When Compassion & Truth Collide

Last week, a little boy named Emanuele, openly wept as he asked the Pope if his unbelieving father, who had recently died, was in heaven?

Quite frankly, I felt empathy for the Pope as he had to answer this highly emotional question from a heart-broken little boy. I don’t think anyone would relish such a question.

However, while I empathize with the difficult position in which this question placed the Pope, his answer did a disservice to the truth. The answer the Pope gave was that even though this little boy’s father was an unbeliever, he had done good works in his life, had a good heart, and therefore, God would not abandon him. (For the transcript of what was said, you can go to: (https://goo.gl/T9YHgT).

This recent encounter is yet another example of how willing some people are to discard the truth in favor of “compassion.”  The Pope lied to this little boy. He told him that though his father was an unbeliever he would be saved.  Jesus, on the other hand said, “If you do not believe that I am He, you will die in your sins” (John 8:24). The Pope lied to this boy by telling him that because he had done good works, God would not abandon him. The inspired apostle Paul, however said that our salvation is by grace through faith and “not of works” (Ephesians 2:8-9).

Several years ago, I heard a brother in Christ say concerning the congregation where he preached, that they faced a dilemma.  They had to decide whether they were going to be “sticklers for the truth” with regard to marriage, divorce, and remarriage or whether they were going to be compassionate.  He said they chose the route of compassion.  Again, truth was discarded in favor of “compassion.”

May I suggest that we need not choose between truth and compassion?  May I suggest that we can both stand for the truth and be compassionate at the same time?  Consider the life of Jesus!  When the rich, young, ruler walked away from Jesus, disappointed by his demands, Jesus didn’t change the truth, yet the text says that Jesus loved him (Mark 10:21). Although Jesus loved this man, he didn’t change or compromise the truth.

Shame on us if we don’t clothe ourselves with compassion (Colossians 3:12). Shame on us if we don’t speak the truth in love (Ephesians 4:15). And shame on us if we discard the truth in an effort to be compassionate (Proverbs 27:6).

Addendum: So, how would you have answered this broken-hearted little boy?

• I would have recalled that not all questions deserve an immediate, direct answer.  Even Jesus told his apostles that he had many things to say to them, but they were not able to bear them at the time (John 16:12).  There were also matters that Paul wanted to share with the Corinthians, but their level of spiritual maturity made them unable to receive what he wanted to say to them (1 Corinthians 3:1-3).
• I would have reminded him that God will do what is right. We may not be able to understand all things, but we can trust that God will always do what is right (Genesis 18:25).
• I would have encouraged him to do what is right, for that is what his father would want him to do.  Regardless of the state of this boy’s father, that would be the encouragement he would offer to his son if he could (Luke 16:19-31). If he were saved, he would want his son to be saved, and if he were lost, he would want his son to avoid the same fate.