Not My Problem
Now as they went out of Jericho, a great multitude followed Him. And behold, two blind men sitting by the road, when they heard that Jesus was passing by, cried out, saying, “Have mercy on us, O Lord, Son of David!” Then the multitude warned them that they should be quiet; but they cried out all the more, saying, “Have mercy on us, O Lord, Son of David!” So Jesus stood still and called them, and said, “What do you want Me to do for you?” They said to Him, “Lord, that our eyes may be opened.” So Jesus had compassion and touched their eyes. And immediately their eyes received sight, and they followed Him. – Matthew 20:29-34.
Near West Milford, West Virginia at a dam, a dead cow was caught on a tree branch. The dead cow did what dead cows do, it began to decay and it did so for several weeks. Five governmental organizations or jurisdictions refused the many requests from those who lived nearby for something to be done. The West Virginia Department of Natural Resources could have done something but alas, they only have the authority to act in the case of wild animals. The West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection checked out the situation and determined there was no apparent ecological threat. The Agriculture Department declared the issue to be local in nature. A Water Board also felt that it should be handled by local authorities. Thankfully, some local volunteer firefighters and some Highway Department workers decided to take care of the problem.
On a day long ago, Jesus was walking out of the city of Jericho when two blind men began shouting at Him. Jesus asked them what they wanted and they responded that they wanted their eyes to be healed. The Bible records that Jesus had compassion on them and healed them. However, Jesus was not required to give compassion. He could have looked at them while he continued walking and simply said, “That’s not My problem.” He could have but He didn’t.
There does seem to be something in us as human beings that wants to avoid complications of any kind. The incident with the dead cow is typical of many when confronted with avoidable problems. The typical response is “That’s not my problem.” Our desire to avoid such complications has required many states to enact laws requiring that motorists involved in accidents to stop and render aid. It was necessary because many people would simply drive off to avoid a ticket or other complications from an accident.
Of course, all of this brings to mind the story of the Good Samaritan. If you remember the story (Luke 10), robbers attacked a man leaving him to die along the road. A couple of religious people passed by that would have been expected to stop and render aid. The priest and the Levite must have both said, “That’s not my problem” as they passed by. The Samaritan was the only one who stopped and demonstrated compassion. As a result of rendering aid, the Samaritan experienced some complications. Rendering aid resulted in the Samaritan exposing himself to possible danger from the same robbers who had left the man half-dead; it caused a major loss of time, and the expenditure of funds to assure the care of the wounded man.
There are so many situations when encountered in life that we are tempted to say, “That’s not my problem.” However, as Christians who know the example of Jesus, we are called upon to render compassion even when it may result in complications. We should always remember that Jesus saw us in trouble in our sins and He did not say, “That’s not my problem.” No, He took time out from the glories of Heaven to come down here to Earth for thirty some years to live a perfect life in a difficult time, becoming the perfect sacrifice while dying on the cross on our behalf. Talk about complications!
(Jesus has given us the ultimate example of compassion.)