Compassion and Love - Freely Received, Freely Given
This is a long one... I'm finding it even more difficult than I thought it would be to write reflectively on a whole three chapters of Matthew! I feel like I'm just barely scratching the surface. And yet, I'm learning and digesting and thinking, so I'm thankful for this assignment!
Matthew 8:1-11:1
Jesus was so full of compassion. Touching a man with leprosy – just that simple touch must have meant so much; healing the centurion’s servant; healing Peter’s mother-in-law and then, that evening, “many” who were demon-possessed and “all” the sick(!); calming the storm; healing the violent demon-possessed men; healing the paralytic and forgiving his sins; eating with tax collectors and “sinners;” raising Jairus’ daughter and healing the bleeding woman; healing the blind and mute; “healing every disease and sickness.” And all that’s just in two chapters! Truly, “When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.” (9:36)
How do we respond when we “see the crowds”? Do we show compassion? Or do we get annoyed that there are so many things to be done, so many people needing or wanting our help, so many tasks to be completed? Do we see and respond to the ways those around us are harassed and helpless, or do we see them and only feel harassed ourselves? Are we so focused on how few the workers are that we forget the plentiful harvest? Jesus, help us to orient ourselves towards you, so that we may reflect your compassion into the world around us.
Several lines from the missionary discourse of chapter 10 stuck out at me as well.
10:7-8 – “As you go, preach this message: ‘The kingdom of heaven is near.’ Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse those who have leprosy, drive out demons. Freely you have received, freely give.” Healing, raising the dead, and exorcisms all served as signs that the kingdom was near. While most of us may not have these giftings, what are we called to do or be as a sign that God’s kingdom is at hand? I have received so much freely from the hand of God – gifts, talents, relationships, possessions – and I am called not to clutch tightly to these things, but to be free with them. What can I freely give to others? Well, if I do not need to worry about what I will eat or drink, what I will wear, or even about my life (6:25, 31), I can give these things freely to others – food, drink, and everything that makes up life: relationship, my time, my thoughts, my love and compassion. And if I am not to take with me gold, silver, copper, extra clothes or luggage, I can give these things away freely too, without worry – my money, my clothes, my possessions – “for the worker is worth his keep.” (10:10) Since God is my employer He provides my room and board! More than that, He is my Father, who knows and provides freely for all my needs (6:32-33). Thus, anything I have can be given freely to others without worry for myself, because He cares for me.
10:16 – “I am sending you out like sheep among wolves. Therefore be as shrewd as snakes and as innocent as doves.” How do we do this? What does it mean to be shrewd as we proclaim the kingdom? The innocence part makes sense, but how can we have a shrewdness that tempers our actions without becoming suspicious of others? I’ll have to look into this further.
10:30-31 – “And even the very hairs of your head are numbered. So don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.” Whenever I read this, I start to get tears in my eyes. Words so simple, yet so full of love. If even the smallest sparrow does not fall without my Father’s knowledge, how undeservingly precious must I be to Him! It reminds me of 1 John 3:1 – “How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are!” Although the word is tossed around often, I think our world today is so sparse and stingy with real love, and people are so hungry for it! What passes for love is often nothing more than flattery. Yet we have been lavished with the love of God! This is not a love that puffs up, but a love that builds us up towards faith and unity and the fullness of Christ (Ephesians 4:12-13). This is the love we must freely give. Oftentimes, when we are starved for love, we want to grasp and hang tightly onto any little bit of real love that comes our way. But love is funny that way. If we try to hang onto it, it will slip through our grasp. It is only in freely giving to others that we can know the fullness of the love we have received. As Christ says a few verses later, “Whoever finds his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.” (10:39)
Matthew 8:1-11:1
Jesus was so full of compassion. Touching a man with leprosy – just that simple touch must have meant so much; healing the centurion’s servant; healing Peter’s mother-in-law and then, that evening, “many” who were demon-possessed and “all” the sick(!); calming the storm; healing the violent demon-possessed men; healing the paralytic and forgiving his sins; eating with tax collectors and “sinners;” raising Jairus’ daughter and healing the bleeding woman; healing the blind and mute; “healing every disease and sickness.” And all that’s just in two chapters! Truly, “When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.” (9:36)
How do we respond when we “see the crowds”? Do we show compassion? Or do we get annoyed that there are so many things to be done, so many people needing or wanting our help, so many tasks to be completed? Do we see and respond to the ways those around us are harassed and helpless, or do we see them and only feel harassed ourselves? Are we so focused on how few the workers are that we forget the plentiful harvest? Jesus, help us to orient ourselves towards you, so that we may reflect your compassion into the world around us.
Several lines from the missionary discourse of chapter 10 stuck out at me as well.
10:7-8 – “As you go, preach this message: ‘The kingdom of heaven is near.’ Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse those who have leprosy, drive out demons. Freely you have received, freely give.” Healing, raising the dead, and exorcisms all served as signs that the kingdom was near. While most of us may not have these giftings, what are we called to do or be as a sign that God’s kingdom is at hand? I have received so much freely from the hand of God – gifts, talents, relationships, possessions – and I am called not to clutch tightly to these things, but to be free with them. What can I freely give to others? Well, if I do not need to worry about what I will eat or drink, what I will wear, or even about my life (6:25, 31), I can give these things freely to others – food, drink, and everything that makes up life: relationship, my time, my thoughts, my love and compassion. And if I am not to take with me gold, silver, copper, extra clothes or luggage, I can give these things away freely too, without worry – my money, my clothes, my possessions – “for the worker is worth his keep.” (10:10) Since God is my employer He provides my room and board! More than that, He is my Father, who knows and provides freely for all my needs (6:32-33). Thus, anything I have can be given freely to others without worry for myself, because He cares for me.
10:16 – “I am sending you out like sheep among wolves. Therefore be as shrewd as snakes and as innocent as doves.” How do we do this? What does it mean to be shrewd as we proclaim the kingdom? The innocence part makes sense, but how can we have a shrewdness that tempers our actions without becoming suspicious of others? I’ll have to look into this further.
10:30-31 – “And even the very hairs of your head are numbered. So don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.” Whenever I read this, I start to get tears in my eyes. Words so simple, yet so full of love. If even the smallest sparrow does not fall without my Father’s knowledge, how undeservingly precious must I be to Him! It reminds me of 1 John 3:1 – “How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are!” Although the word is tossed around often, I think our world today is so sparse and stingy with real love, and people are so hungry for it! What passes for love is often nothing more than flattery. Yet we have been lavished with the love of God! This is not a love that puffs up, but a love that builds us up towards faith and unity and the fullness of Christ (Ephesians 4:12-13). This is the love we must freely give. Oftentimes, when we are starved for love, we want to grasp and hang tightly onto any little bit of real love that comes our way. But love is funny that way. If we try to hang onto it, it will slip through our grasp. It is only in freely giving to others that we can know the fullness of the love we have received. As Christ says a few verses later, “Whoever finds his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.” (10:39)
posted by Erin at 3:06 PM
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