God with Us--Jesus

I've fallen off the blogging bandwagon, but I've kept up with daily devotionals for Lent.

The last 2 weeks have focused on narratives about Jesus in the Gospels.  I found myself wondering this morning, "Can Jesus help me avoid compassion fatigue?"

I'm sure Jesus had to be patient with people--disciples, the sick, Pharisees, Romans, family--all the time.  He even lost patience a few times, if we allow for human interpretation of His divine interactions.  But He also had the power to touch and heal them--sometimes instantly, and sometimes in stages.  (More on that later.)

When I see Christians struggling chronically with the same problems, I begin to wonder whether Jesus' Gospel of transformation and redemption has been undersold for cultural Christianity.

Christianity has become so invested in having "correct" worldviews that lead to "godly" living that we often forget about the fact that much of Jesus' ministry had to do with his healing touch.

If the Gospel is about reconciling persons to God, not only through Jesus' atoning work (and here, I'd like to say that Divinity School has restructured how I view the Cross), then should not Christians continue to be touched by Jesus?  Should not our wounds (both emotional, spiritual, and physical) be healed as we engage with Jesus in the midst of our struggles?

Tuesday's devotional was about Jesus' healing of the blind man at Bethsaida (see Mark 8:22-26).  "I'm gripped by the half-way sight of the man after Jesus' first touch.  For me, this image of hazy sight has been a rich metaphor.  Consider any ways that people and culture in your region have been touched by Jesus, but in a way that has left only a hazy rather than fully clear and good impact...Or misunderstandings or half-understandings people have of Jesus may come to mind.  Pray that Jesus would restore full spiritual sight to many in your region, that people would look intently at the life and words and good news of Jesus and see clearly."

Amen!