Compassion Nonetheless

“But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you; That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust.” (Mt 5:44-45 AV)

I was reminded recently how difficult is it getting to love the unlovely.  Things have changed.  The closer we progress to the coming of Christ, the more flagrantly rebellious mankind is becoming.  But I am reminded of something Christ and Stephen uttered upon their death.  “Forgive them, Father, for they know not what they do.”  The compassion shown by our Savior and emulated by the church’s first martyr is something we need to get a hold of today.  The closer we arrive to the rapture, the more violently anti-Christian the world will be come.  Their rebellion will not be hiding in a closet.  It will be in full display as a dare to the God of heaven.  Let me explain.

About twenty something years ago, my wife and I lived in a small New England town.  Nestled on the Fingerlakes region of New York, at the end of our block was a Pizzeria.  The manager of this pizzeria was a homosexual.  He was not militant.  He was not adversarial.  He was friendly and would engage in discussion about spiritual things.  This gave us many opportunities to witness to him even though he understood the Bible condemned his lifestyle.  We were amiable.  Almost two decades ago, we had the opportunity to deal with a Senior High School student who was exploring and considering committing to the same-sex lifestyle.  He, too, was amiable to discussing spiritual matters and by the grace of God, he chose not to pursue it.  Only one time, in the far past, have I ever experienced hatred from this group of people.  We would amiably disagree.  But there was no animosity.  Fast forward to today!  Believers are assaulted for believing what they have always believed.  Militancy has replaced respect.  No longer can a believer profess his faith in any and all circumstances and feel safe.  The attacks are growing more and more frequent.  Which brings us to our point.

When the LORD Jesus Christ hung on that cross, He did so with compassion on the ones who mocked and scourged Him.  He loved them in spite of the persecution, cruelty, and violent rebellion.  He saw them as they were.  Not as they wanted to be seen.  No matter how obstinately rebellious a person may be, they are still in need of God’s grace.  There is still hope for that soul as long as he or she is alive.  When we stop having compassion on the human soul because of our righteous indignation, then we have lost our effectiveness for the kingdom of Christ.