Scripture: Luke 18:1-8
Have you ever felt that no one was listening to you? Whether you are attempting to express a concern, or a warning, or seek assistance for an injustice, or simply trying to make your voice heard,
it is the worst kind of struggle when you are being ignored and have no hope whatsoever of knowing that anyone cares. And it is even worse when the deaf ear belongs to the very one who can be of the most help.
Read Luke 18:1-3
Moses gave a charge to the judges he appointed to be fair and just in their actions.
Read Deuteronomy 1:16-17
Judge fairly, regardless of who is before you; do not be prejudicial; do not sit in fear of anyone who is powerful or of any decision that is right; God is the ultimate judge.
This parable is offered after Jesus has been teaching about the coming of the Kingdom of God – a time filled with right judgment, perfect judgment, fair judgment – a judgment that will be unlike any that we could possibly find on earth. The woman in the parable not only can’t get a fair judgment, she can’t even get the judge to hear her case! And the plight of a widow was one of the most dire cases a judge could hear. She had no assets, no income, no support of any kind. Many widows had to depend on the generosity of family and close friends for survival, or at the worse, to resort to begging on the street. The judge had an opportunity to ensure that she was cared for, and he wouldn’t even hear her out.
Read Luke 18:4-5
The woman, even though she was living at a lower level of society, never gave up. And eventually, even a man who has no love for either God or other people gets worn down. He makes the decision to grant the woman justice in her situation.
And since this parable is, in truth, about God, we know that the justice she would receive is more than sufficient, and is not simply a matter of law. Her case is resolved, her life is saved, and she is healed from the wrong that has been done to her.
There is the story of a man who came to a holy person seeking healing. The holy person listened patiently as the man listed his complaints and then asked, “Do you really want to be cured?”
The man was shocked by the question and said, “Of course I want to be cured. Why else would I have come?”
To which the holy person replied, “Most come, not to be cured, that is too painful. They come for relief.”
-- Joan Chittister, The Rule of Benedict (New York: Crossroad, 1992), 128.
Why would anyone claim that healing is “painful”? Isn’t it the disease, the illness, the injury that gives us so much pain? Probably because complete healing requires more than just a change in health – it requires a change of heart. Not just a removal of disease, not just a mending of bones, not just the knitting together of a wound, but an entire change in life. As some of you know, my wife Diane has Multiple Sclerosis. For a number of years, she was always trying to prepare for the time when she would lose her mobility and independence. Not only did the disease have a hold on her, but she had a hold on it. Then one day, she was able to claim that she had been healed – not in body, but in her heart and mind. She now witnesses to the fact that, while she still has a few symptoms from time to time, she no longer has fear of the disease, and no longer fears the future. MS no longer has a hold on her, and she has let go of the MS. She has claimed the healing.
Some would claim that this is not the kind of healing that they would want – they want “relief”! But when the heart and soul and intellect are healed, the body is also in a much better condition. When we can finally let go of the pain, when we can claim that the struggle no longer has control over our life, it is then that the healing begins! The widow in our story today didn’t simply receive redress for the wrongs perpetrated against her, but she received justice with all of its ramifications. She would have to begin to accept responsibility for her life, she would have to receive the judgment with grace, she would have to be forgiving and let the past remain in the past, she would have to begin living in the freedom of today and not in the pain of yesterday.
Healing isn’t always easy.
Read Luke 18:6-8
Will the Lord keep delaying the restoration that you have been promised? No, He will not! He will see that you receive justice, and at the perfect time. But we must still persevere in our prayers for that perfect healing – we can never give up, we can never lose heart.
It’s all about the depth of our faith. It isn’t that faith will bring healing, even though it is a big part of it, but the central point of faith is that it sustains us until the time for our renewing finally arrives.
Read Romans 5:3-5
We aren’t expected to rejoice over the fact that we are sick or injured – we are to rejoice in our faith for what God is and will be doing on our behalf through His Holy Spirit.
Today is a day for our healing to begin. And our Lord God, that Judge who wants only the best for us, that marvelous Spirit that is filling us and sustaining us, is listening, and is caring, and is giving.
At this point in our worship, we held a healing service, with an invitation for all who desired to come forward for anointing and prayers.
Sunday, October 31, 2010
Sunday, October 24, 2010
“Forgiveness God’s Way”
Scripture: Matthew 18:23-35
When I was active in prison ministry, I discovered one of the great, and generally unspoken, secrets of men who have been found guilty of committing a crime, and it revolves around the issue of forgiveness. Many will come to the understanding of why they need to forgive those who have wronged them – their abusive parents, an unfaithful wife, a deceitful friend, their inept public defender, an opinionated judge. They understand the need to seek forgiveness from their victims. But the hardest thing for most is the vital need to first forgive God (He didn't stop them from committing the crime!) and then to forgive themselves for having inflicted so much pain on strangers and loved ones alike.
The Kairos weekend focuses on many aspects of faith growth, but “forgiveness” is emphasized the most during 3 separate experiences spread out over the 4 days. And most of the men who attend will eventually accept the need to both forgive themselves, and to accept the forgiveness that will begin their healing.
Read Matthew 18:21-22
These verses bring us to the basic truth of forgiveness – that it isn’t ritualistic in nature, but rather must be heartfelt. Peter knew that the law said he must forgive 3 times, but he wanted Jesus to think that he had grown beyond the law. But even though he increased the count, he still wanted to keep count, to know that there was a limit to forgiveness, to keep forgiveness within his own control.
But Jesus lets him know, in no uncertain terms, that forgiveness must be centered in God’s heart, not within the human mind. “No Peter, not even a perfect 7 times. Forgive him My way.” What kind of forgiveness forgives only up to a point, and not a step further? The answer is that it is no forgiveness at all. What kind of forgiveness will expect forgiveness for the big things, but not for the routine things of failure in our daily life? Only a poor and completely inadequate forgiveness would do that.
In the 19th century there was a whole genre of Wild West stories. One of them was about an old cattle rancher who discovered that a young cowhand had been caught in the act of rustling a cow. When the thief was dragged before the rancher, he looked down at the frightened youth and said, “Hang him. Nothing personal, son. I like you a lot, you understand. But we have rules here in the West. Besides, it will teach you a lesson.”
One day, years later, the old rancher dies and appears before the judgment seat of God. As he stands there, he remembers all the mean, horrible things he had done on Earth. He particularly recalled hanging that young cowboy he liked so much -- and he trembled in his boots. Whereupon, the Lord God of heaven looked down upon him in mercy and tenderness and said, “I forgive you. It will teach you a lesson.”
Of course this is only a story, but it teaches us a valuable lesson. And the lesson is this - our way isn’t even close to God’s way! Amen?
Read Matthew 18:23-27
This is one more example of what we can expect in heaven. The servant has not been faithful in his managing of the master’s estate. But the amount that is owed goes far beyond all conscious thought – it is about 10 times greater than the annual tax income for all of Herod the Great’s territories. It would have been in the multi-millions of dollars, and no servant could ever owe that much money to his master. Having an appreciation for a debt of 10,000 talents in Jesus’ day is like our understanding of what a $13 trillion debt means for us! It’s just a very, very, VERY large number that boggles our mind, but we know that it’s a lot more than we’ll ever have or can ever repay!
This servant certainly deserves to be punished for incurring such a huge debt for his master, and, quite honestly, could never in a million years be able to repay it. His only hope was to seek forgiveness for his failure, and to ask for time to repay the money. But the master knows full well that the money can never be repaid, and decides that his only course of action would be to forgive the debt outright.
The servant admits the wrong that he did, and asks for a chance to make it right, but how does the King respond? He forgives the debt that the servant could never repay anyway.
The people of the world would certainly question the sanity of this story. Who in their right mind would ever forgive the repayment of millions, maybe even billions, of dollars? And anyone who mismanages an estate to this degree deserves to spend the rest of their life in prison. And quite honestly, I doubt that any normal person on earth would or could act like this marvelous King.
But then, as we have seen over the past several weeks here, the parables that Jesus told are never about the world – they are about our God and His capacity to be God for us. The truth is that our God isn’t normal – at least by earthly standards! Hallelujah! He is driven by mercy, not condemnation. John 3:17 – “For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through Him.” We deserve the most intense punishment that even God could devise, but He would greatly prefer that we throw ourselves on His everlasting love and mercy. The king in the parable is so vastly rich that even 10,000 talents can be forgiven. Our heavenly Father is so wealthy in goodness that He can forgive the most heinous sins that we can ever commit. And He has the capacity to go on forgiving 70 times 7.
And how do people respond to the Lord’s “infinite goodness”?
Read Matthew 18:28-31
Yep – you guessed it! God’s forgiveness for our sin is a wonderful thing to behold, but our forgiveness of the pain that others heap on us may not be so forthcoming! Human nature likes to keep things in balance – let the punishment fit the crime, a little remorse for a little sin, “I can forgive, but I’ll never forget!”.
Get the picture? We don’t want to forgive too much or too quickly. But how can we possibly think that our glorious Father in heaven doesn’t know what we’re up to? - That we aren’t forgiving like He has forgiven us? That we’re forgiving with our minds instead of with our hearts? That our forgiveness has limits? That we’re still stuck on Peter’s 7 times, instead of Jesus’ 70 times 7?
Read Matthew 18:32-35
We will be held to account for not only our own sinful ways, but also for the ways we treat the sinfulness that others show to us. We want God to show us His mercy and forgiveness, but do we show that same level of love to others? When in doubt, forgive, and then, just to be sure, forgive some more.
A short mnemonic.
When you stand at the Pearly Gates,
would you rather be told you believed too much or you believed too little?
would you rather be told you cared too much or you cared too little?
would you rather be told you tried too hard or you didn't try hard enough?
would you rather be told you were too forgiving or you were too judgmental?
would you rather be told, Well done, thou hyper-hopeful and risk-taking servant, or Well done, thou sober and play-it-safe servant?
- Homiletics Online.
A couple of weeks ago, I challenged us all to be more willing to take a risk for Jesus! But we will never take that risk if we let our minds rule our actions. We need to lead with our hearts. That last verse tells us “This is how my heavenly Father will treat each of you unless you forgive your brother from ..” – where? Our mind? No! “From your heart.”
Jesus is the life line that the Lord God Almighty has given to each of us, and unless we grab on and hold real tight, we will never be able to live as He lives, to love as He loves, to forgive as He forgives.
Praise the Lord, that His love for the likes of us isn’t a balancing act, ensuring that we receive just what we deserve – no more and no less. I don’t know about you, but when I commit a 6” sin, I want His forgiveness to extend beyond the horizon! And I need to show that same “horizon” love to others.
Praise the Lord!
When I was active in prison ministry, I discovered one of the great, and generally unspoken, secrets of men who have been found guilty of committing a crime, and it revolves around the issue of forgiveness. Many will come to the understanding of why they need to forgive those who have wronged them – their abusive parents, an unfaithful wife, a deceitful friend, their inept public defender, an opinionated judge. They understand the need to seek forgiveness from their victims. But the hardest thing for most is the vital need to first forgive God (He didn't stop them from committing the crime!) and then to forgive themselves for having inflicted so much pain on strangers and loved ones alike.
The Kairos weekend focuses on many aspects of faith growth, but “forgiveness” is emphasized the most during 3 separate experiences spread out over the 4 days. And most of the men who attend will eventually accept the need to both forgive themselves, and to accept the forgiveness that will begin their healing.
Read Matthew 18:21-22
These verses bring us to the basic truth of forgiveness – that it isn’t ritualistic in nature, but rather must be heartfelt. Peter knew that the law said he must forgive 3 times, but he wanted Jesus to think that he had grown beyond the law. But even though he increased the count, he still wanted to keep count, to know that there was a limit to forgiveness, to keep forgiveness within his own control.
But Jesus lets him know, in no uncertain terms, that forgiveness must be centered in God’s heart, not within the human mind. “No Peter, not even a perfect 7 times. Forgive him My way.” What kind of forgiveness forgives only up to a point, and not a step further? The answer is that it is no forgiveness at all. What kind of forgiveness will expect forgiveness for the big things, but not for the routine things of failure in our daily life? Only a poor and completely inadequate forgiveness would do that.
In the 19th century there was a whole genre of Wild West stories. One of them was about an old cattle rancher who discovered that a young cowhand had been caught in the act of rustling a cow. When the thief was dragged before the rancher, he looked down at the frightened youth and said, “Hang him. Nothing personal, son. I like you a lot, you understand. But we have rules here in the West. Besides, it will teach you a lesson.”
One day, years later, the old rancher dies and appears before the judgment seat of God. As he stands there, he remembers all the mean, horrible things he had done on Earth. He particularly recalled hanging that young cowboy he liked so much -- and he trembled in his boots. Whereupon, the Lord God of heaven looked down upon him in mercy and tenderness and said, “I forgive you. It will teach you a lesson.”
Of course this is only a story, but it teaches us a valuable lesson. And the lesson is this - our way isn’t even close to God’s way! Amen?
Read Matthew 18:23-27
This is one more example of what we can expect in heaven. The servant has not been faithful in his managing of the master’s estate. But the amount that is owed goes far beyond all conscious thought – it is about 10 times greater than the annual tax income for all of Herod the Great’s territories. It would have been in the multi-millions of dollars, and no servant could ever owe that much money to his master. Having an appreciation for a debt of 10,000 talents in Jesus’ day is like our understanding of what a $13 trillion debt means for us! It’s just a very, very, VERY large number that boggles our mind, but we know that it’s a lot more than we’ll ever have or can ever repay!
This servant certainly deserves to be punished for incurring such a huge debt for his master, and, quite honestly, could never in a million years be able to repay it. His only hope was to seek forgiveness for his failure, and to ask for time to repay the money. But the master knows full well that the money can never be repaid, and decides that his only course of action would be to forgive the debt outright.
The servant admits the wrong that he did, and asks for a chance to make it right, but how does the King respond? He forgives the debt that the servant could never repay anyway.
The people of the world would certainly question the sanity of this story. Who in their right mind would ever forgive the repayment of millions, maybe even billions, of dollars? And anyone who mismanages an estate to this degree deserves to spend the rest of their life in prison. And quite honestly, I doubt that any normal person on earth would or could act like this marvelous King.
But then, as we have seen over the past several weeks here, the parables that Jesus told are never about the world – they are about our God and His capacity to be God for us. The truth is that our God isn’t normal – at least by earthly standards! Hallelujah! He is driven by mercy, not condemnation. John 3:17 – “For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through Him.” We deserve the most intense punishment that even God could devise, but He would greatly prefer that we throw ourselves on His everlasting love and mercy. The king in the parable is so vastly rich that even 10,000 talents can be forgiven. Our heavenly Father is so wealthy in goodness that He can forgive the most heinous sins that we can ever commit. And He has the capacity to go on forgiving 70 times 7.
And how do people respond to the Lord’s “infinite goodness”?
Read Matthew 18:28-31
Yep – you guessed it! God’s forgiveness for our sin is a wonderful thing to behold, but our forgiveness of the pain that others heap on us may not be so forthcoming! Human nature likes to keep things in balance – let the punishment fit the crime, a little remorse for a little sin, “I can forgive, but I’ll never forget!”.
Get the picture? We don’t want to forgive too much or too quickly. But how can we possibly think that our glorious Father in heaven doesn’t know what we’re up to? - That we aren’t forgiving like He has forgiven us? That we’re forgiving with our minds instead of with our hearts? That our forgiveness has limits? That we’re still stuck on Peter’s 7 times, instead of Jesus’ 70 times 7?
Read Matthew 18:32-35
We will be held to account for not only our own sinful ways, but also for the ways we treat the sinfulness that others show to us. We want God to show us His mercy and forgiveness, but do we show that same level of love to others? When in doubt, forgive, and then, just to be sure, forgive some more.
A short mnemonic.
When you stand at the Pearly Gates,
would you rather be told you believed too much or you believed too little?
would you rather be told you cared too much or you cared too little?
would you rather be told you tried too hard or you didn't try hard enough?
would you rather be told you were too forgiving or you were too judgmental?
would you rather be told, Well done, thou hyper-hopeful and risk-taking servant, or Well done, thou sober and play-it-safe servant?
- Homiletics Online.
A couple of weeks ago, I challenged us all to be more willing to take a risk for Jesus! But we will never take that risk if we let our minds rule our actions. We need to lead with our hearts. That last verse tells us “This is how my heavenly Father will treat each of you unless you forgive your brother from ..” – where? Our mind? No! “From your heart.”
Jesus is the life line that the Lord God Almighty has given to each of us, and unless we grab on and hold real tight, we will never be able to live as He lives, to love as He loves, to forgive as He forgives.
Praise the Lord, that His love for the likes of us isn’t a balancing act, ensuring that we receive just what we deserve – no more and no less. I don’t know about you, but when I commit a 6” sin, I want His forgiveness to extend beyond the horizon! And I need to show that same “horizon” love to others.
Praise the Lord!
Sunday, October 17, 2010
“What Does the Lord Require”
Scripture: Luke 10:25-37
When we hear the question “What does the Lord require?”, I suspect that we all immediately think of Micah 6:8. But as much as I like this passage, I wish that the prophet had been more specific. The verse leaves too much up to our interpretation, and, for most of us, we take a very cautious approach to these words. Justice is all too often seen as the legal type, and that isn’t even close to what God wants from us. Mercy can range from dropping a dollar in the Salvation Army bucket at Christmas time to participating in a year long mission project in Africa. And the word humility? For the majority of people, unfortunately, it isn’t even in their vocabulary.
So what is God “requiring” from His followers?
Read Luke 10:25-29
The Shema has been a beloved Hebrew commandment for ages – Deuteronomy 6:4-5 begins with an admonition to remember just who God is – “Hear O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is One.”, and then goes on to call the people to love the Lord with their entire being. But this, too, falls short on the specifics of just what constitutes showing love to the Lord. And on the occasion when this Pharisee confronts Jesus with the question as to what is necessary to receive eternal life, he recites this passage from the Law, and then adds the passage from Leviticus 19:18 regarding Loving your neighbor as yourself. But this still raises another question for him - “And just who is my neighbor?” He is also looking for an example of what constitutes an act of loving God, and furthermore, what actions don’t show our love to Him.
The Torah is filled with countless examples of how to fulfill the commandments, but personally, it only lists the human understanding of what is required, and misses the very things that God desires. The Pharisee saw the answer to this question as being “A neighbor is one of us”, but Jesus takes the question to a whole new level.
Read Luke 10:30-32
These two men would normally be the epitome of what good neighbors are to any Jew. They were holy men, men who served in the temple, men who had been set aside by God for very special work. Why, how could they have done anything else but avoid the blood soaked man – they would have become unclean if they touched him and would have been barred from the temple until they had gone through the cleansing ritual. The beaten man would have understood, wouldn’t he? This doesn’t detract from their holiness, does it?
But as Jesus tells the parable to the crowd, it becomes obvious that something more should have been done for the victim. But what? Should they have called for others to come and help? Maybe shepherds or slaves – they were already unclean and the result of touching this poor unfortunate would have no significant impact on those lives. What could they possibly have done differently?
Read Luke 10:33-35
The point of Jesus’ parable seems to be this – be ready and willing to give everything that you have, and then you will be getting close to being a neighbor! The Samaritan was very possibly a merchant who was traveling on business, but he takes time out of his busy schedule to help a stranger in need. But this was no simple stranger – he was a Jew, a man who would never have even glanced toward the Samaritan if the roles had been reversed. Samaritans were worse than unclean – they were “mixed blood Jews”, and that was a sin! These people were worthless!
And what does this “worthless” man give to the other? He gives him life! He gives as much as was needed! And how much was that? He took pity – showed mercy – to the one would hate him. He cleansed and bandaged the severe wounds. He humbled himself, as this would normally be a servant’s job! He transported the man to the nearest inn, rented a room, stayed the night with him and cared for him in his weakened condition. He would have bought food for them both, and watched the wounds closely in case they began to bleed again. And there probably wasn’t a lot of sleep that night for the Samaritan. The next day, he paid all expenses for that night and for many more nights, and even guaranteed to pay for any additional costs that the inn keeper may incur in giving further care for the man.
How much did this “worthless” man give? More than anyone could expect, and certainly far more than the priest and Levite were willing to give. He gave it his all.
Zan Holmes writes
“If you don't put anything in, you won't get anything out. In terms of worship, that means you have to bring something to the service if you want to get something out of it.
He then goes on to tell the story of a young college student who returned home for the holidays and accompanied his mother to church one Sunday. Afterward the young man said, 'The preacher was not too good today.' His mother said, 'Well, maybe not.' He said, 'I noticed that the choir was not too good today.' His mother said, Well, maybe not.' Then she said to him, ‘But tell me, son, how good were you today?'”
-- Zan W. Holmes, Jr., Pastor Emeritus of St. Luke Community United Methodist Church in Dallas, Texas, Encountering Jesus (Nashville: Abingdon Press, 1992), 32.
The Samaritan gave all that he had. How good is that?
Read Luke 10:36-37
The Samaritan put everything in for the wounded man, even though he had never received a single thing from any Jew! He was a not only a great steward of all that the Lord had given him, but a neighbor extraordinaire who lived Micah 6:8.
First, he used his money for the benefit of one who was in need. The Good Samaritan gave 2 denarii, roughly the equivalent of the cost for a month's food and lodging, for the care of the wounded man. But he also, in essence, handed the innkeeper a blank check when he told him he would not hesitate to pay any additional debts the injured man incurred.
But the Samaritan knew that stewardship goes far beyond just our financial resources.
So he also gave his time - Today we rationalize away the initial cost of many things by focusing on the amount of time they are going to save us. Convenience stores are convenient, but they aren’t inexpensive, and yet we still go there to save time. Microwave meals cost a lot more and are generally less nutritious, but take only moments to prepare. They save us valuable time.
We don’t actually know where the Samaritan was going or what his time schedule was, but he obviously set it all aside in order to deal completely with the needs of the injured stranger. He also makes a future commitment to give more of his time, when he tells the innkeeper he will be coming back.
Third, he surrendered his lifestyle - The Samaritan was obviously a man of some means for he was traveling with ample supplies of oil and wine, possibly the very product that he was going to sell, and he was even riding on his own donkey. This refined method of travel was immediately surrendered in order to accommodate the needs of the stranger. His provisions are lavished on this man and he chooses to walk so that the injured man may ride. We don’t know whether the two denarii the Samaritan leaves with the innkeeper is all he had, but its loss certainly must have affected his own lifestyle, his own future.
What does the Lord require? Our willingness to use the gifts that He has blessed us with to care for the needs of others. Throughout scripture, we are told 2 very important things related to this story:
1. That God has blessed us so that we might be a blessing to others, and
2. That we can never out give God.
What does the Lord require? To live a life in His Justice. To love showing mercy to those who the Lord brings into our lives, regardless of who they are or what they have done. To follow wherever the Lord leads us, to do whatever must be done, to give all that we have, without thinking that we’re doing such a great job that others ought to follow our example!
We must remember how the Samaritan did all that the Lord required of him. And now, may each of us go and do likewise.
When we hear the question “What does the Lord require?”, I suspect that we all immediately think of Micah 6:8. But as much as I like this passage, I wish that the prophet had been more specific. The verse leaves too much up to our interpretation, and, for most of us, we take a very cautious approach to these words. Justice is all too often seen as the legal type, and that isn’t even close to what God wants from us. Mercy can range from dropping a dollar in the Salvation Army bucket at Christmas time to participating in a year long mission project in Africa. And the word humility? For the majority of people, unfortunately, it isn’t even in their vocabulary.
So what is God “requiring” from His followers?
Read Luke 10:25-29
The Shema has been a beloved Hebrew commandment for ages – Deuteronomy 6:4-5 begins with an admonition to remember just who God is – “Hear O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is One.”, and then goes on to call the people to love the Lord with their entire being. But this, too, falls short on the specifics of just what constitutes showing love to the Lord. And on the occasion when this Pharisee confronts Jesus with the question as to what is necessary to receive eternal life, he recites this passage from the Law, and then adds the passage from Leviticus 19:18 regarding Loving your neighbor as yourself. But this still raises another question for him - “And just who is my neighbor?” He is also looking for an example of what constitutes an act of loving God, and furthermore, what actions don’t show our love to Him.
The Torah is filled with countless examples of how to fulfill the commandments, but personally, it only lists the human understanding of what is required, and misses the very things that God desires. The Pharisee saw the answer to this question as being “A neighbor is one of us”, but Jesus takes the question to a whole new level.
Read Luke 10:30-32
These two men would normally be the epitome of what good neighbors are to any Jew. They were holy men, men who served in the temple, men who had been set aside by God for very special work. Why, how could they have done anything else but avoid the blood soaked man – they would have become unclean if they touched him and would have been barred from the temple until they had gone through the cleansing ritual. The beaten man would have understood, wouldn’t he? This doesn’t detract from their holiness, does it?
But as Jesus tells the parable to the crowd, it becomes obvious that something more should have been done for the victim. But what? Should they have called for others to come and help? Maybe shepherds or slaves – they were already unclean and the result of touching this poor unfortunate would have no significant impact on those lives. What could they possibly have done differently?
Read Luke 10:33-35
The point of Jesus’ parable seems to be this – be ready and willing to give everything that you have, and then you will be getting close to being a neighbor! The Samaritan was very possibly a merchant who was traveling on business, but he takes time out of his busy schedule to help a stranger in need. But this was no simple stranger – he was a Jew, a man who would never have even glanced toward the Samaritan if the roles had been reversed. Samaritans were worse than unclean – they were “mixed blood Jews”, and that was a sin! These people were worthless!
And what does this “worthless” man give to the other? He gives him life! He gives as much as was needed! And how much was that? He took pity – showed mercy – to the one would hate him. He cleansed and bandaged the severe wounds. He humbled himself, as this would normally be a servant’s job! He transported the man to the nearest inn, rented a room, stayed the night with him and cared for him in his weakened condition. He would have bought food for them both, and watched the wounds closely in case they began to bleed again. And there probably wasn’t a lot of sleep that night for the Samaritan. The next day, he paid all expenses for that night and for many more nights, and even guaranteed to pay for any additional costs that the inn keeper may incur in giving further care for the man.
How much did this “worthless” man give? More than anyone could expect, and certainly far more than the priest and Levite were willing to give. He gave it his all.
Zan Holmes writes
“If you don't put anything in, you won't get anything out. In terms of worship, that means you have to bring something to the service if you want to get something out of it.
He then goes on to tell the story of a young college student who returned home for the holidays and accompanied his mother to church one Sunday. Afterward the young man said, 'The preacher was not too good today.' His mother said, 'Well, maybe not.' He said, 'I noticed that the choir was not too good today.' His mother said, Well, maybe not.' Then she said to him, ‘But tell me, son, how good were you today?'”
-- Zan W. Holmes, Jr., Pastor Emeritus of St. Luke Community United Methodist Church in Dallas, Texas, Encountering Jesus (Nashville: Abingdon Press, 1992), 32.
The Samaritan gave all that he had. How good is that?
Read Luke 10:36-37
The Samaritan put everything in for the wounded man, even though he had never received a single thing from any Jew! He was a not only a great steward of all that the Lord had given him, but a neighbor extraordinaire who lived Micah 6:8.
First, he used his money for the benefit of one who was in need. The Good Samaritan gave 2 denarii, roughly the equivalent of the cost for a month's food and lodging, for the care of the wounded man. But he also, in essence, handed the innkeeper a blank check when he told him he would not hesitate to pay any additional debts the injured man incurred.
But the Samaritan knew that stewardship goes far beyond just our financial resources.
So he also gave his time - Today we rationalize away the initial cost of many things by focusing on the amount of time they are going to save us. Convenience stores are convenient, but they aren’t inexpensive, and yet we still go there to save time. Microwave meals cost a lot more and are generally less nutritious, but take only moments to prepare. They save us valuable time.
We don’t actually know where the Samaritan was going or what his time schedule was, but he obviously set it all aside in order to deal completely with the needs of the injured stranger. He also makes a future commitment to give more of his time, when he tells the innkeeper he will be coming back.
Third, he surrendered his lifestyle - The Samaritan was obviously a man of some means for he was traveling with ample supplies of oil and wine, possibly the very product that he was going to sell, and he was even riding on his own donkey. This refined method of travel was immediately surrendered in order to accommodate the needs of the stranger. His provisions are lavished on this man and he chooses to walk so that the injured man may ride. We don’t know whether the two denarii the Samaritan leaves with the innkeeper is all he had, but its loss certainly must have affected his own lifestyle, his own future.
What does the Lord require? Our willingness to use the gifts that He has blessed us with to care for the needs of others. Throughout scripture, we are told 2 very important things related to this story:
1. That God has blessed us so that we might be a blessing to others, and
2. That we can never out give God.
What does the Lord require? To live a life in His Justice. To love showing mercy to those who the Lord brings into our lives, regardless of who they are or what they have done. To follow wherever the Lord leads us, to do whatever must be done, to give all that we have, without thinking that we’re doing such a great job that others ought to follow our example!
We must remember how the Samaritan did all that the Lord required of him. And now, may each of us go and do likewise.
Sunday, October 10, 2010
“Welcoming the Lost”
Scripture: Matthew 22:1-14
What if you threw a party for your closest friends and no one came? You put hours into the planning to make sure that everything is perfect, you hire the best caterer in town, you send out invitations to hundreds of people you have known for years, and when the RSVPs begin to come back, every one has the box checked that says “Sorry – unable to attend”.
But this party can’t be cancelled. It is a celebration of the joining together of your son and his brand new bride! How could you possibly cancel an event that has this much significance and has been in the making for so many years?
Read Matthew 22:1-3
So you send a personal message to each one, carried by your most trusted servants, pleading with each of your friends to please reschedule their activities, as their presence and witness at the wedding feast is so very important to you.
Read Matthew 22:4-7
An old story tells of a company attempting to start a new pension plan, which required 100% participation. Every employee signed up except one. No amount of argument or persuasion could get this person to change his mind. Finally, the president of the company called the man into his office.
“Here is a copy of the proposed pension plan and here is a pen”, he said. “Sign up or you're fired.” Whereupon the man immediately picked up the pen and signed his name. The president of the company then said, “I don't understand why you refused to sign until now. What was the problem?”
The man replied, “You're the first person who explained it to me clearly.”
- Homeletics OnLine
In Jesus’ parable, the king took a position that brought the invitation into perspective – “I offer you the opportunity to join me in rejoicing with my son, and not only won’t you come, not only are you ignoring my pleas, but then you have the audacity to treat my messengers brutally! You are no longer my people!”
Now before anyone thinks that these actions are all totally out of control, remember that we need to look at the situation from God’s perspective. What was Jesus really telling the people?
For many years, Israel had been trying to make their own way in the world, without paying their God any homage whatsoever. Many had begun to worship any god that happened to be convenient. Many had given their allegiance to Rome instead of to Jehovah. Many were out to make a buck on the backs of their brothers and sisters. Many were striving to gain prestige and power for themselves, and would give nothing of worth to those in need unless it brought them personal gain.
And God was telling them “If you don’t want to be my people, if you don’t want to celebrate with me, if you intend to continue to reject my blessings and my desires for your life, then I’ll find someone who will!”
Read Matthew 22:8-10
So what do you do when your closest friends won’t come to your celebration? You find others who will!
The servants in the parable have real world counterparts. Evangelism used to be an integral part of the Methodist tradition, although over the years we have begun to slide away from this vital issue. But evangelists still appear to us in many ways - as missionaries, as ministers, as preachers, as everyday Christians who are always ready to share their love of Christ with a neighbor. And as men and women who chose to be servants of the Risen Christ, we have an obligation to serve as He calls us, not as we want. Without this surrender to the Lord’s will, one of two things is going to happen.
First, if we should all decide to take the same tact in our service, we will be stumbling over each other, with none of us able to accomplish a single thing.
Second, as a result of choosing our own path, we will, undoubtedly, be walking away from Christ and not with Him, and we will no longer be His servants.
But the parable also tells us that with this final invitation to those who were “outsiders”, the room was filled. Some were “good” and some were “bad”, but all were welcomed to the banquet. But with the room being filled nearly to overflowing, how would the servants be able to tell who should be allowed to stay? After all, shouldn’t they keep the “bad”, the riffraff, the dregs out? As we read a little further in the parable, we discover the answer.
Read Matthew 22:11-14
It wasn’t the servants who did the separating – it was the King. As the Lord’s servants, we are charged with inviting and serving, with witnessing and ministering, not with the judging of who is dressed properly and who is not. We simply offer the “marriage clothing” of Christ to all, and each “invitee” must make the commitment to “put Him on” for themselves.
One of the greatest stumbling blocks in Christianity is this very issue of “Welcoming”. All too often, we want to get selective, we want to be the ones to decide who is prepared for heaven and who isn’t. Unfortunately, when we do this, we negate the generosity of Christ, who has extended the invitation to His glorious banquet to all – to the “good” and to the “bad”. And the Good News is that we don’t have to decide if the good are good enough, or if the bad are too bad. We are to just carry the invitation, and let the generosity of Christ be perfectly evident in us!
Mayor Fiorello LaGuardia was well known for his generosity and his love of the citizens of New York City. One bitterly cold night in January of 1935, the mayor turned up at a night court that served the poorest ward of the city. LaGuardia dismissed the judge for the evening and took over the bench himself. Within a few minutes, a tattered old woman was brought before him, charged with stealing a loaf of bread. She told LaGuardia that her daughter's husband had deserted her, her daughter was sick and her grandchildren were starving. But the shopkeeper, from whom the bread was stolen, refused to drop the charges. 'It's a bad neighborhood, your Honor,' the man told the mayor. 'She's got to be punished to teach other people around here a lesson.'
LaGuardia sighed. He turned to the woman and said 'I've got to punish you ... The law makes no exceptions - $10 or ten days in jail.' But even as he pronounced sentence, the mayor was already reaching into his pocket. He extracted a bill and tossed it into his famous sombrero saying:
“Here's the $10.00 fine which I now remit; and furthermore I'm going to fine everyone in this courtroom 50 cents for living in a town where a person has to steal bread so that her grandchildren can eat. Mr. Bailiff, collect the fines and give them to the defendant.”
So the following day the New York City newspapers reported that $47.50 was turned over to a bewildered old lady who had stolen a loaf of bread to feed her starving grandchildren, 50 cents of that amount being contributed by the red-faced grocery store owner, while some 70 petty criminals, people with traffic violations, and New York City policemen, each of whom had just paid fifty cents for the privilege of doing so, gave the mayor a standing ovation.
--James N. McCutcheon, The Righteous and the Good. Best Sermons 1, ed. James W. Cox
(San Francisco: Harper and Row, 1988), 238-39.
We have all been judged guilty of sin, but God Himself, in the person of Jesus Christ, has paid our penalty with His own Blood, and has now invited us to His banquet feast. And all that we are asked to do is to accept the invitation, and then to share whatever gifts God has given us with those who are still starving for His salvation.
We have all been blessed by being accepted as servants of God. But when was the last time we gave Him a standing and energetic ovation? It’s about time, don’t you think?
(At this point, all were invited to stand, applaude, shout out praises - anything to give God the glory, and we all did!
We need to welcome the “lost”, the “bad”, the outcast with just as much enthusiasm – and don’t worry about the “saved” – they are already in the Lord’s embrace. Give the world Jesus today!
What if you threw a party for your closest friends and no one came? You put hours into the planning to make sure that everything is perfect, you hire the best caterer in town, you send out invitations to hundreds of people you have known for years, and when the RSVPs begin to come back, every one has the box checked that says “Sorry – unable to attend”.
But this party can’t be cancelled. It is a celebration of the joining together of your son and his brand new bride! How could you possibly cancel an event that has this much significance and has been in the making for so many years?
Read Matthew 22:1-3
So you send a personal message to each one, carried by your most trusted servants, pleading with each of your friends to please reschedule their activities, as their presence and witness at the wedding feast is so very important to you.
Read Matthew 22:4-7
An old story tells of a company attempting to start a new pension plan, which required 100% participation. Every employee signed up except one. No amount of argument or persuasion could get this person to change his mind. Finally, the president of the company called the man into his office.
“Here is a copy of the proposed pension plan and here is a pen”, he said. “Sign up or you're fired.” Whereupon the man immediately picked up the pen and signed his name. The president of the company then said, “I don't understand why you refused to sign until now. What was the problem?”
The man replied, “You're the first person who explained it to me clearly.”
- Homeletics OnLine
In Jesus’ parable, the king took a position that brought the invitation into perspective – “I offer you the opportunity to join me in rejoicing with my son, and not only won’t you come, not only are you ignoring my pleas, but then you have the audacity to treat my messengers brutally! You are no longer my people!”
Now before anyone thinks that these actions are all totally out of control, remember that we need to look at the situation from God’s perspective. What was Jesus really telling the people?
For many years, Israel had been trying to make their own way in the world, without paying their God any homage whatsoever. Many had begun to worship any god that happened to be convenient. Many had given their allegiance to Rome instead of to Jehovah. Many were out to make a buck on the backs of their brothers and sisters. Many were striving to gain prestige and power for themselves, and would give nothing of worth to those in need unless it brought them personal gain.
And God was telling them “If you don’t want to be my people, if you don’t want to celebrate with me, if you intend to continue to reject my blessings and my desires for your life, then I’ll find someone who will!”
Read Matthew 22:8-10
So what do you do when your closest friends won’t come to your celebration? You find others who will!
The servants in the parable have real world counterparts. Evangelism used to be an integral part of the Methodist tradition, although over the years we have begun to slide away from this vital issue. But evangelists still appear to us in many ways - as missionaries, as ministers, as preachers, as everyday Christians who are always ready to share their love of Christ with a neighbor. And as men and women who chose to be servants of the Risen Christ, we have an obligation to serve as He calls us, not as we want. Without this surrender to the Lord’s will, one of two things is going to happen.
First, if we should all decide to take the same tact in our service, we will be stumbling over each other, with none of us able to accomplish a single thing.
Second, as a result of choosing our own path, we will, undoubtedly, be walking away from Christ and not with Him, and we will no longer be His servants.
But the parable also tells us that with this final invitation to those who were “outsiders”, the room was filled. Some were “good” and some were “bad”, but all were welcomed to the banquet. But with the room being filled nearly to overflowing, how would the servants be able to tell who should be allowed to stay? After all, shouldn’t they keep the “bad”, the riffraff, the dregs out? As we read a little further in the parable, we discover the answer.
Read Matthew 22:11-14
It wasn’t the servants who did the separating – it was the King. As the Lord’s servants, we are charged with inviting and serving, with witnessing and ministering, not with the judging of who is dressed properly and who is not. We simply offer the “marriage clothing” of Christ to all, and each “invitee” must make the commitment to “put Him on” for themselves.
One of the greatest stumbling blocks in Christianity is this very issue of “Welcoming”. All too often, we want to get selective, we want to be the ones to decide who is prepared for heaven and who isn’t. Unfortunately, when we do this, we negate the generosity of Christ, who has extended the invitation to His glorious banquet to all – to the “good” and to the “bad”. And the Good News is that we don’t have to decide if the good are good enough, or if the bad are too bad. We are to just carry the invitation, and let the generosity of Christ be perfectly evident in us!
Mayor Fiorello LaGuardia was well known for his generosity and his love of the citizens of New York City. One bitterly cold night in January of 1935, the mayor turned up at a night court that served the poorest ward of the city. LaGuardia dismissed the judge for the evening and took over the bench himself. Within a few minutes, a tattered old woman was brought before him, charged with stealing a loaf of bread. She told LaGuardia that her daughter's husband had deserted her, her daughter was sick and her grandchildren were starving. But the shopkeeper, from whom the bread was stolen, refused to drop the charges. 'It's a bad neighborhood, your Honor,' the man told the mayor. 'She's got to be punished to teach other people around here a lesson.'
LaGuardia sighed. He turned to the woman and said 'I've got to punish you ... The law makes no exceptions - $10 or ten days in jail.' But even as he pronounced sentence, the mayor was already reaching into his pocket. He extracted a bill and tossed it into his famous sombrero saying:
“Here's the $10.00 fine which I now remit; and furthermore I'm going to fine everyone in this courtroom 50 cents for living in a town where a person has to steal bread so that her grandchildren can eat. Mr. Bailiff, collect the fines and give them to the defendant.”
So the following day the New York City newspapers reported that $47.50 was turned over to a bewildered old lady who had stolen a loaf of bread to feed her starving grandchildren, 50 cents of that amount being contributed by the red-faced grocery store owner, while some 70 petty criminals, people with traffic violations, and New York City policemen, each of whom had just paid fifty cents for the privilege of doing so, gave the mayor a standing ovation.
--James N. McCutcheon, The Righteous and the Good. Best Sermons 1, ed. James W. Cox
(San Francisco: Harper and Row, 1988), 238-39.
We have all been judged guilty of sin, but God Himself, in the person of Jesus Christ, has paid our penalty with His own Blood, and has now invited us to His banquet feast. And all that we are asked to do is to accept the invitation, and then to share whatever gifts God has given us with those who are still starving for His salvation.
We have all been blessed by being accepted as servants of God. But when was the last time we gave Him a standing and energetic ovation? It’s about time, don’t you think?
(At this point, all were invited to stand, applaude, shout out praises - anything to give God the glory, and we all did!
We need to welcome the “lost”, the “bad”, the outcast with just as much enthusiasm – and don’t worry about the “saved” – they are already in the Lord’s embrace. Give the world Jesus today!
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