Pentecost 8

Pentecost 8 (Mark 6:30-34;53-56)

“He had compassion.”

The character of Jesus finds expression in the compassion of Jesus.

Religion without compassion kills.

It kills the mind. It kills the heart. It perpetuates original separation from God.

Moses and the prophets observed how human beings engage in multiple levels of judgment, condemnation and conflict. They observed that whenever God would instruct people to turn right some would  immediately turn left. Some would argue. Some would refuse to move at all. And all would justify their rebellion from the place of pride.

Moses and the prophets were keen observers of the human condition. They also asked a very important question. Why?

Why do people stand apart from God? Why do people take God’s name in vain? Why do people ignore the call to worship on the Sabbath Day? And, why do people treat each other so badly?

Their conclusion is woven into the Biblical record in a very unique powerful and unexpected way. Moses and the prophets use the language of personal relationships. That language employs history, songs, poetry, proverbs and worship to prepare the context for our Heavenly Father’s Plan of Salvation.

Moses and the prophets are not the plan of salvation. They set the stage. The Bible, as important as it is and it is fundamental to the Christian life, is also not the plan of salvation. It forms the context and the frame for the one who is the Plan of Salvation.

Jesus is the plan of salvation.

Jesus is the incarnation of the co-eternal Word of God. The Eternal Father names him: The Beloved. The Holy Spirit instructed Mary to name him  Jesus, savior.

Jesus saves us from separation. He saves us from pride. He saves us from our own self-absorbed will to power. He saves us from fear.

Are you living with fear? Do you listen to the false prophets of the modern world who manipulate you through fear? Come to Jesus. Jesus sets us free from fear. Jesus sends the Holy Spirit to Help us transform fear into an active, dynamic, courageous and compassionate faith.

The Bible teaches that the wrath of man does not work the righteousness of God. God alone is righteous. No less a person that the apostle Paul reminds us that no human being is or can be righteous.

Therefore, do not strive for righteousness. You will fail. You will deceive yourself. You will wear a theatrical mask, what the ancient Greeks called the hypo crasis- from which we derive our word “hypocrisy”.

Rather, pursue holiness. Holiness emerges from an ongoing personal relationship with God in Jesus Christ. Holiness is characterized by the transforming power of compassion.

How do we know this? Compassion is the character of Jesus Christ.

How do we transform in compassion? Jesus shows us the way. He shows us the way in a single word imperative.

Come.

You cannot walk the way of Jesus apart from a relationship with Jesus. Where is Jesus? He is here at the altar of sacrifice at the Day of Worship in the blessed sacrament of Real Presence. Worship transforms the will.

Where is Jesus? He emerges from the pages of scripture and takes form as we read the Bible, study the Bible and memorize the Bible. Memorizing scripture transforms the mind.

Where is Jesus? He is the homeless wandering the streets of Philadelphia, New York and all of the major cities of the United States. He is the poor, the weak, the confused, the fearful. He is the stranger in our midst who has come to escape violence, poverty, suffering and death. He is the marginalized, the outcast and the despised. He is the least among us inviting us to live into His Real Presence through acts of compassion. Compassion transforms the heart.

How do we know this? Jesus himself gives us this knowledge even as he set before us a principle. The principle is: how you treat those you define as the least among you is how you treat me.

The people flocked to Jesus because Jesus is the holiness of God, the love of God and the active compassion of God up front and personal.

Why are modern people not flocking to the church?

The Bible teaches us that the church is the Body of Christ. People flocked to Jesus when he was on earth. Why are they not flocking to the Body of Christ in the here and now?

The answer is in the gospel reading today. The answer lies within our own minds, hearts and wills. The answer is Jesus himself. The answer is the way of personal holiness in the active practice of compassion.