Deuteronomy 30:9-14
and the Lord your God will make you abundantly prosperous in all your undertakings, in the fruit of your body, in the fruit of your livestock, and in the fruit of your soil. For the Lord will again take delight in prospering you, just as he delighted in prospering your ancestors, when you obey the Lord your God by observing his commandments and decrees that are written in this book of the law, because you turn to the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul.
Surely, this commandment that I am commanding you today is not too hard for you, nor is it too far away. It is not in heaven, that you should say, “Who will go up to heaven for us, and get it for us so that we may hear it and observe it?” Neither is it beyond the sea, that you should say, “Who will cross to the other side of the sea for us, and get it for us so that we may hear it and observe it?” No, the word is very near to you; it is in your mouth and in your heart for you to observe.
Colossians 1:1-14
1 Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and Timothy our brother, 2 To the saints and faithful brothers and sisters in Christ in Colossae: Grace to you and peace from God our Father. 3 In our prayers for you we always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, 4 for we have heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love that you have for all the saints, 5 because of the hope laid up for you in heaven. You have heard of this hope before in the word of the truth, the gospel 6 that has come to you. Just as it is bearing fruit and growing in the whole world, so it has been bearing fruit among yourselves from the day you heard it and truly comprehended the grace of God. 7 This you learned from Epaphras, our beloved fellow servant. He is a faithful minister of Christ on your behalf, 8 and he has made known to us your love in the Spirit. 9 For this reason, since the day we heard it, we have not ceased praying for you and asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of God's will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, 10 so that you may lead lives worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him, as you bear fruit in every good work and as you grow in the knowledge of God. 11 May you be made strong with all the strength that comes from his glorious power, and may you be prepared to endure everything with patience, while joyfully 12 giving thanks to the Father, who has enabled you to share in the inheritance of the saints in the light. 13 He has rescued us from the power of darkness and transferred us into the kingdom of his beloved Son, 14 in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.
Luke 10:25-37
25 Just then a lawyer stood up to test Jesus. "Teacher," he said, "what must I do to inherit eternal life?" 26 He said to him, "What is written in the law? What do you read there?" 27 He answered, "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength, and with all your mind; and your neighbor as yourself." 28 And he said to him, "You have given the right answer; do this, and you will live." 29 But wanting to justify himself, he asked Jesus, "And who is my neighbor?" 30 Jesus replied, "A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell into the hands of robbers, who stripped him, beat him, and went away, leaving him half dead. 31 Now by chance a priest was going down that road; and when he saw him, he passed by on the other side. 32 So likewise a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. 33 But a Samaritan while traveling came near him; and when he saw him, he was moved with pity. 34 He went to him and bandaged his wounds, having poured oil and wine on them. Then he put him on his own animal, brought him to an inn, and took care of him. 35 The next day he took out two denarii, gave them to the innkeeper, and said, "Take care of him; and when I come back, I will repay you whatever more you spend.' 36 Which of these three, do you think, was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of the robbers?" 37 He said, "The one who showed him mercy." Jesus said to him, "Go and do likewise."
First thought is the obvious. Jesus is telling us that we are to be "neighbors" to any/everyone regardless of the cultural boundaries that are between us...but that's kind of a given and has been preached with this text a million times.
ReplyDeleteSecond thought...who do you (the congregation) relate to? Is it the Lawyer who asks the original question...the priest or the levite...the samaritian...maybe the innkeeper...or do you relate with the man laying on the road hurt? He was at the mercy of anyone that would offer help. How often do we find ourselves in that very place...needing help from anyone that can offer it? If we think about it, we find ourselves laid out on the road of life, left for dead because of our sinfulness. Jesus breaks through all boundaries, cultural or otherwise to offer aid, not only to us directly, but also on our behalf (as with the man paying the inkeeper).
Thanks, Scott. That is an intriguing way to look at the story. We always assume that everyone identifies with the man who helps or they identify with those who didn't stop. What a different way of looking at this common story -- to be the one who was left for dead.
ReplyDeleteIt seems that God is telling us that we should instinctively know how to love one another - it is written on our hearts. This is especially the case when we acknowledge that we are followers of Christ. Why is it, then, that I fail to love God and/or others when so many opportunities come my way? The command is so simple, to love God and love neighbor. Grace abounds to cover my shortcomings, but as I get older I am becoming more cognizant of my failures (too late, it seems). I think that this is all part of the process: living, learning, failing, reflecting, second chances, third chances, etc. God continues to work with me...and as I experience life, I grow in faith one little step at a time.
ReplyDeleteVery observant! I think of a professor of mine at Bible school who shared that the older he got, the more twisted he found his inner human nature to be. Apparently, our hearts are both instinctively aware of the call to love, yet also deceptively clueless on how to do it. Strange dichotomy. ...Indeed, the two readings from Deuteronomy and Luke 10 (Good Sam story) both affirm some of these polar emphases, how near and approachable this words is, yet also how radical and selfless it is (a la the Samaritan's compassion). Challenging, revealing, interesting.
ReplyDeleteI compare the man beaten by the side of the road to the occasional homeless person I see outside the local Target store. I used to mostly pass by these people without offering assistance (offering grace). I was always trying to 'read' the person to determine what they might possibly do with the grace (money) I might offer. Then one day I wondered where I would be if God decided to ponder what I would do with the grace He was thinking of offering me? I am so glad God doesn't ask himself that question as He considers me. I now have a short stack of Target gift cards in my car that I give to most every homeless person I see.
ReplyDeleteVery humble of you to offer your own struggle with this perennial moral dilemma. Assisting, even moderately, while still bearing in the mind the bigger obstacles that need help (poverty, homelessness, etc.) may be all we can do.
ReplyDeleteTruth is, my biggest obstacle to helping the average "man beaten up along the roadside" is time. I enjoy helping, I don't like taking the time to help for long. ...I fear missing Jesus one day, so to speak, by not taking the time to.
I wonder why the priest & Levite passed by? ...time, fear of the unknown, fear of defilement, lack of resources on hand, lack of compassion, prejudices, fatigue? I wonder whether they thought about it afterward?
ReplyDeleteInteresting that Jesus chooses to name religious people as those who passed by. Meanwhile, some have speculated that the beaten man was a merchant (would have been worth robbing, had reason to commute to Jerusalem), though Jesus never clarifies. ...It is a shame when faith-based activity (i.e., priesthood) serves to isolate the faithful from the "average Joes" (like merchants) of the world. I fear it happening to me, as a pastor. I work with "church people" all the time, and I fear ways that it serves to separate me from the concerns of the average unchurched human being. ...I guess compassion is the key connector, though. Compassion should drive any and all faithful to care about others, and that can overcome the differences, I should hope.
Since this is an weekend gone by and for times sake I am going to just comment on the Deuteronomy: I think I hear God saying in this one "Don't make this so hard! Do your best to love me and everything else will fall into place." He only wants what is best for us.
ReplyDeleteThe lessons are to do your work ie be productive and help others even when you are too busy, take the time. One good deed now and then will not interupt your productivity much and may provid a lesson to help you become more productive.
ReplyDeletePatience may be the word of the day here. Be patient in your work-hard work will bring results but it may take time. Look at the patience of the guy lying on the road..."look at these people walking by me, if I can just stay alive long enough, one person is sure to stop by and help (faith).