Do you ever feel underestimated or criticized by your peers because you choose to sit with others in their pain before acting in power?

You know that you could fix a problem, but in the moment, you recognize the need to join others in the reality of their situation. You meet them where they'e at in order to see what is really needed.

Would you believe me if I told you that Jesus has felt this way too?

In John 11, there is a dear friend of Jesus named Lazarus, who gets sick. His death seems inevitable, especially when Jesus doesn't immediately leave where he is to help. By the time Jesus arrives, Lazarus has been dead and buried for four days, however...

What Jesus does next is really interesting. He doesn’t go to Lazarus first, he goes to the family.

He offers compassion, he offers encouragement, and he mourns with them. When Jesus saw the grief of Lazarus' family and the crowd that gathered scripture says he groaned in the spirit and was troubled.

When Jesus saw where Lazarus was laid, he wept.

In doing so, Jesus revealed his love for Lazarus, and in my own reflections, a compassion for those experiencing loss.

Jesus could feel the weight of grief in the crowd, and by allowing himself to mourn, he created a space for others to do the same. Some of the crowd, unimpressed, sneered saying, "Could not he who opened the eyes of the blind man have kept this man from dying?"

Seemingly unaffected by this, Jesus, in his grief, commands Lazarus to come out of his tomb. And much to their surprise, Lazarus obeys, emerging from his tomb alive and well.

Could Jesus have arrived sooner to prevent Lazarus from dying?

Yes, but when we look at this closely we see a Son who is yielded to the Father—one who has compassion and ministers from a place of love. In order to do this you have to meet people where they're at and understand their story.

Love doesn't look like rushing in to fix someone's problems. Love looks like listening, bearing the burdens of others, and empathizing with their pain. Regardless of what others think you're capable of, “fixing” brings more glory to God when it's motivated by compassion.

And as we can see by Jesus' example, it's more effective.

All that to say, if others criticize your compassion, remember that Jesus was the embodiment of compassionate love.

Blessings,

Dean