Sanctuary

When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. Matthew 9.36

The verse that precedes verse 36 says, “Jesus went through all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the good news of the kingdom and healing every disease and sickness.“

What is the Good News of the Kingdom? Maybe it would be better to separate the question into two questions. What is the Good News? What is the Kingdom?

We at Sanctuary say Jesus came to teach a new way to live and a new way to love. The Sermon on the Mount gives us a description of how Jesus people live and love. Jesus teaches how Jesus people deal with anger, and worry. How Jesus people handle persecution and betrayal. Jesus even teaches Jesus people how to pray. You know the prayer. Gosh, you might even know the song!

“‘Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name,
¹⁰ your kingdom come,
your will be done,
    on earth as it is in heaven.
¹¹ Give us today our daily bread.
¹² And forgive us our debts,
    as we also have forgiven our debtors.
¹³ And lead us not into temptation
    but deliver us from the evil one.

When you are praying the prayer and get to that part about the kingdom, what do you pray? What images come to your mind? And what about the part that you pray “your will be done on earth as it is in heaven”? What do you think about during that part of the prayer?

The prayer puts the Good News in the context of the Kingdom. The Good News ushers in the livable reality of the Kingdom – on earth as it is in heaven.

The Good News of the Kingdom is just as available today to everyday ordinary Christians like you and me. “On earth as it is in heaven” is our reality.

Let’s put Matthew 9.35-36 together.

“Jesus went through all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the good news of the kingdom and healing every disease and sickness. When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.”

Reflection:

1. In your own words, define the Good News of the Kingdom of God.
2. What would you like to see or experience “on earth as it is in heaven”? What does the “Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort,” desire for you to experience on earth as it is in heaven?
3. “On earth as it is in heaven.” How might you fully live into this truth today?

Pray through the truth of Matthew 6.9-13

“‘Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name,
¹⁰ your kingdom come,
your will be done,
    on earth as it is in heaven.
¹¹ Give us today our daily bread.
¹² And forgive us our debts,
    as we also have forgiven our debtors.
¹³ And lead us not into temptation
    but deliver us from the evil one.

When Jesus saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. Matthew 9.36

Thomas Constable notes this truth follows two groups of miracles that Matthew presented to demonstrate Jesus’ ability to heal (8.1-17) and to perform miracles with supernatural power (8.23-9.8). This last cluster demonstrates His ability to restore (9.18-34). These miracles show that Jesus can restore all things, as the prophets predicted Messiah would do.

But why? What was His motive in healing? Was it the quickest way to gather a crowd? Would it be the “proof” that some would be looking for in the Messiah? Or was it something else?

Father Greg Boyle says the incarnation was necessary so God’s love could become tender. Meister Eckhart said, “It is a lie, any talk of God that doesn’t comfort you.”

When Jesus saw the crowds, why did He have compassion on them? When He looked into the eyes of those who were being harassed, what did He see? When He listened to the helpless, what did He hear? When He looked at them collectively He saw both an individual and a communal need. Jesus choose to act with great tenderness, with compassion.

In its simplest form, compassion can be described as “love in action.” Jesus didn’t just see. He didn’t just hear. He acted. He moved toward the crowd with love to comfort.

The God of unfathomable compassion sees you. He hears you. He knows the times when you’ve been helpless, and harassed. He knows that threats and accusations that the evil one whispers your way.

Putting love into action, He comes to you. He doesn’t wait for you to “get over it.” He doesn’t wait for you to come out of hiding. Jesus moves toward you in the midst of the taunts, the fears, and the failures.

What if instead of striving you received? Instead of hustling for your worthiness, or trying to prove yourself, you rested in His finished work? What if you began to believe God is at work in unseen and unknown ways, and His love will ultimately prevail? What if you lived as if this truth were true?

Jesus’ motive was restoration. The restoration of all things, all people, all creation. Jesus comes tenderly and compassionately to restore you and your community in relationship to Him.

Reflection:

1. Where in your current reality do you need restoration?
2. How and where have you experienced the tenderness and compassion of Jesus? Be specific.  
3. “Jesus moves toward you with compassion.” How might you fully live into this truth today?

Pray through the truth of 2 Corinthians 1.3-7

Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, ⁴ who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God. ⁵ For just as we share abundantly in the sufferings of Christ, so also our comfort abounds through Christ. ⁶ If we are distressed, it is for your comfort and salvation; if we are comforted, it is for your comfort, which produces in you patient endurance of the same sufferings we suffer. ⁷ And our hope for you is firm, because we know that just as you share in our sufferings, so also you share in our comfort.

When you think about God, what do you think about?

Jesus.

Jesus is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. ¹⁶ For in Jesus all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through Jesus and for Jesus. ¹⁷ Jesus is before all things, and in Jesus all things hold together. ¹⁸ And Jesus is the head of the body, the church; Jesus is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything Jesus might have the supremacy. ¹⁹ For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in Jesus, ²⁰ and through Jesus to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through Jesus’ blood, shed on the cross. Colossians 1.15-20

The majesty, wonder, grandeur of God can never fully be fathomed on this earth. One day we will see, know, and experience the totality of God Himself, but not until He comes again or He calls us home.

So how do we know God is love if we can’t fully get our heads and hearts around Him? Simple. We look at Jesus.

“For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in Jesus.“

All. His. Fullness.

When we see Jesus, we see God. When we know Jesus, we know God. When we are loved by Jesus, we are loved by God. Jesus is love.

God loves you in the same way that He loves His Son. Jesus loves you in the same way He loves His Father. The Spirit loves you in the same way He loves the Father, and the Son. What an incredible truth!

Over the next couple of days, we’ll look more closely at how Jesus lived and loved. We’ll see why people were so magnetized to Him. We’ll hear His call for His Church to be His manifest presence on the earth, living and loving on earth as it is in heaven. For today, we’ll simply stand amazed at His love.

Reflection:

1. What is about Jesus that draws you to Him?
2. What is about you that draws Jesus to you?
3. “Jesus is love.” How might you fully live into this truth today?

Pray through the truth of Luke 23:39-43

One of the criminals who hung there hurled insults at him: “Aren’t you the Messiah? Save yourself and us!”

⁴⁰ But the other criminal rebuked him. “Don’t you fear God,” he said, “since you are under the same sentence? ⁴¹ We are punished justly, for we are getting what our deeds deserve. But this man has done nothing wrong.”

⁴² Then he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.”

⁴³ Jesus answered him, “Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in paradise.”

God is love. 1 John 4.8

AGB asked me once, “Dad, when you think about God, what do you think about?”

I quickly answered, “Jesus.”

“Come on dad, I know it’s supposed to be Jesus, but what else?”

“I think about you, AGB. I think about your sister. I think about your mom.”

She laughed her most beautiful laugh, “Dad, that’s not thinking about God, that’s thinking about us.”

“I can’t help but think about you, AGB, when I think about God, and I can’t help but think about God when I think about you. God is love.”

John the Beloved writes to a group of people who were challenged to live as if the Good News was true. There were a lot of other so-called truths in their day. John writes so they will know the truth and have fellowship with one another in the truth.

The context of John’s “God is love” statement is found here. 

“Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. 8 Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love. 9 This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. 10 This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. 11 Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. 12 No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us.”

When John thinks about God, he thinks about Jesus. When John thinks about Jesus, he thinks about others. John’s focus in this text is on loving others. Because God is love, because He first loved us, he says, let’s love one another – and in this way of life, “His love is made complete in us.”  

John knows nothing of a God who is judgmental, condemning, harsh, or vindictive. John knows God in the person of Jesus, and from first-hand experience, He tells the rest of the world the truth. God is love and encourages us to live in His truth and live it out together.

Reflection:

1. When you think about God, what do you think about? Why?
2. If you think of God as anything other than “God is love,” where do you believe that “untruth” was derived?
3. “God is love.” How might you fully live into this truth today?

Pray through the truth of 1 John 1.1-5

That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked at and our hands have touched—this we proclaim concerning the Word of life. 2 The life appeared; we have seen it and testify to it, and we proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and has appeared to us. 3 We proclaim to you what we have seen and heard, so that you also may have fellowship with us. And our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ. 4 We write this to make our joy complete.