"But a certain Samaritan, who was on a journey, came upon him; and when he saw him, he felt compassion" (Luke 10:33)
The establishment in recent years of the nation's Department of Homeland Security has become to all of us a constant reminder, beloved, of our need for "watchfulness" as a people! We have enemies who despise our way of life and our form of government and who wish to do us harm. The need to be watchful or alert in our everyday living has never been more important than it is today.
In Jesus' day that very same need existed, especially for travelers making the trip alone down such roads as that one running between Jerusalem and Jericho. The Samaritan in Jesus' parable was certainly no exception. So we find him making his way on his journey and keeping a watchful eye on everything and everyone that he encountered.
It was precisely because of his "watchfulness," beloved, that the Samaritan became aware of the wounded man in the first place. In Jesus' own words as recorded by Luke, the Samaritan traveler was able to help the man because he first "saw him." How easily he might have missed that opportunity had he not been watching because of thoughts preoccupied with coming business opportunities or even just with getting home to his family!
The Apostle Paul tells us as Christians that we need to be just as "watchful" today if we are going to serve Jesus Christ effectively:
"Therefore be careful how you walk, not as unwise men, but as wise, making the most of your time, because the days are evil" (Ephesians 5:15-16)
The King James Version translates this same phrase "making the most of your time" as "redeeming" your time or your opportunities. The apostle's thought is that wise believers will watch for and make the most of every opportunity the Spirit of God gives them to minister the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ in the lives of people. We will be like the Samaritan traveler in Jesus' parable who saw the wounded man and was able to help him because he was alert to everything happening around him.
How tragic should even one precious opportunity to share the love of Jesus Christ with one person be lost because we were not watchful!
"Mr. Meant-To has a comrade
And his name is Didn't Do;
Have you ever chanced to meet them?
Have they ever called on you?
These two fellows live together
In the house of Never-Win,
And I'm told that house is haunted
By the ghost of Might-Have-Been"
Ron
"But behold a certain lawyer stood up and put Him to the test...'But a certain Samaritan, who was on a journey, came upon him'" (Luke 10:25a, 33a)
Jesus' parable of the Good Samaritan is without a doubt one of the most well-known and even popular illustrations of biblical truth in all the ministry of our Lord, beloved! Few people have not been exposed to it either in sermon form or Sunday school lesson or Bible study notes of some kind somewhere. And it is that very same parabolic passage to which I invite you to turn with me for the next several weeks as we take a closer look at a number of powerful lessons for living.
In this edition of "Gleanings," however, I would like for us to focus our attention upon the characters in the actual group surrounding Jesus that day as well as upon those the Master chose for His parable with which He answered the question put to Him. Specifically, I want to point out the contrast between the lawyer and Jesus which parallels the contrast between the priest and Levite and the Samaritan traveler of Jesus' story.
Note first, then, the contrast between the lawyer who asked the question and Jesus who answered it. The lawyer was an acknowledged "expert" in the laws of Judaism, a man who in his own estimation stood head and shoulders religiously above the rest of the Hebrew population. He demanded respect and even curried special favor wherever he went and was probably accustomed to getting it. And as he put his question to the Nazarene that day, he likely did so with the attitude of one with a Doctor of Divinity in biblical law asking a question of a first-year Bible college student!
On the other hand, Jesus was not religiously his equal, not according to the structure of Judaism nor even of Hebrew society. He had been born into a humble home, raised to work with His hands, and had only recently come into the spotlight as a teacher of spiritual truth. He was not of the tribe of Levi, so had no standing among the then religious elite of Israel. He was to them just a "carpenter turned preacher" with a ragtag following of common ordinary people. He was to them a nuisance to be brushed aside as one would a gnat or mosquito.
Isn't it interesting, then, that in Jesus' parable, as He sought to explain eternal truth to the lawyer and other listeners that day, the "hero" of His story would be a Samaritan? No people-group of that day were more despised and rejected than the Samaritans! The Jews called them "dogs" because of their pagan blood and the Gentiles cursed them because they were half-Hebrew. Yet it was a Samaritan whom Jesus chose to be the one who would reach out and minister to the wounded traveler in His illustration.
And it will be the "Samaritan" in us that will qualify us to serve the needs of others in Jesus' name today, beloved. You see, the Samaritan knew what it was to suffer - to be hated, ill-treated and rejected. And today you and I who are followers of Jesus Christ are those who are most aware of where we were in our sins when Jesus came along and met our needs in love and mercy. It will be those who have been rescued who are enabled to become rescuers of others! Until we can see and appreciate fully the working of God's grace in our own lives, we will never care enough to stop alongside the road of life and help those fallen and cast aside whom Jesus loves. We will likely just look upon them, at most say that "someone ought to do something," and then just pass on by.
So I appeal to the "Samaritan" in you, beloved, as we begin this series of devotionals together. What has Jesus done for you in your journey through life? If He has rescued you by His grace and transformed your life by the power of His shed blood, then you are eligible to become one who rescues in His name. If we are truly saved, then there ought to be something of the Samaritan in each one of us!
Ron
"Just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many" (Matthew 20:28)
I learned an amazing lesson this week about serving Jesus Christ, beloved, from wearing a ball cap, if you can believe that! Many of you know that my wife, Bev, is a 10-year breast cancer survivor. And one of my greatest joys each year is to attend the annual "Relay for Life" survivors' banquet with her. Each year as we enter the building, we are given tee shirts and sometimes ball caps. The caps that I have (1 navy blue, 1 tan) have the "Relay for Life" logo embroidered on the front. I am proud to wear those caps whenever I can, letting everyone know that we support this wonderful charity and that I am so proud of my wife.
Just this past week, however, I noticed something about the "Relay for Life" cap that I had been wearing all day. As I walked into my room, I took off the hat and tossed it on the bed. As it landed, for the first time I became aware that something had been embroidered on the back of the hat as well. I saw there the single word "Caregiver." For as long as I have had those hats and for all the times that I have worn them, I never knew that I was delivering a message from the back as well as from the front! You see, the words on the front of the cap are all about Bev, the cancer survivor in our family, and her own personal "relay for life." Now I know that the single word on the back is meant to describe me as the one who loves and supports her. Yet I have never worn that hat because it identified me as a caregiver, but because it identifies my wife as a cancer survivor. I almost wish that they had never embroidered that word on the back!
If you study carefully the words of the Lord Jesus here, beloved, you will become quickly aware that He clearly never wore a "Relay for Life" hat! Nor am I being facetious when I say that either. You see, for Jesus it was all about the service He had come to render on behalf of sinful mankind. For Him it was always about saving us from our sins and never about drawing attention to what He had to suffer in order to accomplish that holy mission. I guess we might say that Jesus never wore a sign on His back that read, "Jesus of Nazareth, Savior of mankind." Or as I like to think of it, He never wore a hat!
The lesson that I learned from this momentary experience, beloved, is that it ought always to be about the ministry and never about the recognition. It ought to be about the need of the heart and life and never about the one sent as an instrument to meet that need. The records of heaven will focus upon what's written on the back at that moment when God recompenses the service of His people. Until then, let it be about the need before us and not about the name behind us! God bless you as you serve the King sacrificially just for the joy of serving.
Ron
"For a child will be born to us, a son will be given to us' and the government will rest on His shoulders; and His name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace. There will be no end to the increase of His government or of peace, on the throne of David and over his kingdom, to establish it and to uphold it with justice and righteousness from then on and forevermore. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will accomplish this" (Isaiah 9:6-7)
Did you know that there really is a "Grinch" stealing Christmas, beloved? In fact, long before Dr. Seuss gave to us that lovable green character upon whom we like to heap the blame for ruining our Christmases, they were already being stolen right out from under our noses! Whether we like it or not as Christians, Santa Claus has replaced Jesus as "the reason for the season." The sound of reindeer hooves on the rooftops has preempted the holy strains of "Silent Night." The humorous stanzas of "'Twas the Night Before Christmas" have swallowed up the reading of the Christmas story in Luke 2. And the merry sight of inflatable snowmen, over-sized candy canes and icicle lights hanging from the edge of the roof have overshadowed the age-old nativity scene that once adorned every house in the neighborhood. There is no doubt about it. A "Grinch" is definitely stealing Christmas!
I for one believe that it is time for us to rediscover what Christmas is all about and to reclaim it for ourselves, our families, and even our nation. It is time for us to refocus our thinking upon what and who is really important. And all we have to do is read these two verses from the prophecy of Isaiah to do just that!
Notice in the sixth verse what the prophet said concerning the promise of Christ's coming. This "child" is none other than the Son of Man - One able to laugh with us, cry with us, hurt with us, and finally die for us as He takes our sins upon Himself.
Then Isaiah revealed that Christmas is about a "son" being given to us, specifically the Son of God. The word "give" shows us His divinity, His preexistence with the Father before all time. So the Son of God became the Son of Man by becoming "Immanuel" - God with us!
The prophet next declared that "the government" shall rest upon His shoulders as the King of Kings. But what government? The U.S.? Great Britain? The Soviet Republic? Iran? Oh, no! Not even close! That "government" which shall rest upon His shoulders will be none other than the government of our individual lives! Every detail of the affairs of our living lies directly in the hands of this King of Kings. The ultimate worldwide kingdom over which He shall rule not yet a reality, He rules today in the hearts of all who will come to Him in simple faith.
And what will He do when He comes? Isaiah called Him our "Wonderful Counselor" - the One who will give direction for life's living. This Christmas child would have all the answers that we will ever need! He will be able to show us the direction in which our lives should go.
Isaiah also referred to Him as "Mighty God" - the One who not only gives us wisdom but power for living. With His divine power He would conquer sin and death and hell on Calvary's tree. And living within us He is able to make us "more than conquerors" because of His great love.
Then the prophet called Him the "Eternal Father" - the One who gives to our hearts assurance about life's living. Because His kingdom is an unending one, we need never fear for our own future. Because of who Jesus is, we have an eternal relationship with the Father.
Finally, Isaiah said that Jesus would be the "Prince of Peace" - the One who gives to us peace in the living of our lives. He first brings us into a position of peace with God because of His shed blood. Then He brings us into peace with ourselves because of who and whose we are. And at peace with God and with ourselves, we can ever be at peace with our circumstances whatever they may be.
Son of Man, Son of God, King of Kings, Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace - how does all this line up with what your eyes are seeing all about you this Christmas, beloved? There may indeed be a "Grinch" stealing Christmas, but we who are followers of Jesus Christ do not have to stand idly by and just let it happen! We have unshakable peace, insurmountable faith, and a Savior that everyone needs. And we also have mouths that can speak and opportunities divinely given to let anyone and everyone know that Christmas is not a lighted front lawn complete with prancing reindeer and a jolly bearded old elf trying to squeeze down a chimney. Christmas is only about one gift - the gift of God to man - eternal life through His Son Jesus Christ.
From Bev and me to all of you who mean so much to us and to Christ's kingdom: Merry Christmas and a wonderful New Year!
Ron
"And we urge you, brethren, admonish the unruly, encourage the fainthearted, help the weak, be patient with all men" (1 Thessalonians 5:14)
Something that the Apostle Paul wrote to the Thessalonian saints but which applies to Christians of every generation came home to me this past week in a vivid way, beloved! Bev and I were out for one of our "2 hour" dates, the home health aide being with her mom, and were enjoying a monster burger at a local "burger joint." As we sat eating, the door just behind us opened and an elderly gentleman stepped inside, reaching quickly for the back of the chair next to me. With buckling legs and limbs that were clearly weak with age, he virtually collapsed into the chair and almost instantly struck up a conversation with us. After a very pleasant chat, it was time for us to return home and we were glad to leave him in the very capable hands of one of the employees who had rushed out to take his order and to make sure that he had everything he needed. It sure seemed too clear to us that he was well-known there! And as weak as he was, he was clearly trying to live his life to the fullest!
In the midst of the 14th verse the apostle reminded the Thessalonian believers to "help the weak." The Greek word in this context could very well include those who, like our new friend, are physically weak and frail. But the greater application is certainly to those who are spiritually weak. The Greek word asthenes means literally "strengthless" or "powerless" and as used by Paul referred to those who are weak in faith. These may be "weak" when it comes to trusting God or "weak" when it comes to handling obstacles in life. Still others are "weak" because of not knowing clearly God's will for their lives. Like our friend physically at the burger place, these are the spiritually frail.
So what can we do to help those who are weak? The word here translated "help" is a Greek verb which means literally "hold over against" and can be pictured visibly as one leaning against one who is weak in order to hold him up and keep him from falling. We can best "help the weak," then, by adapting our ministering to their particular need. For some the need is for encouragement to persevere, to trust God in spite of any and all opposition. For others it will be wise counsel, the tender hand that guides gently down the right path. For still others it will be unconditional love that lets them know that they are neither valueless nor forgotten.
To "help the weak" is obviously a ministry of tenderness, beloved, and it requires of every believer God's own love flowing in and through us to others. We should not need the kind of physical object lesson such as Bev and I experienced yesterday, but should always be on the lookout for the spiritually "weak" all about us. Where would each of us be in our walk with Christ had those who came alongside to help us not been there for us? Now it is our turn to reach out in God's love to those who need us, beloved. With Paul's challenge ringing in our hearts, let's help the weak!
Ron
Posts
