Compassion

All posts tagged Compassion

The Opportunities I Don’t See

Posted by Jim Thornber on May 21, 2011
Posted in: Christian Spirituality, Religion. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , . 3 Comments

“Jesus went with his disciples to the village of Nain . . . a funeral procession was coming out as he approached the village gate. The young man who had died was a widow’s only son. . . When the Lord saw her, his heart overflowed with compassion” – Luke 7:11-17 (NLT)

I like this story because it shows how Jesus sees opportunities when others don’t even know He is there. It also shows Jesus is prepared to meet the needs of those around Him, and is even looking for people He can touch. And that’s where this story starts to bother me.

I sometimes think I took too many psychology classes in college. One of the primary teachings among counselors is you cannot help a person unless they want to be helped. And for the most part, this is true. Some people do not want help, and trying to help them anyway ignores Jesus’ teaching about throwing our pearls towards pigs and our sacred advice to dogs who will only bite us back for our efforts (Matthew 7:6).

Still, Jesus saw the opportunities to minister when they presented themselves. Even though the widow may not have known who He was, and may have thought He was just another face in the crowd, Jesus knew this was a divine moment. The widow never begged and groveled and tore at the hem of Jesus’ garment, pleading with Him to raise her one and only son from the dead. Nevertheless, Jesus stopped the procession and ministered to them both.

When you read the Gospels, you’ll see numerous times Jesus seemed to be on the lookout for opportunities to show His love for people by His actions. Continue Reading

Mary Had It Worse

Posted by Jim Thornber on February 7, 2011
Posted in: Christian Spirituality, Religion. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , . 6 Comments

“And a sword will pierce your own soul too” – Luke 2:35

Me and Mom at my wedding

I know it has been a while since I’ve written, but I’ve been in Mississippi the last ten days with my mom. She had been fighting emphysema for years and on Feb. 1, she lost the battle. She died peacefully with me in the room with her, and I’m grateful for the time I could spend with her at the end of her life.

I have to admit, though, that more than once during the week I stood by her side, praying that God would take her quickly and ease the pain of trying to breathe with only 18% of her lungs left. One of the worst possible experiences in life is to watch a loved one slowly die for lack of oxygen. Gasping for air is not a pretty sight, but that was what I had to watch. I prayed and pleaded with God that He would ease her pain and discomfort and take her home quickly. My love and compassion for my mom wanted a comfortable, easy passing, and I don’t regret those prayers. Still, while I stood by her bed and held her hand while she struggled to inhale, it occurred to me that however bad I had it, Mary, the mother of Jesus, had it worse. Continue Reading

A Lost Soul

Posted by Jim Thornber on September 4, 2009
Posted in: Christian Spirituality, Religion. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , . 2 Comments

Rembrandt's "The Return of the Prodigal Son"

Rembrandt's "The Return of the Prodigal Son"

I’ve been reading Henri Nouwen’s book The Return Of The Prodigal Son (Image Books, 1994). He has a passage in the book which just wrung me out this morning. And, since I like to share Scriptures That Bother Me, I thought I’d also share some “Nouwen That Bothers Me.” Enjoy.

What happened to the son in the distant country? Aside from all the material and physical consequences, what were the inner consequences of the son’s leaving home? The sequence of events is quite predictable. The farther I run away from the place where God dwells, the less I am able to hear the voice that calls me the Beloved, and the less I hear that voice, the more entangled I become in the manipulations and power games of the world.

It goes somewhat like this: I am not so sure anymore that I have a safe home, and I observe other people who seem to be better off than I. I wonder how I can get to where they are. I try hard to please, to achieve success, to be recognized. When I fail, I feel jealous of resentful of these others. When I succeed, I worry that others will be jealous or resentful of me. I become suspicious or defensive and increasingly afraid that I won’t get what I so much desire or will lose what I already have. Caught in tangle of needs and wants, I no longer know my own motivations. I feel victimized by my surroundings and distrustful of what others are doing or saying. Always on my guard, I lose my inner freedom and start dividing the world into those who are for me and those who are against me. I wonder if anyone really cares. I start looking for validations of my distrust. And wherever I go, I see them, and I say: “No one can be trusted.” And then I wonder whether anyone ever really loved me. The world around me becomes dark. My heart grows heavy. My body is filled with sorrows. My life loses meaning. I have become a lost soul

What really strikes me is the statement, “Caught in this tangle of needs and wants, I no longer know my own motivations.” Caught between needing to provide for my family, wanting to see my book published, needing to see my gifts used in the Church, wanting to contribute to the Kingdom of God….“I no longer know my own motivations.”


But I know the One who does. And when I am done running around the distant country looking for what I want to be when I grow up, He is always there to welcome me home with open arms.

Previously posted Dec. ’08

Scriptures That Bother Me — Matt. 14:13-21; 15:32-38

Posted by Jim Thornber on February 19, 2009
Posted in: Christian Spirituality. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , . 6 Comments

Jesus Feeds 9,000

“‘We have here only five loaves of bread and two fish,’ they answered. Jesus replied, ‘Bring them here to me.'” Matthew 14:13-21; 15:32-38

Up until recently, I never had a need or an opportunity to apply these verses to my life. However, since I have been unemployed for a while, I am starting to read Scripture differently, because I am starting to doubt my own resources.

As I search, seek, and ask God about my next assignment, I cannot help but wonder about my skills and talents and why so many churches and businesses have no interest in employing me. I do not have an answer at this time, but it has driven me to look at Scripture in a different light lately.

Because my primary spiritual gift is teaching, I have spent years reading the Bible mostly for those things I could teach from the pulpit or in the Sunday school class. However, since those two forums have recently (and, I pray, temporarily) dried up, I have resorted to reading Scripture not so much for how I can apply it to your life, but for how I can apply it to mine! Yes, I should have been doing this all along, but I am a little slow on the uptake. Just like the disciples in these two passages. Perhaps this is why these stories bothered me as I read them this morning; they hit too close to home.

In the first passage, the disciples show their concern for the crowd, but in a selfish way. They know they need to eat, but the disciples do not want to take responsibility for this task and ask Jesus to send them away. Not missing a beat, Jesus says, “That isn’t necessary – you feed them” (14:16 NLT).

However, the disciples reply by saying they do not have adequate resources. “But we only have five loaves of bread and two fish!” they tell Jesus.

“Bring them here,” Jesus says.

At that point, I stopped reading.

I am feeling a bit like the disciples. I know I have some resources, but they seem so meager and inadequate for the task. It is all too overwhelming for me. People need to be fed and taught and discipled and trained to do the work of ministry, and all I have is a little Bible training and a passion to teach.

“Bring them here,” Jesus tells me.

And I know what will happen when I do. He will take the little I have and bless it and make it adequate for the job He has assigned for me. Feeling better about myself –  if not a tad rebuked –  I continued reading.

Now I come to the second story, the feeding of the 4,000 (5,000 plus 4,000 equals 9,000, hence the title, if you were wondering).

In the second passage, Jesus has to tell the disciples of His compassion for the hungry people and guides the disciples into an understanding of the people’s need to eat. The disciples respond by wondering where they could find enough food to feed everybody. Jesus takes them a step further and asks them what they have on hand. “Seven loaves, and a few small fish,” they reply.

Once again, Jesus asks for their limited resources, blesses it, returns it to the disciples and has them distribute it to the people. Much to their amazement, the disciples discover that not only were 4,000 men fed, but like before, there were baskets full of leftovers.

I stopped reading again. This one not only hit home, but also destroyed it.

I have often prided myself on my ability to read Scripture, understand enough of it to apply it in a situation, and find a way to teach it. But this second story, coming so quickly after the first, reminds me how often I have to learn the same lesson numerous times. I used to shout at the disciples, “Why are you so dense? Didn’t you get it the first time?” Now I leave the disciples alone and ask myself the same questions.

So what are the lessons for me? (I don’t know about you. Go get your own lessons.).

1.      Jesus knows my limited resources.

2.      Jesus asks me to bring my resources to Him.

3.      Jesus blesses my resources beyond my comprehension.

4.      I may have to learn this lesson more than once.

Fortunately, there will come a day when Jesus will send me out to feed the hungry, heal the sick, teach new disciples and bring glory to His name. I only pray that I don’t have to learn this lesson too many times. I’m tired of being unemployed.

Scriptures That Bother Me — Matthew 14:14

Posted by Jim Thornber on November 28, 2008
Posted in: Christian Spirituality, Religion, Service, Spiritual Gifts. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , . 1 Comment

Not Bothered About Being Bothered

When Jesus landed and saw a large crowd, he had compassion on them and healed their sick. Matthew 14:14

Here’s the scene. Jesus has just heard that Herod, in a warped sense of duty, has presented the recently severed head of John the Baptist as a birthday present to his stepdaughter, who is also his niece, because his new wife, his brother’s ex, didn’t like John. Yes, it’s complicated. Anyway, upon hearing the news, Jesus took a boat to what He hoped would be a solitary place. However, His hoped-for solitary place was now full of people and, having compassion on them, He healed their sick. Furthermore, if you keep reading, He also performed the miracle we call “Feeding the Five Thousand.”

Okay, here’s that part that bothers me: Jesus wasn’t bothered about being bothered.

Maybe it’s just me, but I know if I had recently found out that a drunken, immoral, quasi-religious dictator had beheaded my cousin, I would want to go away and find a quiet, solitary place to pray and cry and shout out my pain to God. And once getting there, the last thing I’d want to do is minister to a bunch of people who are more interested in themselves than in my pain.

But Jesus doesn’t do that. Instead, He has compassion on them.

This reminds of the numerous times I’ve seen people working on their car by the side of the road. And instead of helping them, I’ve rationalized (a compound of two words, rational and lies…) how I probably don’t know how to fix their problem, or I need to get to work or an appointment or church and I don’t have time to stop and give them a hand. Hmmm, do I see in myself shades of the religious hypocrites in the Parable of the Good Samaritan?

(NOTE: I had to stop writing at this point and go to work. On my way, I saw a man working on his car at the side of the road. I immediately thought about this article, considered that I needed to get to work, and drove by. I failed my first test of the day at being bothered. . . . . . . . AUGGGHHHHHH!!!).

However, I also find myself getting impatient with people who interrupt my current agenda, be it writing, helping somebody at my job, or meeting the needs of a customer. I truly desire to live such that no one will see my impatience, anger, or easily bothered attitude. This is why Jesus challenges me so much. Of course, Scripture is rather silent on the ways Jesus might have shown impatience with people. And even though He says things like, “O you of little faith” (Matthew 8:26; 14:31), I don’t think He was showing exasperation as much as He was desirous of His disciples being able to grasp His main message.

And me? Have I grasped the main message of Jesus? Not completely, and you can tell this by the way I live, or don’t live, His most basic teachings. But that’s really not my point. My point is that the ease with which Jesus moved from pain to compassion reminds me of how far I’ve yet to go to obtain Christlikeness in all my ways. The good news is I’m a lot better at it than I used to be, as any of my long-lasting friends can testify.

So here is my challenge. The next time someone interrupts my agenda, needs my presence, requires my compassion, or (take a deep breath) is broken down by the side of the road, I hope to show the same love and compassion for the person in need as Jesus has shown to me.