Descending to the Highest Place
by Warren Smith
When I finally caught up with my wife, she was down on the pavement and nearly completely underneath a pickup truck. Moments earlier, a tiny, frightened kitten had darted past and into the truck's chassis; my wife followed in close pursuit. I said, “Honey!” “Please, come out!” “People are going to think we are stealing catalytic converters!”
There is no denying it, my wife has deep compassion for animals, and when she encounters a wounded, suffering, displaced, or scared critter, she goes ALL IN to rescue it. She seems hard-wired to go to the place of suffering and curl right up next to it. It’s an unnaturally natural inclination for her – a gift of compassion, so much so that many years ago, she became a professional lover of animals…a Doctor of Veterinarian Medicine.
But I will never forget the time, early in her career when she wrestled with a critical and defining axiom of animal care: treat the suffering on BOTH sides of the leash. Up to that point, all her training, passion, and purpose focused on one end of the leash. But she could not ignore that an image bearer of God was standing at the other--and often, both were suffering.
Dietrich Bonhoeffer captured the tension when he said: “We must learn to regard people less in the light of what they do or omit to do, and more in the light of what they suffer.”
Compassion has been called the least understood virtue. Dennis Prager reports he has asked students the same question for forty years: Would they first try to save their drowning dog or a drowning stranger? The answers have always stayed the same. One-third vote for their dog, one-third vote for the stranger, and one-third don’t know what they would do.
As Shepherds caring for our flock, we have much work to do around compassion. We must promote downward mobility as the path to the highest place.
Compassion is Downward Mobility
Compassion is hard because it sits in opposition to our flesh. Jesus was the embodiment of God’s perfect and unconditional compassion, and He says to us: “Follow me.” As we do, He guides us downward into forgotten and uncomfortable places. Notice the descending nature of the Hymn of Christ…
“Who being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness.
And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death—even death on a cross!”
Philippians 2:6-8 (NIV)
The place of compassion is low. It starkly contrasts our earthly desires and culture which scream UPWARD MOBILITY!
But we must never forget that Christ came down to us. His motto is downward mobility. He did not just reach out from His high place and offer a hand-up. He dove down. Compassion moves to the low place of suffering…and then sets up camp!
If we have yet to change locations and move directly toward a place of suffering, then at best, we offer kindness, sympathy, pity, a hand-up, or a hand-out—all good gestures, but all short of the fullness of compassion displayed in Christ.
Compassion Leads to The Highest Place
But why would anyone choose to be displaced into a low place of suffering?
“The King will reply, truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me” (Matthew 25:40).
“For all those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted” (Luke 14:11).
“For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me and for the gospel will save it” (Mark 8:35).
The Hymn of Christ was quoted above describing the descent of Jesus (Philippians 2:1-8). Verse nine continues: “Therefore God exalted him to the highest place….”
God is there. We lead well when we lead low.
In Conclusion
Melissa rescued the cat that day. It wasn’t easy. She got scratched, clawed, and bit. I had to ask, “Why would you go through so much to rescue an animal with such unpleasant and difficult nature? She grinned and said, “Because it's my nature to save.”
Thank you, King Jesus!
