Indescribable Compassion

Indescribable Compassion

It’s easy to describe compassion as an emotional response or a feeling. But the prefix com- is from the Latin co- which means ‘together, mutually, in common’ as in co-worker or co-conspirator. Therefore, compassion is not a passive or observational sense. It is actively involved, working alongside, and mutually supportive. Compassion is not feeling pity for the lame man on the side of the road, compassion is lifting him up and helping him along. True compassion cuts straight to our heart, because of its rarity and its sincerity. We are surrounded by the common and disingenuous, compassion stands out. And this week’s episode of The Chosen showed it in multiple forms. We are used to seeing this behavior when Jesus acts, but  we can learn about the contagious nature of compassion and hope to be a catalyst to see more of it. In the episode the compassionate nature of Jesus seemed to be paired with a skepticism of some of the Pharisees. Skepticism works well as a counterpoint to compassion. It is judgemental (therefore self-aggrandizing), it is doubtful, it is harsh, it is short sighted. Compassion elevates others, it is hopeful, it is giving, and fosters an eternal mindset. 

The opening scene shows the merchant violent and fearful of the leper in his midst, we understand Shmuel’s hard-headedness in seeking to detain John “the baptizer”, we witness Praetor Quintus’ efforts to turn the screws against Simon believing that the man can perform well when under pressure. Each separate instance is self-centered and inhabits a world so fantastically small. Each example conveys a single person seeking absolute mastery over their own world, and in making such a desperate attempt shrinks the world down into a manageable size. When we are first introduced to the notion of compassion in this episode, we immediately are made aware of how much larger the world is in light of it. Jesus is in the middle of having a conversation with an Egyptian in her own language when the leper from the earlier scene appears. All immediately recoil and take pains to guard themselves, not even wanting to breathe the same air as the suffering man in front of them. It is Jesus who walks calmly toward him, embraces him, talks with him, and ultimately heals him. This miraculous act of kindness sets into motion the centerpiece of the story later on. Slowly but surely the disciples' eyes are being opened to who exactly their new teacher is, and they are beginning to grasp the enormity of what lies in front of them. Witnessing their slow realization begs a question for us. We already know the climax of this story, we already know how far Jesus is to take His message, and what happens next. Should not our lives reflect what we know, should not our awe be commensurate with our knowledge? Our eyes widened at the enormity of His compassion?

There’s a minor plot thread of family running through this episode as well. Simon is sent ahead of the rest of the group as he is the only one that has a wife at home and “family” business to tend to. We also see the brothers Zebedee return home with a group in tow. It is the Zebedee family stead that hosts the rapidly growing group at the end of the chapter. When Jesus begins to teach, people become drawn to His every word. The crowd grows and catches notice of the Roman officials and the Jewish leadership. Here a question was raised in our discussion regarding Simon’s response to this growing crowd. He saw himself as the “protector” of the group, he was Jesus’ bodyguard. He kept open a backway out to escape, he was watchful for any signs of trouble, he was a hype man and bouncer all rolled into one. But you begin to see the bond he is forming with these new strangers, talking with them just as intimately as with his brother Andrew earlier. Even though he hasn’t found his role yet in the group he has stumbled upon a new family, one that is about to grow even larger. Although this is ground we have covered before, it bears repeating (especially at the door of the holiday season) that the family we have in the Church is a gift from God and such a small taste of the incalculable phenomena of Heaven that awaits us. 

More about Simon’s role within the disciples. He knows he has been called to a special purpose and is endeavoring to find it. Worth noting is that Jesus does not follow him around and rap his knuckles every time he gets it wrong. Simon is literally next to Jesus and still struggling in taking on the responsibilities he believes are his. But our job isn’t to create our role, it is to discover it. God already created us thereby (by definition) giving us our purpose. We are not to create it ourselves, not to lead but to follow. Very lost would be the sheep indeed who demands to lead the flock. We have a good Shepherd, and it’s about time we trust in Him. We should focus more on accepting instruction than creating purpose. We know Jesus is preparing Peter far more than the job he’s scratched out for himself. “All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.” (Psalms 139:16) And the same God created you, with intent. Do not busy yourself eking out the jobs you feel best suited for you. Allow God to work through you in incredible ways only He has foreseen. “Now to Him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to His power that is at work within us” (Ephesians 3:20) This of course begs the question of “When?”. I wish with all my heart I could answer that question for you (for it would intimate that I could answer it for myself). But Jesus in this episode reminded the growing audience that timing (in that particular case, of the end times) is the sole purview of the Father alone. It is certainly not ours. 

John “the baptizer” was referred to early on as a “trivial outlier”. Jesus I’m sure was viewed by many officials the same way. His followers were compared that way in Acts 5:36-37 by the teacher Gamaliel. I cut my teeth on a political philosophy that states, ‘one man with the truth on his side is a majority’. Scripture tells us that God is Almighty, the One and Only, End and Beginning. I’d like to stand on His side. In addition to His complete mastery over all things in and under Heaven, He also knows us completely. “He’s the only One who knows who I’ll become” is another line from this episode. Incumbent within this understanding is that He is the only One who knows what we have done. When the lame man was lowered in front of Jesus, He recognized what this man wanted the most in the world. To walk again. He saw the beautiful faith of his friends that let no obstacle or hindrance stop them from getting this broken man to the Healer. He sees our aching hearts and our most fervent desires too. Before any of that though, He said, “Son, your sins are forgiven.” (Mark 2:5b) In fact the miracle we focus so intently on was to demonstrate the much larger (and important) truth. “But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins…” (Mark 2:10a) He sees a broken person every time we kneel down in prayer. He has a purpose for us in spite of our depravity and finds joy in our halting and stumbling walk of faith. He still forgives our sin, and reaches out to us to help us along the road. There’s a phrase for that, you know. 

Jordan Williamson