Compassion: And Who is My Enemy?
If we’re honest, a lot of us are living life on the defensive.
Fearful, we attack and diminish others, if not out loud, then under our breath.
Guest Writer: my husband, Justin Bradbury
If we’re honest, a lot of us are living life on the defensive.
Fearful, we attack and diminish others, if not out loud, then under our breath.
We are anxiously on the lookout for the offensive remark or comment, for the person who does not align with our own view. The difference in others. We can so easily act and react from a place of fear and suspicion, rather than of security in our true identity in Jesus.
It seems we are more prone to look for enemies rather than neighbours. Our culture breeds it and if our influencers are on zeitgeist-message; we will take the dominating cultural-lead unthinkingly.
Jesus, of course, is different from us. He responds to the question from the law expert, “And who is my neighbour?”, with the parable of the good Samaritan.
“But a Samaritan, as he travelled, came where the man was; and when he saw him, he took pity on him” (Luke 10:33, NIVUK).
The word often translated as pity, which always seems to me like an arms’ length emotion and a cold expression, is perhaps better translated as compassion.
The good Samaritan is moved by compassion.
He is moved from his place of safety to a place of risk.
He recognises the woundedness in the beaten up man and is moved in his gut, moved in love.
Of course, the good Samaritan could easily have held the enemy line, maintained his position of difference and his status of being beyond reach. Instead, something very human and very divine happened within him. It enabled his action of deep love.
I think the Samaritan’s openness to love — a certain curiosity — and his desire to be loved and understand himself, helps us to see how such an extraordinary scene could take place.
The law expert who asked the pointed question about his neighbour, gives an account of the summary of the Law, concluding with, “Love your neighbour as yourself.” The truth is most of us don’t have a good, loving relationship with ourselves. We are not secure in our identity as loved children of a loving God.
So, often from this shaky place of insecurity, we try to defend ourselves at all costs. We cannot countenance being open to the risk of association with other views or other people whom we consider our enemy.
However, like with the law expert, Jesus also invites us, to sit quietly with ourselves and our loving Father God. To let His grace and love flood us again. To let all our complexity - especially our fears, suspicions, and uncertainties - come to the surface. To consciously ask God to flood us again with His forgiving, compassionate love.
It’s from this loved place we will move beyond curiosity, to understanding, to embracing the other.
