I like to think of myself as someone who isn’t easily rattled, as someone who can keep their calm and act rationally when confronted with difficult circumstances. But as life adapts, evolves, and outside stressors become more complex to navigate, more often than I would care to admit, the frustrations of life can overwhelm me. I lose my patience, and I respond in anger.
Jesus certainly faced a complex and difficult situation in today’s gospel. In the passages just prior, the Pharisees accuse Jesus and his disciples of violating the sanctity of the Sabbath. Despite his loving reply to their accusations, the Pharisees respond by taking counsel against Jesus to put him to death!
Unlike what I am tempted to do, however, Jesus does not lose his cool. He does not respond with anger or vindictiveness. He scarcely even tries to defend himself. Instead, he simply chooses to withdraw. It’s an astonishingly meek response considering the infinite power that Jesus wields.
Fortunately, Jesus deals similarly with us whenever we stubbornly resist his loving plan for our lives. Rather than rain down fire and brimstone, he showers us with kindness and mercy. Like the bruised reed and smoldering wick described by the prophet Isaiah, Jesus tries to gently coax us back to health, to carefully rekindle our flame. May we all learn to recognize and accept this amazing mercy available to us and in turn share it with those around us.