There are words in our language that sound soft and, in the minds of some, weak. Compassion is one of those words. To feel compassion involves moving outside of ourselves…letting down all of our defenses and walls. To feel compassion for someone is to allow ourselves to feel for the other and for their situation.

Increasingly it feels like the world in which we currently live, and even expressions of faith in religions including Christianity, tells us we have to be tough, we have to close off the other, we have to be concerned only for ourselves. This mindset causes us to embrace blame and judgment above compassion…after all, blame and judgment are hard and strong words.

As we move closer to Holy Week and to the crucifixion of Jesus, we are reminded that the greatest strength is shown through what appear to be the softest and weakest of words and actions. It was Jesus’ compassion for others (along with some pretty unorthodox teaching) that got him into trouble with the religious folks. But Jesus did not temper his compassion for the most needy and vulnerable in order to save himself; instead, he kept showing compassion whenever, wherever, to whomever needed it. And when he was arrested, tried and unjustly convicted, he did not retaliate.

We want to push back, to fight back, to blame and shame and engage in all those hard, powerful actions of the world that make us feel in control and strong. Jesus showed us that even when things seem out of our control and we have no earthly power, we have the power of God always on our sides, in our hearts, in our bodies, in our lives.

The Apostle Paul, when writing about an ailment he suffered from that he implored the Lord to remove from him, said in 2 Corinthians 12:9: “but the Lord said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for power is made perfect in weakness.’ So, I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me.”

When I joined the church with my grandmother in 5^th grade, I started going to the 5^th grade Sunday School class that had for years been taught by Bill and Dee Stalter. And, as they had done for years, that class was in the midst of watching the 1977 Zeffirreli and Powell mini-series movie Jesus of Nazareth. Now I know that Jesus seems a little too blue-eyed and European looking to have too much resemblance to what Jesus probably really looked like as a middle-eastern male, but in spite of all that it was a deeply, deeply touching movie for me to watch.

One scene I remember quite vividly is where Jesus tells the parable of the prodigal son. The screen writers contextualize it well—Peter is sullen and has reluctantly shown up to a party thrown by the despised tax collector Matthew. As Jesus tells the story, his gaze toward Peter (and us) implores us to be reconciled with each other, the way the father and the younger son, the older son and the father are reconciled in the parable.

It would be easy to stay mad and distant and blame one another for all that is wrong, but Jesus bids us towards that which is not easy–the compassion of Jesus.

Friends, during the continued season of Lent, my prayer is that you will do the hard work of compassion–showing compassion to yourself and toward each other. Never feel like it is impossible, for the strength of Christ shown forth in his weakness will carry you through.