The Jesus movies portray him as an almost-robotic figure with vacant eyes and an immovable expression (and often a very serious Shakespearean accent). We know him differently, of course; the God of joy and delight, anger and jealousy, zeal and purpose would not clothe himself in expressionless form. So when the gospels tell us Jesus was moved with compassion (Matthew 9:36; 14:14; Mark 6:34; Luke 19:41)—and that he offered up prayers with loud crying and tears (Hebrews 5:7)—we can envision a heart overflowing with empathy. He loved—and still loves—deeply.
If we want to be like him, this is paramount. We have to have a heart of compassion for the wounded and brokenhearted. In other words, for virtually everyone. Beneath the surface, everyone has scars, everyone has carried burdens, and everyone has fought battles we’ll never see. The world is full of wounded people, but many have been healed and restored by Jesus. As carriers of his likeness, we become healers and restorers too. It’s his nature, and it has to be ours.
Your calling to be remade into God’s image includes healing and comforting those who are hurting. It isn’t always easy; some turn their pain outward and behave like jerks. But eyes of the spirit see past the offensiveness and into the pain, and hearts like God’s will respond with compassion. Having been healed, go and heal.
- Chris Tiegreen
No comments:
Post a Comment