We have been reminded about showing kindness recently. Remember the memory verse we had a few Sundays ago? Hint: Micah 6:8 has “love kindness” in the RSV, Good News has “show constant love”, while NIV has “love mercy”.
Love is everywhere! It’s also action-packed: to ‘show’ love. Mercy and kindness are two ways to show love.
Ok ok, not everyone reading this now was there on that Sunday! Let’s pretend you were there 🙂
Love in isolation is like having something you really like (e.g. chocolate) but not eating it – just the thought / sight / smell of chocolate is really not having the any of it! If I have the thought of sharing the best chocolate with you and yet withhold it for selfish reasons, I think that’s far from (showing) love.
Showing kindness and showing mercy seem to be very similar. They might be both sides of the coin, or at least a lot of overlapping areas. Let’s not get into the technical and dissect the words and language. But it’s very useful to reflect on how we show kindness. A friend in need such as of companioniship, shelter, skills and learning, meeting such needs is about showing kindness. For someone to go through a lot of personal trouble in order to satisfy a stranger’s needs is also showing kindness.
However, the world is complex! Identifying people in the street who we think are “in need” and show kindness to them might not be a wise move.
So, really, how do we do it, if it is even possible?
The story Jesus told of the “Good Samaritan” seems fitting. The crucial things being that those who “knew” love and kindness were more pre-occupied with their status quo of keeping on the right side of the law than to roll down their sleeve and get dirty to help the injured person, and the Samaritan man had the capacity to care (“took pity”), and then took care of the man in need. We never know whether the Samaritan man was delayed to get to where he was going (the fact that he didn’t stay in the inn but returned the next day might be a clue). But he went out of his way (literary!) to care for this injured person, on the basis that he needed help. He had some spare time and money (or at least he was in control of these) and he spent these for somebody he didn’t know, probably could not quite see the face of, and really in a very bad state.
There was the account of Peter who denied Jesus three times. Jesus had foretold him about that. When Peter realised the mess he had led himself in, in front of no other than Jesus himself, he “went outside and wept bitterly”. It seems the next occasion the two met was when on hearing the news of the empty tomb reoirted by the the women, Peter, “however” (contrasting with other disciples who continued to unbelieve), got up and ran to the tomb. In Acts, we read that the disciples spent a lot of time praying.
Following that, Peter had several preaching rallies and many came to know Jesus. I like to think that Jesus showed a lot of kindness to Peter, especially in the latter’s denial of knowing Jesus. While we are not Jesus, his Spirit empowers us to do the greatest things. Jesus did not say “no” to God his father. The kindness we can give to others are within our means. Like the Samaritan traveller, keep our eyes (or senses) open for those who are in need.
Street Pastors (https://www.streetpastors.org/) help people in need (and the authorities) on their feet, to return home, and generally in a peace making role. Many Christian charities exist to help people on the poverty line due to economic hardship, as well as to rid themselves of addiction through the power of the kindness of Jesus, and to integrate back to society. Some people face insurmountable challenge to travel great distances to meet with a few Christian brothers and sisters in the persecuted part of the church. It’s a great price to show kindness. Some reorganised their life in order to have a foothold in such countries in order to encourage the Christians there.
