2018 Weekly Devotional - Week 24

Week 24

“The apostles returned to Jesus and told him all that they had done and taught.31 And he said to them, “Come away by yourselves to a desolate place and rest a while.” For many were coming and going, and they had no leisure even to eat.32 And they went away in the boat to a desolate place by themselves. 33 Now many saw them going and recognized them, and they ran there on foot from all the towns and got there ahead of them. 34 When he went ashore he saw a great crowd, and he had compassion on them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd. And he began to teach them many things. “

    Some of you may have followed the story of Ethan Couch, 17, who had a blood- alcohol level three times the legal limit for an adult as well as traces of Valium in his system when he lost control of his pickup truck and plowed into a group of people helping a woman whose car had stalled. He pleaded guilty to intoxication manslaughter in juvenile court. The testimony of a defense expert said Couch's wealthy parents coddled him into a sense of irresponsibility. The expert termed the condition "affluenza." I predict that more coddled children and adolescents will use this defense in the future to evade the consequences of their actions. I actually found a web definition that says, “Affluenza” is a painful, contagious, socially transmitted condition of overload, debt, anxiety, and waste resulting from the dogged pursuit of more.” I have my own definition, “spoiled brat”. Those attending the trial often commented on how indifferent Ethan seemed. It was as if he had no remorse for what he had done. I believe it was a lack of compassion.

    How do you teach a generation suffering from “affluenza” compassion? Compassion is being “sympathetic of other’s distress together with a desire to alleviate it.” Often we confuse charity with compassion. Charity often moves to the lowest common denominator of giving money or giving away what we no longer want. Compassion has an element of personal responsibility and accountability as it seeks to alleviate distress.
Jesus had compassion on the crowd and in his desire to alleviate their distress he did the opposite of what most would do, he “taught them many things.” Jesus’ compassion was spurred by the fact that the crowd was like sheep without a shepherd. In other words, they had no leadership. So as an expression of compassion he began to teach them the truths of the kingdom of God. I have often heard that we must meet people’s physical needs and “earn” the right to be heard. I certainly understand the principle being taught by that statement but I find it remarkable, that at least in this instance, that is not the pattern being taught. If I can “earn” the right to be heard with mere food, this means people can be “bought” rather cheaply. Jesus did not reduce humanity’s dignity by buying them off with food before they would listen. Feeding them was not even Jesus’ idea, nor was it the idea of the multitude; it was the idea of the disciples! If Jesus had been concerned only with charity he would have simply fed them. Instead he had compassion and taught them. He gave them dignity by believing they could learn. He gave them responsibility and accountability because now they had been taught.
    

    How do you teach a generation suffering from “affluenza” compassion? You begin by showing them that life does not revolve around them. You do not give them mere charity, you show them a compassion that teaches and then holds them accountable.

In Christ,

John