A blog comments the other day (different blog) said this regarding Jesus’ compassion: Yes, Jesus was compassionate when confronted with a need, pausing to help the faithful (and in a few cases we know of, non-believers)…that was to show his authority and glory. I will be direct about this: this is a highly misguided way to talk […]

Tim Keller, in Ministries of Mercy (his least well known — but perhaps most important — book): Both James and John use the ministry of mercy as a test. The apostle John writes his first epistle to set forth the test by which a genuine Christian can be known. One of the tests of Christian love is […]

How do you help those in need? Our default tendency seems to be to give advice. To give advice that is actually good is, of course, a good thing (although rare!). But the biblical call is for us to do much more than that. Consider: “Cease to do evil, learn to do good; seek justice, […]

All seen in the parable of the Good Samaritan: Advocacy Assistance Finances Spiritual Here’s the interesting thing: When we think of showing mercy and serving others, we don’t often think of advocacy. But it is often a critical, and simple, form of mercy. Just advocating for the person — taking up their cause, defending them, […]

To say “this person is poor (or suffering or in other financial hardship) because of their own sin and therefore should not be helped” is to utterly misunderstand the love of God. Jonathan Edwards nails this: If they are come to want by a vicious idleness and prodigality [wastefulness]; yet we are not thereby excused […]

Tim Keller explains what Jesus is doing in the parable of the Good Samaritan (Luke 10:25-37) in his book Ministries of Mercy: The call of the Jericho Road. Read carefully. This is very, very fascinating. Most commentaries on the gospel of Luke note that Jesus reverses the lawyer’s original question. He had asked, “Who is […]