Reading John 5:16-17
"So, because Jesus was doing these things on the Sabbath, the Jews persecuted him. Jesus said to them, 'My Father is always at his work to this very day, and I, too, am working.'
God is always working. Jesus' miracles are a peeling back of the curtain to reveal the work and character of God. The miracles, in and of themselves, are acts of compassion. In this Jesus reveals the compassionate nature of God and his interest in each and every individual in the context of the way in which they experience 'the curse.' The miracles do not reflect a change of heart for God or a change of approach to human suffering. They occur in a very short spurt of revelation through the person of Jesus. These miracles make the statement that God has always cared about his people, even 'to this very day,' even though he does not jump into our suffering the way Jesus does during these few short years of his life. Jesus demonstrates the ongoing compassion of God and the ultimate direction that his compassion will take when the curse has finally been put to rest in the second coming of Jesus. They are meant to point to God, to his attitude towards us, and to his intentions for the future. They are signs of hope and reassurance that in the coming of Jesus the turning point of history has arrived and the end of suffering is at hand.
On the other hand the lack of compassion of even the most religious amongst us is brought to light. The religious leaders object that Jesus is healing on the sabbath and breaking the rules. But Jesus shows that God is always working out his compassion towards us and no rules stand in the way of his love and mercy. Jesus' work is a demonstration and continuation of this compassion and he wishes to draw us into that same work.
Is it nightime? ... God is still working.
Have I given up? ... God is still working.
Have I run out of resources? ... God is still working.
Am I without the power to help myself? ... God is still working.
Have others ceased to look upon me with compassion? ... God is still working.
Have I lost my vision? ... God is still working.
"I have indeed seen the misery of my people in Egypt. I have heard them crying out because of their slave drivers, and I am concerned about their suffering. So I have come down to rescue them...". (Exodus 3:7-8a)
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2 comments:
"Jesus demonstrates the ongoing compassion of God and the ultimate direction that his compassion will take when the curse has finally been put to rest in the second coming of Jesus. They are meant to point to God, to his attitude towards us, and to his intentions for the future." Thanks for that! Well said!
As I pray for a young child who appears to be dieing of cancer I am once again compelled to pray for a miracle and at the same time to accept that God will not reverse the curse until Jesus comes again. The tension between "the already" and "the not yet" presents itself in the most practical of matters. I have hope in God's compassion and in his mighty power and in his willingness at times to give us a foretaste of things to come.
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