Funeral Feelings
He felt compassion for her, and said to her, “Do not weep.” Luke 7:13 NASB
Compassion – Today I am in Assisi, Italy. You’ll probably get a picture or two of the basilica here, the one dedicated to St. Francis. And St. Francis is associated with compassion, I thought it would be appropriate to review once more the uniqueness of the Greek term used to describe Yeshua’s compassion. It all begins in Nain.
The village named “pleasant” or “beautiful.” But on this day the Hebrew name does not fit the mood at all. Today is the day of a funeral. Today is a mother’s worst nightmare – death invades life. Her only son is carried to the grave.
As Yeshua approaches the city gate, he comes upon a scene of grief. The funeral procession moves through the gate, carrying the body of a man. Within minutes the crowd discovers that this man is the only son of a poor widow. Many of the townspeople are walking with her, attempting to console her while they lament the cruel hand of God. To lose a husband is difficult enough. But to lose an only son after losing a husband. What will she do now? She has no one to care for her. The fate of widows and orphans was well known. She looked forward to poverty and abandonment.
There are two critical words in this very brief encounter. The first describes Yeshua’s character; the second his action. They are inseparable.
“And when the Lord saw her, He felt compassion for her.” Compassion. The Greek word is splanchnizomai. It is the original Greek word for “intestines.” Over time the word became associated with those emotions that deeply upset us. In particular, it is connected with pity. This word is very graphic and very physical.
Imagine those times in your life when something affected you so dramatically that it literally “turned your stomach.” You had a hot flash. You felt faint. What you saw brought instant discomfort, an outrage at life’s inequity. It is the immediate reaction over something tragic. Everyone in America got a taste of this on September 11, a nation’s heartache and agony.
Yeshua and the disciples are walking toward Nain. They are probably busy talking among themselves about the past few days. Suddenly they come upon the funeral. It was certainly not the first funeral the crowd witnessed. Death was a constant companion of those who lived in Roman occupied lands. Yeshua stopped. The crowd jolted with him. Compassion. A rough, physical word expressing the jarring, disorienting feeling of life gone haywire. Splanchnon presents an unusual word mystery. Most Greek words have direct Hebrew associations. But splanchnon has no Hebrew connection. When we look for a Hebrew connection, we find a different Greek word – oiktiro – the word for “sympathy.” Splanchnon is a word that surfaces much later. By the time Luke related this story in Greek, splanchnon had taken over the meaning “pity” and “sympathy.” That isn’t the end of this curious story. The Hebrew concept eventually captured by splanchnon helps us see an important distinction. The Hebrew word behind pity and sympathy is racham. But racham is the Hebrew word for “womb.” In Hebrew thought it is the symbol of intense, personal identification. Nothing establishes a bond of identity more than the same birth mother. When emotions cause us to completely identify with our common humanity, with being born into this world, we experience racham. The unity of brothers and sisters, the bond of parents and children, is extended to evoke the shared experience of being one who is born – and one who dies. From God’s point of view, we are all brothers and sisters. When splanchnon took over the meaning of this Hebrew concept, it carried with it the intense identification of common humanity, an identification that was particularly acute in times of trouble.
There is still more to this story. The Hebrew concept is not limited to a “feeling.” Sympathy is an emotional response of heartfelt identification. Pity is an emotional response to another’s suffering. Empathy is an emotional response to common-bond oneness. But racham is more than emotion. It is action elicited by emotion. Racham is the action of love expressed as a result of sympathy or pity. Racham does not pass by the circumstances of sorrow with a mournful sigh. Racham steps into life’s heartbreaking trials and actively engages in an effort to lift the burden. Zechariah 7:9 instructs us to “make and accomplish compassion.” Psalm 69:16 calls for the action of compassion from the God who is filled with compassionate acts. Divine compassion is not an arm around the shoulder and a shared tear. Compassion is warfare! It is active resistance to evil in a world. Compassion is me taking the place of you. It is personal action identification. It is Yeshua on the cross, enduring brutality, horror and torture for my sake because God is compassionate.
The most common subject of the word racham is God Himself. From the Old Testament context, it is abundantly clear that compassion is not an action prompted by the merit of the suffering party. I don’t earn compassion. God’s compassion, and the compassion of all who follow His example, is relief given simply because it can be given. If I am to follow the model of Yeshua, my actions of relief will not be based on how worthy the suffering person is. My actions will be based only on my ability to offer help because I can without any thought of reciprocity.
Exodus 34:6 is God’s self-definition. The very first word God uses to describe Himself is “compassionate.” If you gave your own self-definition, would that be the first word on your lips? The widow of Nain provides us with a window into the heart of God – and what we find is racham. The God Who cares.
Topical Index: compassion, splanchnizomai, racham, Luke 7:13, Zechariah 7:9, Psalm 69:16, Exodus 34:6
Compassion consists of the actions I take to put myself in your shoes; to be you in your worst moment, but it is you with a difference. Compassion comes from a place of relative power, for the compassionate person still has a foot outside the ditch, and so therefore is in a position to potentially be able to offer a real helping hand. YHVH’s saving compassion for us is an example of such power. He had a foot of divine power planted firmly outside our very human weakness; deathly weakness caused by sin. He was in a real position to help!
People turn away from others in distress. They avert their eyes and want to hurry off because they don’t want to tie their future with the disaster of another, which is what real compassion does.
I have been thinking hard about Naomi since yesterday because I finally had the time yesterday to read The Ruth-like Church (thank you, George!) What a page turner! Anyway, Naomi was bitter, and because of her bitterness, no one, not even Boaz, could help her directly. Bitterness carries a component of rejection that ALSO keeps helping people from being able to even get close enough TO help. Boaz decided to tie his future with bitter Naomi’s out of sheer compassion, and so he teamed up with Ruth, who had already done the same.
Up to that point, Ruth had had nothing but disaster and rejection herself from the hand of Naomi. Her decision to tie her fate with that bitter old woman had only put her in the same terrible position. It wasn’t looking good! (This is why I think people don’t want to REALLY help others.) BUT, that same act of faith is what opens God’s hand to give. When we sacrificially step inside someone else’s bitterness and tie our fate with theirs, God then has an inside person with whom He can help the first one.
Ruth had no resources with which to help Naomi, but she created a way for Boaz to by her sacrifice. That sacrifice became an essential link for Salvation to come to our entire world. I like to think that the same goes for us when we reach out and entwine our lives with the bitter fate of others, who may well be snapping and backbiting to boot. Doesn’t matter.. Salvation only needs a place holder. His compassion for BOTH will then do the rest, and the whole world will be better off for it. Halleluah!
I have found it very interesting uncovering the meanings of these words. Can these words be related to feeling another’s pain due to circumstances through intercession which would lead to an action of reaching out and doing something about it? Is this what Yeshua did?, Or asking Yahweh to move by his spirit through someone? Maybe the one interceding? I also think of the Isaiah story when the Widow lost her son and the prophet says bake me a cake first and you are Cruise of oil will never Be dry?
The Ruth-like Church (thank you, George!)
Who is George? Could someone please put his article out.
TQ
Hebrew words have many meanings as you have observed with racham meaning mercy and womb. Often they have opposite meanings. The word for ‘holy’ also means ‘male temple prostitute’. The concept is understood even in English with things like fire and water. They separate stuff. Fire burns up and purifies, Water kills and washes.
Here rachem also means gier eagle, which was an abomination in the dietary laws.
The opposite meanings comes from the metaphoric nature of the language. Waterloo is usually used to indicate Napolean’s failure due to arrogance, It could just as well be used to speak of Wellington’s success.
There are three underlying metaphors for rachem: by the letters: A finished work of the flesh concerning the understood revelation of God. Love is the finished work of God’s revelation. So I believe this is the source for ‘compassion’.
The (interval, moon, month) ‘rach’ רח of waters ‘mem’, is probably the source of womb.
The eagle is one which is ‘high’ רמ with sight ‘ח’ but finishes it’s attack on the ground. The final mem is a finished work in the flesh. As such it is a dinner theater for one who lived in the spirit, but succumbed to the flesh. Similarly the lobster lives on the bottom/earth and snatches those who live in the water/word, so is an abomination.
Context is the key to which meaning is used. One meaning may be used in the literal, and another in the SOD.
Widowed 20 years ago, with a young son (I have since remarried), Skip’s words from “To lose a husband is difficult enough…” to “September 11”, which I shared with my son… hit me personally and at one moment it crossed my mind: Is Yeshua seeing the future, as he knows he must die? Can he see the grief that will come on his mother as he looks upon this scene? Is the seed planted here for his words from the cross to John?
σπλάγχνον, splagchnon, appears in the LXX (Septuagint) three times, but Strong numbered it G4698, one after 4697 used for splanchnizomai. It is also in the Apostolic Writings 11 times. Luke, Paul, and John use it: compassion, etc., except in Acts referring to Judas’ death.
At Proverb 12:10 it was translated for racham; at Proverb 26:22 for baten (beten), womb; and in Jeremiah 51:13 for בֶּצַע betza’, gain (usually unjust), covetousness “your limit truly is come into your intestines” (ABP(LXX)); “your end has come, the measure of your end” (Lit. being cut off is the side note) (NASB); “the thread of your life is cut” (ESV+), “your time for being cut off” (CJB), “the measure of thy rapacity” (Darby 1890), “and the reckenyng of thy wynnynges” (Bishops 1568),” the measure of thy covetousness” (KJV+)
+ and others; rapacity: “always wanting more than is needed or deserved; living on prey” (MWD) – so thank you, Bob! for that connecting picture… here it is!
Dang, Leslee, where have you been hiding?
on a mountain in Idaho!