As we near the end of the Easter season, I want to give a shout out to Jesus. One of the attributes of Jesus that always moves me is His compassion. I think that we take it for granted that Jesus was a man of great compassion. According to the Bible, Jesus was moved with compassion repeatedly. He felt compassion when He was in the presence of the ill (Matthew 14:14). He felt compassion for his followers when they were hungry (Matthew 15:32). He had compassion for those debilitated by blindness (Matthew 20:34). In other stories I sense His compassion even if the Bible does not describe Him as feeling compassion at the moment. When He speaks gently to the adulteress despite all of the men ready to condemn her. When he restores His relationship with Peter. When He raises Lazarus to ease the burden for a widow with no other sons.
When Jesus saw people hurting, He generally seemed to feel compassion, and He would fill the needs of the people around Him. Ultimately, I believe that Jesus' compassion for us is what led him to the cross. He saw our need for an ultimate sacrifice to pay off a debt, and so He paid the debt.
I am moved by the compassion shown by Jesus. Thanks be to God that Jesus didn't just see problems and say, "Well, if they had made better decisions, and if people just did things better, that wouldn't have been a problem. They really should just pull themselves up by their bootstraps and make something of themselves!" Instead, He first met needs, and by doing so He generally seemed to gain favor and followers.
---
Recently, I have been considering how I would like our country to run with the idea of showing compassion as Jesus did. One current hot topic is the mandate for all people to have health insurance. This has been brought to the Supreme Court because some feel like it is unconstitutional to mandate that all people buy health insurance. The Daily Show had a segment about this recently, and I think Jon Stewart really hits the nail at one point. The following segment has been on my mind for a few days now (NOTE: At the end there are some graphic cartoon beheadings. I think it's a segment with a great points and it's worth watching, but I totally admit that the beheadings are gross. Feel free to stop the video at 3:40 if you have delicate sensibilities!):
In this video, Donald Verrilli, the US Solicitor General, says that paying for our health system is predominantly done by health insurance, but over 40 million Americans do not have access to health insurance and for these people our health care system is not working. Justice Antonin Scalia says that the US federal government is not supposed to be the government that has all the powers, but rather, it is supposed to have limited powers. Jon Stewart then points out that the government is looking for a way to solve a problem the U.S. citizens have. Namely, to have a system where insurance companies can afford to take all people (including those with pre-existing conditions, for example), we must have all people participating in the system to share the cost. Stewart then picks up on a key exchange between General Verrilli and Justice Scalia:
General Verrilli: ...in the health care market, you're going into the market without the ability to pay for what you get, getting the health care service anyway as a result of the social norms that allow — that — to which we've obligated ourselves so that people get health care.
Justice Scalia: Well, don't obligate yourself to that. Why — you know?
And herein lies the crux of the matter! Until another solution is put on the table, the choice being made here is really between providing or denying health care to those without insurance, for whatever reason.
Note: For time purposes, the Daily Show obviously must exclude a lot of the exchange. For the transcript of the case, go
here.
Forty million Americans don't have access to health insurance, but they still get sick and injured. How can we not have compassion on them and do what we can to heal them? I may not be able to pay all their medical bills myself, but there is a change to our system that we can make to help them to have access to the care that they need. How can I not support that change?
---
Another group of people who have been the object of scorn is those in the Occupy Wall Street Movement. Mind you, I'm aware of the weaknesses of the movement. However, it's memes like
this that make me sad. While I'm sure some people are lazy, wanting too much, etc., is it alright to minimize the legitimate hurts of people due to the issues in our system and country? Do we really still believe that everybody still has equal opportunity in our country? If we don't, how should we react?
In my mind, I would rather be cheated by a lazy person to guarantee that a few other underdogs get what they need. While there are still hungry and homeless in our country, our work isn't done.
---
A song by Derek Webb always stirs my heart.
My Enemies are Men Like Me
I have come to give you life
And to show you how to live it
I have come to make things right
To heal their ears and show you how to forgive them
‘Cause I would rather die
I would rather die
I would rather die than to take your life
‘Cause how can I kill the ones I’m supposed to love
My enemies are men like me
So I will protest the sword if it’s not wielded well
‘Cause my enemies are men like me
Peace by way of war
Is like purity by way of fornication
It’s like telling someone murder is wrong
And then showing them by way of execution
And I would rather die
I would rather die
I would rather die than to take your life
‘Cause how can I kill the ones I’m supposed to love
My enemies are men like me
So I will protest the sword if it’s not wielded well
‘Cause my enemies are men like me
When justice is bought and sold just like weapons of war
Oh, the ones who always pay are the poorest of the poor
So how can I kill the ones I’m supposed to love
My enemies are men like me
So I will protest the sword if it’s not wielded well
‘Cause my enemies are men like me
---
I ache as we struggle to extend our hands to those in need. I ache as we go to war over and over again and innocent people die for a cause that I cannot name. I ache for the hungry. I ache for the cold. I ache for those who are facing medical debt.
I ache because I know better, but I still don't always offer compassion.
I am grateful that I have opportunities to give compassion.
I am grateful that God is more compassionate and loving than we can imagine. I celebrate His compassion, and I ask to be able to do my part to extend it to our world.
As we observe Good Friday, I thank Jesus for having compassion for all people.
Happy Easter
