“Years later, after Moses had grown up, he went out to his own people, and took notice of their heavy burdens. He saw an Egyptian beating up a Hebrew, one of his own people.” (Exodus 2:11 ISV)
Moses witnessed the atrocities committed against the Israelites. He could have continued to ignore it. After all, it didn’t affect him directly. He was assimilated and accepted by the privileged class. But something in Moses changed. He grew up. He took notice of the injustice. He woke up from the apathy of affluence and felt empathy toward the oppressed.
We see images of injustice all around us. Most of us feel a tug in our hearts when witnessing suffering, but we shrug it off. We move on to our own concerns, convinced that we are powerless against the system. We avert our eyes and minds from the plight of the marginalized, occupying ourselves with distractions.
What causes a person to shift from indifference to compassion? The Spirit of God opens our eyes and transforms our hearts. We cannot unsee what we have seen through God’s eyes. Neglecting the vulnerable and minding our own business is no longer an option. Grace replaces apathy. As we conform to Christ’s likeness, we learn to be merciful. We see ourselves in the displaced immigrant and the suffering child. Radical compassion takes hold and doesn’t let go.
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