Articles
Neglected Widows
Compassion seems to be in short supply nowadays; many people are quick to judge and condemn — often without all the facts or with none at all. If you ever doubt this, just peruse the "Comments" section of any online story; there are a lot of heartless, merciless, judgmental people sitting behind their computer screens, and they feel no compassion for anyone who doesn't meet their arbitrary standards, and will quickly write some little snarky comment and insult, demean, and attack someone they've never met [and likely never will], all in 140 characters or less. Compassion takes more than 140 characters, so it is bypassed for the quick and witty, and whatever will get you followers, "likes," hits, or re-tweets.
In this current political season, it seems candidates have brought out the worst in the populace, too, and the hateful words and vitriol spews at an alarming rate. It seems some are more interested in simply saying something that will grab attention more than it will be helpful. Oh, it's been heading this way for a long time, but some issues seem to be coming to a head, and quite possibly because of society's lack of compassion, sympathy, and empathy. Far too often, we dismiss without any serious consideration the complaints of some in our society, and it quite often appears to be divisions drawn along political party lines. Certain claims are dismissed or attacked, with no fair hearing of the claim — and that goes for all sides in the political realm.
What is alarming to me — as a disciple of Jesus Christ — is that many professing believers are joining the ranks of the compassion-less numbers. It seems many are ready to pounce upon certain social issues with a quick, snarky, mean-spirited comment, standing by at the ready like the Pharisees who brought the adulterous woman to Jesus, just waiting [or not] for the signal to throw the stones. And, quite often, when the first volley of hateful words is thrown, others suddenly find courage (?) to join in the attack or, just as frequently, join in the masses who simply dismiss the claims or complaints.
Compassion, by definition, is 'a feeling of deep sympathy and sorrow for another who is stricken by misfortune, accompanied by a strong desire to alleviate the suffering.' [Random House Unabridged Dictionary] We can feel sorry for the poor state of our fellow man, but do nothing; this is not mercy; shaking our heads at the pitiful condition of another does nothing to eliminate his need. The merciful is one who sees the serious need of his fellow man and then is moved to do what he can to eliminate the need and give aid or comfort. To further clarify what compassion is, let us consider a few examples:
* A stranger you meet begins talking to you about his recent string of misfortune; he just lost his job, his car needs repairs, and he just got the bill for a recent visit to the doctor. Though you don't know the man, you feel like you have to do something, so you buy him lunch and talk about particulars of his stories. You get his contact information and then talk to a friend who has a business and you are able to get the man a job that will at least help him temporarily. You speak to others and you all donate some money to pay the medical bills coming in.
* A brother in Christ speaks to you privately about some his personal struggles. You agree to study with him on a regular basis to help him get stronger where he is now weak, and you speak to him regularly outside the study to encourage him.
* You hear on the news of an earthquake in a foreign country that devastates the area and destroys most of the buildings, leaving many homeless. You donate to organizations sending relief and supplies to the people there in need.
* You overhear the conversation of a friend of yours [who is identified in this country as a 'minority'] as he speaks about the unjust treatment he and others have been receiving, with stories of unequal treatment, denied services, and others who talk in derogatory language and outright prejudicial, hateful words. You interrupt the conversation to ask about his personal experiences and make it a point to try to genuinely listen to his personal stories and stories of others. You make it a point to try to see things from his viewpoint and how it must feel to be on the receiving end of such treatment.
Do any of those situations seem strange to you? Maybe you are not as compassionate as what you thought you were!
It happens far too often that when strangers talk to us about their troubles, we either tune them out right away or simply leave without doing anything about it; far too often, when a brother or sister comes to us with their personal struggles, we either "don't have the time" or we just mentally judge them 'weak"; far too often, when we hear of needs wither here or abroad, we watch the news on TV and then simply go about our business as if it is merely another news story; far too often, when we hear minorities speak of injustices, we act as if they are just a bunch of complainers or — worse — claim racism doesn't exist in this country. This is compassion? No, no, and no.
Consider the following Bible story and see if you can imagine its ending as told here, instead of how it actually happened. The story is found in Acts 6:1-7.
As the number of disciples was increasing, some complained to the Jewish brethren that the Greek-speaking Jewish widows were being overlooked in the daily distribution of goods to those who were in need. As some of these minority Jews complained, "Hellenist's lives matter," the Jews of Jerusalem shouted back, "All lives matter!"
In reality, that is not what happened. [Read the text!] In reality, the brethren had compassion on those who complained, and did not simply dismiss their complaint or override it with useless statements about others having needs, too. In reality, they appointed men to look into the complaint and address it head-on. They handled the situation with compassion, and we then find, “the saying pleased the whole multitude” (Acts 6:5). That's a lot better ending, wouldn't you say? Why can't we do the same today?
The problem today is, we hear minorities complaining, "Black lives matter!" and we shout back, "ALL lives matter!" — completely ignoring their plea of injustice, unfair and unequal treatment, and outright prejudice and racism. Is it any wonder some honestly wonder if we care about them? We cannot keep hiding from our past — and current — injustices as if they are unimportant just because it didn't happen to us. That is the height if arrogance and insensitivity. Instead, we should be welcoming open dialogue and looking for real solutions; we should be willing to listen to others' complaints, even when it is about something we have never experienced. True love, true compassion, and true faith looks to the word of God to find answers, solutions, and peace.
The gospel message is one of salvation to all men (Titus 2:11, 12), and one where there are no racial, gender, or even social dividing lines, but where all are “one in Christ Jesus” (Gal. 3:28). If we would be willing to show a little more compassion on others who have it harder than we do, we might find more opportunities to bring others to Christ than we might imagine. If it was not beneath our Savior to walk with and eat with the outcasts of society, why would we think it strange that we should do as He did? —— Steven Harper
