Touch the Needy 怜悯之心

[Dexu Xia]

Touch the Needy

He put his hands on her, and immediately she straightened up and praised God. Luke 13:13

It wasn’t surprising when Mother Teresa received the Nobel Peace Prize. True to form, she received the award “in the name of the hungry, of the naked, of the homeless, of the blind, of the lepers, of all those who feel unwanted, unloved, uncared for throughout society.” Those were the people she ministered to for most of her life.

Jesus modeled how to care for and love the marginalized, regardless of circumstances. Unlike the synagogue leaders who respected the Sabbath law more than the sick (Luke 13:14), when Jesus saw an ill woman at the temple, He was moved with compassion. He looked beyond the physical impairment and saw God’s beautiful creation in bondage. He called her to Him and said she was healed. Then He “put his hands on her, and immediately she straightened up and praised God” (v. 13). By touching her, He upset the leader of the synagogue because it was the Sabbath. Jesus, the Lord of the Sabbath (Luke 6:5), compassionately chose to heal the woman—a person who had faced discomfort and humiliation for nearly two decades.

I wonder how often we see someone as underserving of our compassion. Or maybe we’ve experienced rejection because we didn’t meet somebody else’s standard. May we not be like the religious elite who cared more about rules than fellow humans. Instead, let’s follow Jesus’ example and treat others with compassion, love, and dignity.

How have you experienced God’s healing and touch? Who can you show compassion to this week?

Jesus, thank You for Your infinite love and incredible compassion for all humans, including those marred by disease and difficulties.

怜悯之心

[耶稣]用两只手按着她，她立刻直起腰来，就归荣耀与上帝。—路加福音13章13节

德蕾莎修女获颁诺贝尔和平奖并不会令人惊讶。事实上，她能得到这份殊荣，是因她看顾“饥饿的、赤身露体的、无家可归的、瞎眼的、患痲疯病的、所有在社会中感到被丢弃、不被爱、不被在乎的人”，这些人是她毕生服事的对象。

耶稣为我们树立榜样，不论任何情况，祂都会看顾与关爱那些社会边缘人。当时犹太会堂的领袖们只会严格地遵守安息日，而毫不顾念生病的人（路加福音13章14节），但耶稣与他们截然不同。当耶稣在圣殿里看到一个患病的妇人时，便心生怜悯。耶稣看见的不是她的疾病，而是上帝美好的创造因疾病被困在残破的躯体里，就把这名妇人叫到面前来并医治了她。耶稣“用两只手按着她，她立刻直起腰来，就归荣耀与上帝”（13节），但却因此激怒了犹太会堂的领袖，因为祂在安息日治病。耶稣这位安息日的主（6章5节），怜悯这名被病痛缠身并受辱近二十年的妇人，让她得到医治。

我不禁思索，我们是否也常认为某些人不配得到我们的怜悯，或是我们也曾因未能达到他人的标准而遭到拒绝。但愿我们不会像那些宗教领袖，只知严谨遵守律法的规条而不看重周围的人，反倒能学习耶稣的榜样，以怜悯、慈爱和尊重的态度待人。

主耶稣，感谢祢以永不止息的爱和无比丰盛的怜悯恩待
所有的人，并且顾念那些在病痛与困苦中的人。

你曾如何经历上帝的医治和抚慰？
在这一周你要向谁展现出上帝的怜悯呢？