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Christly compassion in healing
When we hear about disasters world-wide, it is helpful to remember the Master, Christ Jesus, who compassionately conquered the fears of those who were in danger. Two good examples of this from the Bible are his “boat” experiences with his disciples.
On both occasions, the sea was disturbed by storms; in the first instance, the Apostle John speaks of the sea rising because of strong winds. In the other, Mark speaks of storms and waves beating on the ship. Jesus calmed the storms in both cases, allaying his disciples’ fear and resolving the issue instantaneously (see John 6:16–21, and Mark 4:35–41). In both instances, Jesus healed the fury while in close proximity to the disciples; he literally got into the boat with them.
One way to understand his actions is as an act of compassion—he lovingly entered the disciples’ experience in order to heal it. As Mary Baker Eddy, the Discoverer and Founder of Christian Science, notes, compassion is key to our healing practice: “If the Scientist has enough Christly affection to win his own pardon, and such commendation as the Magdalen gained from Jesus, then he is Christian enough to practise scientifically and deal with his patients compassionately; and the result will correspond with the spiritual intent” (Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, p. 365).
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