Jesus and share that same love and compassion with those you meet so that they too may know that God loves them. This is how we show and spread God’s love and compassion to a world that is in desperate need of it each and every day. Amen.