As we flip open the pages of our newspapers or turn on our televisions each day, we hear and see the daily barrages of news of tragedies – the ongoing food crisis, the devastating cyclone Nargis in Myanmar on May 3, the 7.9 magnitude earthquake in the Sichuan province of China on May 12, another earthquake in Indonesia...
Before the ink on this article dries, I won’t be surprised if another disaster looms at the horizon.
In this modern age of gadgets and gizmos, where the world seeks to mechanise and dehumanise, where everything is organised and sanitised, where the masses have been anesthetised and desensitised, there appears to be very little biblical compassion.
But the Word of God in Matthew chapters 9, 14 and 15 records for us the heart of Jesus when He said, “I have compassion” because the people “had nothing to eat," were in a “deserted place,” were sick, "harassed and helpless" besides having no one to care for and guide them.
Adam Clark describes compassion as being “moved with pity from the innermost bowels”. And with the increase of the motion of the bowels, it supposedly “produces considerable pain at seeing the miseries of others”.
There is no better time to evaluate the heart of the Church than today. The Church, unfortunately, has fallen short of Jesus’ standard.
We have been “too slow” to respond. By the time Mercy Malaysia or the Red Crescent flights take off from KLIA, the Church is still collecting money. Every church should look into building up reserves for community work, so that we can respond immediately and meaningfully.
We are “too bogged down” with boardroom discussions on strategies, whilst hundreds of thousands are suffering.
Others are too engrossed with "sending people away" (Matt. 14:15) instead of caring for them – if somehow we could herd illegal refugees conveniently into some refugee camps or send them off to some other countries (especially those who preach human rights) – to preserve our lifestyle.
In our zeal to be a developed nation, we are getting “too divorced from reality”. The Economist1 reported that there are an estimated 1 billion people living on just US$1 today. This fact will no doubt not cause billions to bat an eye. Then there are those who have become “too egoistic.”
We need to ask ourselves if our vision is self-serving and tainted. Jesus was tired; so were the disciples.
Jesus’ solution was simply "let’s do something for them NOW!" No discussion was needed. No statements were needed. No papers presented. Even no "Nation Building plan" was considered.
Jesus moved immediately, speedily – He took the common sense approach, because He had compassion.
I want that kind of compassion. In the midst of so many crises, there is this rare opportunity for us to showcase the love and compassion of our Lord. It’s time we talk less and do more. It is time we die to our individual agendas and bring together our resources for the common good of God’s agenda.
I want to be part of the compassionate Church.
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