Jesus: Love, Compassion, and Justice

This week's (Lesson 9) lesson study subject is The Tenderness of His Love.

I think most Christians are quite aware of Jesus' love. There's a rather famous song, Jesus Loves Me, about the topic. I'm sure many non-Christians are also quite aware of it. So why do we need to discuss something that we should all be in agreement over?

The lesson text begins by proposing that the kind of love Jesus demonstrated is compassion. The memory text, Matthew 9:36, the lesson suggests demonstrates Jesus' kind of love.

What is compassion? When the word is taken apart and the roots examined, it turns into com- and -passion -- "with" and "suffer." We can, therefore, reasonably conclude that to shown compassion is to "suffer with" another party who is suffering. Is this the kind of love Jesus demonstrated? Did He suffer with the people around Him?

This brings up the age-old and difficult question that people have asked of God: What good is it for God to suffer with humans, if He doesn't do anything about it? In other words, is it enough for Jesus to simply suffer with us -- to feel the pain, disappointment, sorrow, hurts, rejections, etc. that we experience? If that is all God did for us, to just say, "I feel your pain," I don't think I'd want to have much to do with Him. Love that simply joins us in our suffering isn't enough.

If God is love, then it has to go beyond just compassion. It must act to right the wrongs that causes suffering. But as we look around us, we just don't see God intervening in most suffering that happens. Is God weak then? Or is there something else going on?

I don't have space nor the time to try to figure all this out during this post. What I observe in the studies this week is that compassion, as part of Jesus' foundational nature, is what moved Jesus into action:

• For the woman caught in adultery: He acted to save the woman while upholding the demands of the law. Kenneth E. Bailey in his recent book, Jesus Through Middle Eastern Eyes (ch. 17), proposes that the story of the woman caught in adultery can be seen as an allegory of the atonement. Bailey suggests that in the story, Jesus takes upon Himself the "wrath" that was directed against the woman.
• In the incident with the children coming to Him, Jesus acts to remove the obstacles (the disciples) that are in the way between them and Himself.
• In the story of Martha becoming annoyed with her sister Mary for stepping out of the accepted roles and norms of women, Jesus again acts to encourage the closeness that He desires with those who seek Him.
• As the lesson suggests, God, through Jesus, came to love His enemies. I don't think God ever looked upon people as enemies, but we certainly thought and behaved as enemies of God. Because of His compassionate nature, He could not help but be moved to act to restore us to Him.
• Throughout history and into the present time, God continues to act to bring people to the awareness that we need Him. Like Israel, however, each person is free to accept or reject the offer of salvation secured for us by Jesus at the cross. The cross and the resurrection is the promise that love and justice will someday prevail.

I can only begin to understand the depths of God's love and compassion. However faintly I can comprehend it, I think that it is precisely because of His tender love and compassion that He allows the world to continue on, so that as many people as possible will choose to accept His mercy and grace. One could argue that with population growth exploding, won't God have to wait forever? I have some thoughts and theories, but that would be going way off topic for this week.

In summary, compassion and justice are an integral part of God's love. Compassion is what causes God to act in order to save and to administer justice. My ideas of love and justice usually don't have much tenderness associated with them. That may be why I have such a difficult time understanding God's tender love for the people of this world. May I learn God's compassion and begin to make it a part of my being.