Asking wrong questions?

A respected friend recently commented, "The Church is attempting to answer questions no one is asking." This is obviously a generalized statement and was in context to our particular conversation, but I think he made a very good point, sometimes I think we get so caught-up in attempting to have the right "answers" that we often ask the "wrong" questions or questions that appease our self-interest.

Last night during dinner with some friends, we were discussing the issues in a particular segment of the Church and I made the comment, "I don’t blame folks for not wanting anything to do with the Church." For many on the outside often only encounter what appears to be the hypocrisy of Christianity.

When I read the Gospels I find a God who was more concerned about relations with folks than with following the law. When it came right down to it, Jesus always put people first. Jesus seemingly looked into a person’s humanity and interacted with people from a perspective of compassion even those with which he disagreed.

I often wonder if we miss the beauty of the story of the woman who was to be stoned to death. There are lessons to be learned from the woman’s perspective and the religious folks’ perspective, but maybe I can learn something from Jesus’ perspective. Jesus looked into the heart of humanity. Jesus looked into the fear, rage, pain, brokenness, and doubt of both parties. The act of compassion demonstrated by Jesus to both parties demonstrates a God who is concerned more with compassion than with being right, for compassion heals and maybe that is the right answer to a wrong question—compassion.

The woman was obviously a broken, shamed soul who sought significance through adulterous affairs. She didn’t need punished-- she needed healed through compassion. The folks who knew the right answer to the Law seemed to be anxious to use the right answer to kill rather than to heal. In their anger and rage they too needed compassion, for they too needed healed. Jesus helped both parties reflect on their life experience and their need for compassion. And when I am truly in touch with my need for compassion I cannot stone you to death for being wrong. Jesus was compassionate.
Maybe what he drew in the sand that day was a question mark? As he contemplated what to do, the only answer God could offer is one of compassion.

Compassion in Jesus’ mind is what heals and restores-- not singling out whom is right and who is wrong. Jesus didn’t come to get the right interpretation of the law he came to restore humanity to God. And the manner in which he did so was through compassion, that is the deep awareness of the suffering of another coupled with the wish to relieve it; to suffer with.

God entered our world and suffered with us.

He calls us to follow him.

We don’t make disciples by getting all the answers right, we make disciples just like Jesus did, through compassion… through suffering with another.

Everywhere he turned the devout religious folks were asking him questions often to trick him-- to catch him getting it wrong and thereby missing the more important issues--folks needed healing, to be fed, and to be welcomed and included in the reign of God.

Mercy really is more important that sacrifice according to Jesus. I need to go learn what this means.

Perhaps the question is not "How to get it right?" Perhaps the question is, "How can we be compassionate?"