A letter from Thomas Goetz in Japan
July 30, 2010
Greetings good readers. Recently I delivered a message at the Hokusei Gakuen University Chapel on the theme of compassion. What I try to do all the time is to relate the gospel message into daily life. Many Japanese who gather to attend expect the speakers to speak at length about stuff — whatever that stuff may be. In this talk I made a conscious attempt to structure it almost like a home movie. A few days later I received an email from someone who was present. The email appears after this message.
Compassion
Reading: Matthew 20:29-34
Jesus Heals Two Blind Men
As they were leaving Jericho, a large crowd followed him. There were two blind men sitting by the roadside. When they heard that Jesus was passing by, they shouted, Ldquo;Lord, have mercy on us, Son of David!” The crowd sternly ordered them to be quiet; but they shouted even more loudly, “Have mercy on us, Lord, Son of David!” Jesus stood still and called them, saying, “What do you want me to do for you?” They said to him, “Lord, let our eyes be opened.” Moved with compassion, Jesus touched their eyes. Immediately they regained their sight and followed him.
Message
When was the last time you did something nice for someone? Or when someone did something nice for you? Today's title, “Compassion,” comes from the one sentence that gives us a look at Jesus&rsqui; thinking. According to the dictionary, compassion, a noun, means a feeling of distress and pity for the suffering or misfortune of another, often including the desire to alleviate the suffering. It comes from Old French, which joins us to the Late Latin word, compassiō, fellow feeling, from the Latin verb, compatī, to suffer with, from Latin com-, with, and patī, to bear, suffer.
Now, with that in mind, let us look at the picture from today’s reading again. A crowd has formed around Jesus and they are treating him with great respect and admiration. This is one of the high points of his ministry. The idea that he would later die on a cross would have been absurd to the people in the crowd. In fact, his popularity was so great, that everyone, even two blind people, knew of him and his ability to perform miracles.
Let’s stop here. When was the last time you performed a miracle? Am I to believe that no one here has restored sight to a blind person? Okay, we can build on that.
The other week I was part of a miracle. While riding my bicycle I saw, crossing a large and busy street, a small dog running from one side to the other. It was not on a leash. One could say that it was a miracle that the dog was not hit and run over by the many cars, trucks and buses. One could also say that it was a miracle that the owner of the dog, a young woman, was not hit either as she chased after her dog. Her cries and screams were unmistakable. She was a mess of worry, fear and plenty more emotions. It was impossible for her to catch her dog. It was running too fast and her shoes were not running shoes at all.
Knowing the neighborhood a little, I knew the dog was running in the direction of a big forested park. I thought if the dog enters the park with its forest, there is little chance of the young woman finding her dog any time soon.
So I headed for the park. After a short ride, what should I see but a tired little dog standing in the middle of a quiet street that borders the park. When dogs are excited, they do not listen to anyone, least of all strangers. So instead of reasoning with the dog, I directed the dog to run away from the park, back into the neighborhood where its owner was.
Then, with the dog out of sight, I heard a loud cry of happiness. The young woman and her dog saw each other and she could pick it up.
Was this a miracle? If more than one, how many?
Indeed it was at least two. The first miracle is that no one got hurt. The second one is that she got her dog back. And these miracles happened because someone took the extra time to be compassionate.
To be compassionate is easy. You do not have to be superman. You just need to be curious and helpful, but most important, be yourself.
Now then, let's go back to today’s reading.
Here is a story of two blind men who found their way to a miracle. These two were waiting and when their chance came, they seized upon it. They had already heard about Jesus and his power to heal. It would have been foolish to let the chance for the restoration of sight pass them by. Here is a key point. They were undiscourageable. In other words, they were loud when the crowd was trying to be quiet in order to hear what Jesus was saying. It was custom in Palestine for a teacher, or rabbi, to walk and teach at the same time. Therefore for the two blind men to shout and get Jesus’ attention was uncustomary and rude. How easy it would have been for them to quiet down and walk away, blind as ever, never to regain their sight. But they did not.
All the more, they shouted. And Jesus, noticing them, showed compassion by asking them what they wanted. And he healed them accordingly.
Such a miracle.
Let’s now go back to the young woman chasing her dog. She was blind in her own way, blind with fear that she would lose her precious dog. Nothing mattered to her except retrieving her dog. She was running in her walking shoes. I can only imagine that her feet were covered with blisters and hurt. Her summer dress looked out of place and out of balance. But none of the standards for fashion and proper behavior mattered. In short, she was outside of herself. The question for me was not, “Do I have time to help?” but rather, “What will happen if nobody helps — no one even tries?” “More bad than good” was what I thought. Fortunately, she could get her dog back. I can say that I helped to keep the dog from disappearing into the large forested park.
How about you? If you think miracles can be done only by people with supernatural power, today’s reading might suggest you are correct. But look again. The two blind people refer to Jesus as “Son of David.” They did not refer to him as the Messiah; they were thinking of him in earthly terms — as an ordinary person. This can suggest that their understanding of Jesus was not as full as the other people in the crowd, but for Jesus, that did not matter. He listened to their request and gave them what they wanted.
With that in mind, we can follow through in our own situations in daily life by listening to others and following through with requests that are plain, simple, evident and sincere.
Let us pray. … Amen.
Here is the email I received:
Goetz-sensei (which means "teacher"),
Thank you very much for your wonderful message at the chapel yesterday. Your story of the dog was very interesting. The Bible really lives in our everyday life. I love the word “compassion.” As for me, I was baptized in a church in Georgia when I studied abroad. It was one of my wonderful memories in the United States. Thank you very much.
Kind regards,
Keiko (name has been changed)
Please pray for “Keiko” that her baptism is more than a memory. Please pray for Japanese Christians and all Christians that their faith is more than that of a registrant, but that of a believer.
Thank you.
Tom Goetz
The 2010 Mission Yearbook for Prayer & Study, p. 141
