Pastoral Portraits
The practice of pastoral care is wonderfully interdisciplinary. This point is easily illustrated by those who work within the healthcare system specifically. However, it is also demonstrated broadly by the sources we utilize to do our work. Chaplains make use of psychological and sociological theories. Trained ministers often receive instruction in human development, cultural analysis, and systems theory. To lay my cards on the table early, I believe this interdisciplinary dynamic is beneficial and necessary. I also believe that we have rich resources from within our own discipline of theology from which to pull. Chaplains, ministers, and other Christian leaders have valuable perspectives to contribute. In this article, I want to share three poignant portraits from scripture that I have found helpful to inform what we do in pastoral care and how we do it. [1]
On the Road. In Luke 24, we come across the familiar scene of two broken-hearted disciples walking toward Emmaus. Jesus came to them as a functional stranger and asked what they were discussing. They could not believe their ears! Was this man the only one who did not know what just happened in Jerusalem? They began to retell the story that was fresh in their hearts. Near the end of this conversation, Jesus reoriented them by explaining the fate of the Messiah in the scriptures. It was not until they shared a meal together that the stranger became familiar. There is much to discuss in a rich passage like this, but I want to point out two things considering our topic. First, Jesus did offer reorientation, but it was not his first move. Second (and instead), he fell in step with these hurting disciples. He listened to their experiences, pointed them back to their scriptures, and became the host in their gathering. Those were the first things he did, and only then did he offer reorientation.'
In the Synagogue. An equally well-known scene comes at the beginning of Jesus’ ministry in Luke 4. Jesus stands up in the synagogue to read from the prophet Isaiah. What we hear is a beautiful summary of the kind of compassionate ministry he will offer and the kind of role he will assume. He received his commission for this ministry from the Holy Spirit in chapter 3. While Jesus had a unique role to play, he empowered those around him—first his 12 disciples, then a group of 70, and finally those who would continue after the resurrection. [2] The commission from the same Holy Spirit, starting in Acts 2, helps us understand the connection we share with this ministry of compassion.
At the Cross. The final portrait I would invite us to consider is one from the center of our faith, the cross. I want to shift our perspective to that of the women who were standing nearby. These disciples played a significant role in Jesus’ ministry. [3] Not only did they serve diligently, but they did so from a place of deep personal connection. Mary Magdalene knew the power of Jesus’ ministry personally, which would have made her an influential witness. Mary the mother of Jesus gets less credit than she deserves in our faith tradition. [4] Here they both were, along with others, at the foot of the cross. I see this as one of the most gut-wrenching moments in the gospels. Have you paused to consider what this would mean for a mother to helplessly watch her son die in this way? Yet, bearing witness is what these women do. They are powerless to fix, rescue, or redeem anything. However, they do what some could not. They stay at the foot of the cross with the pain of Jesus.
I want to invite us to consider the direct impact of these three scriptural portraits on our work. [5] Specifically, I want us to consider the three guideposts they provide for pastoral care:
1) To Fall in Step
2) To Show Compassion
3) To Sit with the Pain of Others
We do not lead with advice, guidance, or correction (regardless of how sure we are). Instead, we pay careful attention to the emotional and spiritual location of the person to whom we minister. We approach the diversity of pastoral situations with a commitment to carry with us the compassion of Christ. Finally, we do not try to take away from others what we cannot. We do not try to fix hurt, remove grief, or dismiss crisis and distress. Instead, we embrace the holiness of silence and sit with the pain of others.
1. I make no pretense that I am the first to think of these as models for pastoral care.
2. Luke 9:1-6 and Luke 10:1-12.
3. We first hear reference to their work in Luke 8:1-3.
4. She was a faithful servant in the face of immense social implications. She faced the threat of government-sponsored persecution and lived as a refugee. She wrestled with the call of her son, and she held things in her heart unlike anyone had before.
5. I concede that my scriptural reflections are simply sketches. There are other important concerns within these texts I left unacknowledged. My goal is simply to illustrate the wealth of resources and potential contributions to pastoral care found within our own theological discipline.
