“Jesus, Eternity - the World, Nothing!”

Scripture: 2 Chronicles 6:26-27; John 14:23-26; 2 Timothy 3:12-17

For the past 10 weeks, we have been considering what Jesus has been telling us through some of his parables. Sometimes, the Lord spoke directly and forcibly, and other times, even though he was less direct, he was still just as pointed in the lessons he offered for each of us. And what do those lessons teach us?

They tell us about the kingdom – what it is all about, why faith is such an integral part of kingdom life, and why it is for each and every person.
They tell us about service – service to God and to each other.
They tell us about the power of prayer and how to be a loving neighbor.
They tell us about the depth of God’s love for all people, and the lengths that he will go, to show us that love.
And they tell us about the day when Jesus will return to earth to bring about the final Judgment, and when that day is complete, how he will claim his Church and take them home for eternity.

Today’s message is about all of these things, tying them together, and showing that the Lord’s purpose in all that he taught is firmly based in the love that only our Triune God could show.

Read 2 Chronicles 6:26-27

First, a little background on First and Second Chronicles. Remember that a chronicle is a written history of an important event or person. In this case, the first book is both a genealogy of Israel, as well as a history of David’s reign, while the second book features the nation’s history from Solomon’s reign, through the split that the kingdom experienced, and until the conquest that led to their captivity and exile.

As our passage for today begins, the temple has been completed and in the last verse of chapter 5, we read “13cThen the temple of the Lord was filled with a cloud, 14and the priests could not perform their service because of the cloud, for the glory of the Lord filled the temple of God.” (2 Chronicles 5:13-14) The temple had truly become a place to meet and experience the presence of the Lord God Jehovah. Our two verses, then, are part of King Solomon’s prayer of dedication of this holy space (2 Chronicles 6:12-42).

Specifically, this is one of several petitions that the king offers up to God, and this one is basically saying that when our lives begin to fall apart because of our sin, because we have moved away from your presence, forgive us Lord for our transgressions, and teach us what we need to do to return to your ways.

He talks about the “afflictions” that God brings to our lives, understanding that the problems we suffer only become problems because our trust in God isn’t as strong and focused as it needs to be. Sometimes our struggles tend to consume us because we have strayed from the path that God has laid out for our lives, but other times, it is because the world order, which hates our obedience to the Lord’s way, is striving to break us, distract us, convince us that divine truth is anything but truth!

And the last sentence of these verses holds three requests and proclamations:
1. “Teach us the right way” – asking the Lord to reveal the truth and righteousness that can only come from God and nowhere else.
2. “.. send rain on the land” – renewal and refreshing and nourishment can also only come from God. Whether it is for our lives or for all of creation, God created it all, and therefore he knows our every need, and gives us the best for our lives.
3. “.. you gave [us this] for an inheritance.” Basically, an inheritance, in legal terms, is a gift that is given to living family members and/or others who a deceased grantor trusted and cared for. In a heavenly context, our Living God, not a deceased one(!), grants his blessings, including eternal life, to all who accept him and his ways – to his family, if you will.

When we learn from the teachings of Jesus, all of God’s goodness can be ours, simply because of the Godly relationship that becomes ours by faith in Christ. And if that sounds like a pretty good idea, that’s because it is!

Read John 14:23-26

Jesus is connecting the issues of loving God and obeying his teaching as two mutually dependent concepts. Can we truthfully say we love the Lord if we, at the same time, dispute and disagree with his teachings? Essentially, this would mean that we think that Jesus has made a mistake, one that we have to correct, and if Jesus made a mistake, then he can never be God, and is, therefore, unworthy of our love and obedience.
And can our obedience have any meaning other than “God is love” - just as Jesus and the Holy Spirit are also based in love? But love of what? Love of other people, love in the relationship that each Person of our Triune God has for the others, and the love that they have for you and me, that was so incredibly demonstrated at Calvary. Without love of God and obedience to his word, neither obedience nor love can have even an ounce of holy significance for our lives.

The second message that Jesus offers us is in regard to the coming of the Holy Spirit. He will give several “hints” to his followers that there is another who will come to carry on after he has left the earth. Of course, the disciples never quite understand what this is all about until after the Lord’s ascension, but for now, they get a word of encouragement for what the Spirit will be doing for them when he arrives.

It appears that the Spirit will continue the teaching that Jesus had begun, but that it will always be completely in line with what the Lord taught when he was with us. There will be no contradiction in the teaching, there will be no changes and there will be nothing new – it will perfectly compliment and reinforce all that Jesus had ever taught to the people of earth.

Of course, that doesn’t mean that everyone will respond to the teaching in exactly the same way. We have all been created in unique and special ways, and God desires to use our uniqueness in unique ways and places. But it also doesn’t mean that we can freelance in life, and begin doing things and proclaiming ideas that we like – those things that may look nice, but are still foreign to the divine way!

It is all based on how well we listen to the teaching of Jesus, and how obediently and lovingly we respond to the call that he places on our hearts. John’s gospel, as well as the three epistles that are credited to him, are all about the love of God and how it comes to work in our lives. And quite honestly, the love that we see at work in Jesus Christ, the love that took him to Calvary, and the love that held him on the cross, is all about the love that our Almighty God has for each and every one of us. And our obedience to his teaching is the proof that our love for God is true and complete.

Read 2 Timothy 3:12-17

As Paul writes this letter to his young pastor friend Timothy, he is sitting alone in a Roman prison. This letter is also traditionally believed to be the last one he will ever write. It is one of encouragement and preparation for what his friend will be facing in his life of faith, as well as in his ministry, and Paul wants him to be ready for the persecution that will most assuredly be coming his way.

The truth is that trials and persecution of all sorts will be ours, too. It isn’t that God is testing our faith by putting these problems in our lives – it’s that the world, in its hatred of Godly ways, and since they can’t take their anger out directly on the Lord himself, they take it out on Jesus’ followers. We can’t avoid it, we can’t escape it, and the only way we can end it is to give up faith in Jesus, and give our lives back to the world and its lies. Of course, that is a decision in favor of defeat, and not victory, and we lose out on all that the Lord Jesus has already done for us. So we should probably see their oppression as proof of our faithful walk with the Lord, just as our obedience can be the proof of our love for him!

Paul reminds Timothy of all that he has learned through the years from his grandmother Lois and mother Eunice (2 Timothy 1:5), as well as others, and that he has always trusted that all he has learned from them is true. And Timothy is also to remember the word of God that has come to him from Christ and his life, and that his faith has produced Divine wisdom and salvation for him to use on behalf of Christ. Everything that Paul is reminding Timothy of, comes directly from all that Jesus had taught years before, perhaps even before the man was born.

And he wants his friend to remember that scripture is not a bunch of concepts that blow in the wind, they aren’t ideas that had come from human thoughts and plans, but that they are “breathed” by God himself. We read that God spoke creation into being (Genesis 1:3-26), and that he breathed life into his created humanity (Genesis 2:7). All goodness has come from God’s very Being. So why shouldn’t we believe all that God has taught us through his Son Jesus?

The teaching that comes from Christ is all that we will ever need for both this life and the one to come. Paul tells us that scripture is useful for four things:
- teaching – that when we teach others about Jesus, we should always base it in the Word of God.
- rebuking & correcting - when a friend has left the light of Christ, and has begun to walk in the darkness of the world, we need to be discerning of how Christ would love them back to the truth, and we must encourage them in the same way. And the only way we will ever know how, is through scripture and the leading of the Holy Spirit.
- training in righteousness – this isn’t just our efforts in teaching others, scripture is to be our source of growth in the ways of Christ, our gaining the fullness of life in God’s precious way.

This is why Jesus came to teach. Everything he did was intended to lead us into the truth and love of God, and away from the legalism that mankind had created through their misguided faith. The Lord’s sermons, his example in life, his death and resurrection – everything was given that we might find our way back to the glorious light of Almighty God. And his parables were based in examples of earthly life, which we should all recognize, and by Christ’s explanation of what a Godly way would be, we discover the errors of our life expressions, and the truth of Godly wisdom.

May we all learn well, live well, and share the truth of Jesus Christ, without addition, correction, or omission of any portion of his holy and marvelous word. May his truth prevail within us all.

“I Once Was Lost, But Now?”

Scripture: Luke 15:11-32


Today, if you had forgotten, is Fathers’ Day. Fatherhood is one of those mixed blessings that we sometimes take for granted. The new life that we are privileged to be part of - to teach, to guide, and nurture - is truly a gift from God, but what about the trials that come in our efforts to raise our children in a way that will bring honor to the Lord? That seems to be the tough part – not just in getting a child to acknowledge the Lord, but more importantly, for our knowing what we should do to help a child grow in a Godly way!

And of course, there are always those fathers who reject their responsibilities and obligations to support and encourage their families. And while some of those families fall apart, others, somehow, discover the Lord’s goodness for their lives just the same. But today, we celebrate the work of Father God in our world – work that is offered on our behalf and in spite of our failure to learn from him; work that is based in a love that exceeds our capacity to understand and share with others.

Today’s parable is “The Prodigal Son”, which could very easily be renamed “The Loving Father”. And of course, it is actually about a family and the interpersonal reactions that they all experience.

Read Luke 15:11-16

This story is about the kind of relationships we have all come to know throughout this life, as well as the kind that we should live by in this existence. We don’t have any background on this family, but apparently some issue had come between the youngest son and his father that had brought about this incredible break. The book of Genesis is full of problems between brothers – Cain and Abel, Jacob and Esau, and notably, Joseph and ten of his eleven brothers, but seldom do we read of issues arising between men and their sons.

In this case, the issue would have been significant, as the younger son’s request is insulting and highly unusual. The implication is, essentially, that the father is dead as far as his son is concerned. And the son leaves with his new found wealth, getting as far away from home as he possibly could, to seek out worldly pleasures and personal recognition in his own right. But as we see, his plans didn’t actually work out.
In this story, if we are to gain the perspective that Jesus is offering us, we need to examine just who each person represents if we are to fully understand what Jesus would have us learn. First, the father represents God – our loving, generous, compassionate, understanding, forgiving Heavenly Father. The two sons represent us – narrow minded, self-centered and self-serving at times, and more comfortable with living in the world than we are in searching out the ways of heaven.

When his son demands freedom from his father’s influence, and service, and way, it is immediately granted. In the same way, God never prevents us from seeking our own way in the world, instead of obediently living in him and his truth. For those who have never had a relationship with Christ, life can even seem to work out fairly well sometimes – success in business, a nice family, pleasant experiences. Of course, they are still missing out on a life in Christ, but life still looks good!

But for those who know Jesus, who have given their lives to him, who know what a righteous life is all about, and who, for whatever reason, decide to try doing it their own way for a while, life can begin to fall apart in a rather dramatic fashion. That is what was happening in the life of the younger son. As a matter of fact, this young Jewish man had fallen so far, that he was now working for a Gentile, feeding his pigs! This was a direct violation of the Jewish law (Leviticus 11:7-8), and the young man had literally broken from faith and life, in favor of sin.

How low can one person go? Apparently pretty low!

Read Luke 15:17-20a

Talk about hitting bottom! There is only one more step downward for this broken man – death. But he then realizes that there might still be a chance – he will return home and beg for his father’s forgiveness. He is certain that restoration to his former position in the family can never happen – after all he had insulted his father and squandered his life, and it no longer held a place for him. But maybe, just maybe, his father would take mercy on him and let him work as one of his hired hands.

In his preparation to head home, three phrases in the speech he will offer his father need to be considered:
First - “Father, I have sinned against you and … heaven”. He will refer to the man who he had once insulted and declared to be dead, as “father” once again. And in that plea for restoration, he will confess that he was wrong and that his father has always been right. Sounds like a pretty good start, and quite honestly, that is where we begin our plea for forgiveness and acceptance when we first desire to give our lives to our Lord God Almighty.

The second phrase – “I am no longer worthy to be called your [child]” - is not a duplication of his initial confession. It is the next step in seeking restoration to the life we have denied for all too long. It proclaims our understanding that because of the life we have lived, we don’t deserve the love we have sacrificed, or the glory and honor that we have disgraced, or the hope that others may be relishing right now. None of that is within our grasp, but to simply be nourished in mercy will be enough.

The third phrase – “make me like one of your … servants”, is the son’s admission that since he can never become a son again, simply being granted servanthood, the lowest of all positions in the estate, will be far more than he deserves and currently has, and that, too, will be enough.

This will be the young man’s only hope to leave his current failed life, and to gain hope and certainty once again. Sound like a pretty good start to being welcomed back into God’s good graces? It certainly is!

Read Luke 15:20b-24

The son begins his homeward journey, but before he can even draw near to his destination, his father spots him coming down the road, and runs – not walks – runs to greet him, and he gives his son an embrace of welcome, and a kiss of forgiveness. And when the son begins his rehearsed speech, which he probably has been practicing during every step he took, he is interrupted midsentence. His father never even lets him finish before beginning to restore him to sonship. The robe, the ring, the sandals, possessions that have been waiting for their original owner for years, are all symbols that, in the eyes of his father, prove that he is loved far more than just as a lowly servant.

And then the celebration begins. In the Parable of the Lost Sheep (Luke 15:3-7), Jesus tells us that there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who has returned than over all of the righteous who have never left his way. The son had proclaimed his father as no better than dead, and therefore he was also dead to his family, but now life had been restored in both of their hearts.

But the lesson doesn’t end here.

Read Luke 15:25-32

The other son, the one who we have heard nothing about so far, arrives home after a long day of work in the field, and learns about the party that has been thrown for his brother. And when he confronts his father with his own disappointments, he can only refer to his brother as “your son”! The elder son has yet to welcome his brother back to the family.

He proclaims his obedience to his father over the years, and implies that his father has never appreciated his work. But beyond his own sense that his father never recognized his efforts, he is even more put off that his brother, that “black sheep of the family”, is being shown the very honor that he so rightly deserves! And the father has to set the record straight.

The elder son has known a good relationship with his father throughout his life; the entire remaining estate will be his one day, for his younger brother has already received all that he will ever get. This is the time for celebrating, not one for complaining! His brother has come home to become one with them once again, so be joyful, not angry, not resentful!

We may certainly be the younger son, but the older son is also part of us, just in a different way. We are the ones who have faithfully been involved in the church for years. We have attended Bible study, taught Sunday School, served in the church’s ministries and missions, prayed faithfully every day, and trusted as well as we could in the Lord and his teaching. And along comes some sinner who had lived in ways that must have made the Lord turn his head and cry over the person’s atrocities.
And yet, the church was welcoming him, and celebrating his decision for Christ, and was forgiving him for every wicked word he had ever said against them. WHAT ABOUT ME? Where is your appreciation for all that I have done?

And then the Holy Spirit reminds us that not only have we received the Lord’s promise of eternity, but we have had the pleasure of walking and serving and loving right alone side Jesus for years. How can we deny the rejoicing over the fact that this sinner has finally returned home?

Which of the two sons are we like? And what are we doing about it!
And are we all striving to become more and more like our heavenly Father – loving, and welcoming, and forgiving, and searching for the lost, and especially forgiving! ?

Why isn’t His way our way in faith?

“The Choice”

Scripture: Matthew 21:28-32


Life is made interesting by the choices we make – things like friendships, careers, trades and colleges, elections of our governmental leaders (!), family, vacation destinations, not to mention the many routine decisions that we make every day of our lives. Notice that I said “interesting”, and not “better”! Our choices are seldom perfect. We make mistakes because our decision making process has no relation to future knowledge – they are generally based in emotion or desire, and not always on how they will actually benefit us at some point in the future, as well as how they will fit together with all the other choices that we make throughout our life.

If only our ways could be as perfect as God’s are! But then, that’s a choice that we have to make, too. If only his perfection could be ours. The truth is that it could be - if we continue to seek his word and way every moment of every day. We may not always understand what the Lord has in mind when he calls us to go someplace, or to do something, or to meet someone, but as time passes, we begin to get a glimpse of what his plan for us is all about. And his ways seldom match with what we would like to do with our life, but they are always better and more beneficial than anything that we could possibly imagine.

Today’s parable is about the choices we make – some being good, and some being not so good. Our message is from The Parable of the Two Sons.

Read Matthew 21:28-31a

In the previous passage (Matthew 21:23-27), Jesus is in the temple teaching, and he is approached by the priests and tribal elders who challenge his authority to teach the word of God. They knew that the parables he presented were about them, and they didn’t like it. He was undermining the authority that they had held for many years, and the people were beginning to flock to him, and were listening to him. And this day would be no different!

The exalted leadership of Israel knew that this situation was about them and all of the laws and ritual that had kept the nation close to their Jehovah God throughout the centuries, or so they believed. They were the righteous ones, and the sinners – the tax collectors, the prostitutes, the gentiles and Samaritans, those who openly worshiped other gods, the ones who stood directly in defiance to the law - were now being raised up as the ones who would be Jehovah’s favorites.

Israel’s leadership fancied themselves as the only ones who truly obeyed God’s commands, but the truth is that they had failed miserably. Not only weren’t they following the Godly path, they had assumed authority to interject their own ideas into God’s law - the commands that had been handed down to Moses at Mount Sinai - and in their attempt to clarify and detail what obedience to each required, they had caused God’s call on the people to become so complex and difficult that it had essentially become impossible to follow. They were not the first son in any way, shape, or form.

The “first son” would be the ones who the exalted leadership of Israel had deemed as unworthy of God’s grace. The first would be those who would see the Lord’s call on them as a second chance to be Godly people again. In Romans 5:1-11, we read “You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous person, though for a good person someone might possibly dare to die. But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. 9 Since we have now been justified by his blood, how much more shall we be saved from God’s wrath through him!” By committing our lives to the way of Jesus Christ, our past failures will no longer have a voice at the Judgment! And neither will Satan NOR the legalists. (Zechariah 3:1-10) The final decision is God’s and God’s alone.

Initially, the first son had no interest in doing what his father asked, but eventually, he saw the truth of the request, and did what was right. But there was a second son. In Jesus’ day, it wasn’t that the Pharisees and Sadducees and priests hadn’t heard the truth of God. As a matter of fact, they had doggedly been following John the Baptist and Jesus since their ministries began. But the truth never quite settled into their lives. They were so caught up in the laws that they and their predecessors had created, that everything else seemed like heresy to them.

The second son was the one who said that he would obey, but never did. In our day, these are the people who talk a good faith, but live a very secular existence. God’s way - the way that Jesus, and John the Baptist, and the disciples, and Paul, and the apostles proclaimed – seldom fits with the ways that make earthly sense, and for some folks, their common sense must take precedence over the unusual and uncommon ways of the Lord.


When Satan came to Jesus after the Lord had been fasting and praying for many days in the wilderness (Matthew 4:1-11), he used scripture to try to get Jesus to leave the way of the Father, and to begin following and obeying the dark way. Of course, he did it by adding a word, or by leaving one out, or by taking the word of God out of context.

And this is what some do even today. “Apparent” knowledge of scripture makes their cultural adaptations of the word seem reasonable! And yet, they, too, are this “second son”. These are the ones who will say “Scripture is OK, except for a few passages and concepts, but we’ll rewrite them and bring them up to date for you.” Doesn’t this sound like a 21st century version of “I’ll gladly do whatever you say”, but never actually does?

Read Matthew 21:31b-32

Neither of these “sons” were perfect! One hesitated to do what the father asked, and even questioned the validity of the request, even though he eventually did go and do what was right. And the other, even though he acted and spoke as though he agreed with the father, he refused to follow up on his words. Neither one of them perfectly obeyed the father, but the important difference between them is that the first turned his life around – he “repented” of his denial of the father’s desire. He changed the brokenness in the relationship that they had, from demanding that his own understanding take first importance in his life, to surrendering his ways and letting the wishes and authority of his father to take the lead for him.

Jesus was telling these learned men that even though they had heard the truth, and saw how others had accepted it, and how they let it change their lives, they still held out in their own way and understanding. And all who refuse to accept “the way, and the truth, and the life” of Jesus Christ, (John 14:6-7) the life that is only available by faith and obedience in him, will miss out on the greatest relationship, the gift of righteousness, and the presence of God’s glory for eternity.

We can never let pride of “self” keep usfrom living a life of righteousness and truth with the only one who can bring forgiveness, cleanliness, and perfection to our less than perfect lives. And when we make our choice for Jesus, he will turn our failures into victory. And that is a choice we can live with forever!

“Love One Another”

Scripture: John 13:34-35; Luke 10:25-37

These last 3 months have been a very difficult time for us all. Social distancing has become more than just a new phrase for us, it’s our new way of life; “covid-19” isn’t just a new virus, but a term that has come to mean fear, and death, and governmental control over our lives; work from home, as well as home school has required adjustment that we had never expected; we, and others who are close to us, have lost their livelihood and have been struggling to make ends meet; and not the least, I hope, the closing of our churches and extensive restrictions on how and when we can worship. But, by the grace of God, I think we all have been getting through it. Until a week ago.

The tragic death of George Floyd in LA has stuck us all, and the community marches in his memory began as a tribute to George’s life, as well as a protest against the actions that lead to his death. But the subsequent rioting and violence and looting and destruction of property, and the taking of lives has, in my way of thinking, nothing to do with showing honor to George, and everything to do with personal agendas of hatred.

In the past week, all evidence of Christian love has seemed to vanish from our nation. It’s all about “me”, and not a bit about others. It’s about “me” and “my” desires, and not about what you may think. It’s about getting “my” way, and the righteous way of God has become irrelevant.

Today’s parable is “The Good Samaritan”, which seems to be very appropriate for this day and time. It examines the truth of what God would have us do and be. It addresses the question “How do we live in and through the love of God”, instead of in love of ourselves? And we begin with consideration of what Jesus meant when he called us to love as he has loved.

Read John 13:34-35

The concept of love was nothing new for Israel. The first passage from scripture that every faithful Jew was to learn is called the Shema (Deuteronomy 6:4-9).
“Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts.
Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates.”

Love of God was to take first priority for his people. Love in the way of God was to be our only direction of how to love. True love was no longer to be about passion and lust, no longer a conditional offer of affection, no longer a self-serving function of the human libido. Love is to be about a relationship that exists in a Godly way and for a Godly purpose.

This is why Jesus came to us in the first place – to teach us, by example, as to what a relationship with God was all about. By his love, he left glory behind to come here, with the express purpose to correct our vision of who and what God is all about. In John 3:16-17, he tells us that our connection to the Lord is no longer about punishment and condemnation for our sinful existence – it is about a loving relationship with the Almighty that will bring about salvation for the likes of you and me. And he demonstrates that love by freeing us from the condemnation that earth brings. (John 15:12-14) He came to take our punishment, our death, so that we might live in him. That is what a loving relationship is, and it is the relationship that Jesus wants to have with us.

Read Luke 10:25-28

In Leviticus 19:18, we read about the second part of loving. In addition to loving God, we read that there is a command about our relationship with each other – “Do not seek revenge or bear a grudge against anyone among your people, but love your neighbor as yourself. I am the Lord.” The Pharisees and Sadducees were constantly on the prowl to find a way to trap Jesus. These two passages – about loving God and loving each other - are the basis for every other command that God has ever handed down, and while these learned men knew the words in those passages, they didn’t have a clue as to how they were to live them.

They ask a question – what must I do to receive eternal life. Notice that their attitude is that there must be something that they can do to gain eternal life – some act of remorse perhaps, a sacrifice for forgiveness, a good work that would make them look righteous in God’s eyes. So Jesus plays their game, and asks what the law requires! And then he has them. The Law has the answer, but not the means, and Jesus tells him to live the commandment, and not to just spout it! He wants them to know that memorizing scripture isn’t nearly enough for our lives - we must also understand it and embrace its truth.

But they weren’t about to give up.

Read Luke 10:29-32

So who is this neighbor that I’m supposed to care for? If the legalist had been asked the question, instead of him asking Jesus, the answer would have been easy - “The one who obeys the Law is my neighbor!” Sinners and foreigners were unworthy, or so they thought, of receiving anything from either God or a righteous Jew! Gentiles, Samaritans, even women were beyond the boundaries of civility for a Jewish man.

So Jesus tells them a story. An unknown man is attacked, robbed, and beaten, and left to die on the side of a heavily trafficked road. Many people would have passed the scene, but the examples that Jesus offers as being “unneighborly” would have shocked his audience. After all, these first two were adhering to the law regarding cleanliness. They were on the way to Jerusalem, presumably to serve in the Temple, and if they had touched, or helped the man in any way, they would have been contaminated by the blood and other “dirt” that covered his body, and this would have precluded their entering temple for 7 days. So they ignored his plight.

But which is the Godly priority – keeping to the plan of our routine lives, or setting the needs of “routine” aside to serve a person in need?

Read Luke 10:33-37

So who will stop to help the man? The unexpected comes into play. All reasonable people of that day would say that it would be anyone BUT a Samaritan! After all, there was a deep-seated hatred between Jews and these half breed Jews. They were contaminated in their ancestry, and any self-respecting Jew would rather die than be helped by one of them! And yet, it appears that the one who the Law would condemn as sinful and unworthy, would be the very one who would be living out God’s love in the finest way!

Jesus challenges the status quo in everything that he teaches. But then, why not? God will never be bound by the ways and standards of earth, and every time we fall into his truth, we tend to be surprised! Isaiah 55:8-9 tell us that God’s way is foreign to us, but that it is infinitely better than anything we may know. And this is what Jesus wants us to strive for – a loving relationship in God’s way, not humanity’s.

The teachings of Jesus are constantly challenging our concept of what is right and what is wrong, and, quite honestly, are fully intended to shatter the worldly stereotypes that have always governed our lives. And what does the man do to help this stranger? He goes over the top! He goes beyond all expectations, and certainly more than the priest or Levite would, or even could, have done. And more importantly, he puts his own life and plans on hold, and gives his all to see that the man would not only live, but would be comfortable and cared for.

And the Samaritan’s character is also revealed – he pledges to pay whatever additional sums will be necessary the next time he travels through the area – and the Innkeeper trusts him! This is the example of who the faithful should be. And we are no longer talking about the Jews – we are talking about you and me. How far are we willing to go to reach out to another person who is in need? As far as this unworthy sinner did?

And then the Lord asks the $64 question – which one was the good neighbor? Does the question sound familiar? That’s right – it’s basically the same question that the Pharisee had asked originally – “who is my neighbor”? And the expert can’t even give a direct answer - he can’t admit that a Samaritan is the type of neighbor that he should be. He can only acknowledge him as the “one who had mercy”.

Interestingly, this is what a Christian should be above all else – merciful! Micah 6:8 reminds us of this – “He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.” Not to just understand justice, but to live it; not to just offer mercy to others, but to love doing it; and not to just know about God and his commands, but to live them in a humble and loving way.

Do you think that these words accurately describe the Samaritan as a “good neighbor”?
How well do they describe us? Are we as loving toward others as Jesus and this outcast were? This may very well be something that we all need to work on!