We finished the third and final “Problem of Pain” seminar two Sundays ago. For three weeks we waded through copious amounts of Scripture and arguments, trying to understand both intellectually and biblically something that is extremely difficult to understand. And even when you think you finally do understand it, accepting it can be even harder, especially if it’s personal.
It’s the hardest question out there, and the most frequently asked as well. But it’s not only “out there,” it’s in our own hearts as well – “How can a loving and all powerful God allow pain and suffering to the extent that He does in our world?”
As we drew the series to a close, there were still a lot of questions lingering and hanging in the air. We needed something solid to take home, so we turned to one final passage:
“Jesus went through all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the good news of the kingdom and healing every disease and sickness. When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. Then he said to his disciples, ‘The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field’” (Matthew 9:35-38).
We had been talking about the fact that we live in a fallen and cursed world because of the tragic events of Genesis 3. But our cursed world has been paid a remarkable visit - Jesus, “the Word made flesh,” came down into our cursed world and lived here with us for a substantial period of time (not just a couple of hours or a weekend). The passage above from Matthew describes Him in action, in our hurting world, on a typical day – observing, feeling and acting. He “saw the crowds” – their helplessness, their lostness, their troubles and their suffering. He felt “compassion” for them, and he acted tirelessly to alleviate their pain and address their needs – “proclaiming the good news of the kingdom and healing every disease and sickness.” He also got others involved in the same activities, instructing his disciples to “Ask the Lord of the harvest... to send out workers into his harvest field.”
I thought of something that the ancient Greek philosopher Aristotle used to teach – the concepts of logos, pathos and ethos.
Logos has to do with the concept of knowledge and logic - the head.
Pathos is about passion and feeling - the heart.
Ethos has to do with ethics – our daily practice and reputation - the hands.
1. Jesus had the logos. He saw the crowds, he had the knowledge; he observed and knew his facts because he lived and walked in the real world with eyes wide open. But they weren’t just dry intellectual facts to him...
2. He had pathos. He felt something – “compassion.” Compassion means “to suffer with.” Our pain became his. Detached and merely logical he was not! But even strong feelings are not enough....
3. He acted in his world; he did something about it. His ethic is known by the whole world - he loved and he touched and he healed and he cared.
We need all three to make an impact in this world. Jesus had them to the max – his head was clear and focussed, his heart was stirred and his hands actively touched many lives.
He is our model. What part of you needs God’s touch the most – your head, or heart or hands? Always pray first, and then open your eyes and know, open your heart and feel, and open your hands and help the one God’s Spirit has pointed out to you.
John
