Jesus is much kinder than I am
It amazes me how often Jesus didn’t get annoyed with people. It’s easy not to hate people and to take their abuse calmly, but it’s not easy to keep from getting annoyed and frustrated at small things. Always following Him around—He hears His cousin has been murdered, and He goes to try to be alone, and they can’t give Him space for grief or prayer. But He didn’t get annoyed—He had compassion on them. Because that was why He was there. He didn’t let his own wants or even needs come before His mission, as we so easily do.
Mark 6.31-34a “Then, because so many people were coming and going that they did not even have a chance to eat, he said to them, ‘Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest.’ So they went away by themselves in a boat to a solitary place. But many who saw them leaving recognized them and ran on foot from all the towns and got there ahead of them. When Jesus landed and saw a large crowd, he had compassion on them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd.”
That would have made me so angry! It annoys me just to think of it. Here they all were, just done from a hard, thrilling ministry, needing food, rest, debriefing, and time alone with Jesus, and these people wouldn’t leave them alone. They saw that Jesus was trying to be alone, and they purposefully thwarted Him. As an introvert, it highly annoys me that He didn’t get to be alone, that His disciples lost out on having Him to themselves, and it frustrates me that they didn’t get to relax after all their hard work. Had I been one of the disciples, I would have been extremely angry in a selfish way, because having been promised food and rest and a visit with Jesus, their plans were dashed by all these selfish people. I can see myself turning into one of the Sons of Thunder and calling down fire on them or else going away and sulking.
But Jesus—He had compassion on the people because they were harassed and helpless like sheep without a shepherd. His true purpose wasn’t to fulfill His personality and needs but to help and love the people He had come to save. He didn’t see them as a lot of selfish, sensationalist ghouls but as helpless people weighed down by sin and despair who recognized something in Him and knew they wanted it. So “he began teaching them many things,” and fed them, and then sent them home. So everyone got what they needed.
Mark 6.31-34a “Then, because so many people were coming and going that they did not even have a chance to eat, he said to them, ‘Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest.’ So they went away by themselves in a boat to a solitary place. But many who saw them leaving recognized them and ran on foot from all the towns and got there ahead of them. When Jesus landed and saw a large crowd, he had compassion on them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd.”
That would have made me so angry! It annoys me just to think of it. Here they all were, just done from a hard, thrilling ministry, needing food, rest, debriefing, and time alone with Jesus, and these people wouldn’t leave them alone. They saw that Jesus was trying to be alone, and they purposefully thwarted Him. As an introvert, it highly annoys me that He didn’t get to be alone, that His disciples lost out on having Him to themselves, and it frustrates me that they didn’t get to relax after all their hard work. Had I been one of the disciples, I would have been extremely angry in a selfish way, because having been promised food and rest and a visit with Jesus, their plans were dashed by all these selfish people. I can see myself turning into one of the Sons of Thunder and calling down fire on them or else going away and sulking.
But Jesus—He had compassion on the people because they were harassed and helpless like sheep without a shepherd. His true purpose wasn’t to fulfill His personality and needs but to help and love the people He had come to save. He didn’t see them as a lot of selfish, sensationalist ghouls but as helpless people weighed down by sin and despair who recognized something in Him and knew they wanted it. So “he began teaching them many things,” and fed them, and then sent them home. So everyone got what they needed.
posted by Emmet of Arolis | 12:54 PM
2 Comments:
Wow, I think you bumped my view of ministry. To touch people, yo have to be filled to plum overflowing with compassion. It is easy to get into the "well, when I feel like it, I'll help someone" mood/attiude. But that wasn't how Jesus was. Ouch.
Thank you for that painful but needed reminder. I think we all fall short in that area. Good thing Jesus is able to see past it and grow more compassion in our hearts. The only thing is we have to be willing to let Him open our eyes and inconveiniance us long enough to bless other and find the greater reward. Love is costly, but it is worth every penny!
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