Luke 10:25-37
The story of the Good Samaritan is very familiar. We know it backwards, so to speak. So rather than look for something new to say about it, I’ll pull from it what is relevant to today’s topic.
The teacher of the law wanted Jesus to summarise all of the Jewish laws in a simple statement. The lawyer already knew the answer because it was given them when the law was given. Deuteronomy 6:5, Leviticus 19:18. No surprise there. The surprise came in the identity of the neighbour. Most Jews at that time would not have included Samaritans.
The story forced the lawyer to acknowledge that the man in the ditch, unnamed and anonymous but assumed to be a Jew, discovered neither the priest nor the Levite were his neighbours. They might have had everything in common with him, but their actions betrayed them. The shock of the story was that he would discover that his neighbour was a Samaritan. The man in the ditch received grace and mercy from the last person he would have expected. Perhaps it is no wonder that when the lawyer answered Jesus, he couldn’t even name the identity of the one who was the neighbour. He just could not put the words ‘Samaritan’ and ‘neighbour’ together.
The teacher of the law started confident but ended uncomfortable. Life had just got more complicated for him. And then Jesus skewered him for one last time with the command: ‘Go and do likewise’. Jesus had told him to go and love God with all he has and to love his neighbour, but to be aware that his neighbour could be someone who came from beyond the borders of the chosen people – someone he had not expected to show love to and who would not expect to be shown love by him.
‘Go and do likewise’ presumably means: go and show the same mercy to those who would not expect it – to those you feel are excluded by religious commitment, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, social class, whatever it may be – go and minister grace and love to those you least expect and who would least expect it from you.
Many people think that God accepts and loves those who are good. Unexpectedly, God ministers grace and love to those who are bad. We only get to be God’s friends because he forgives us and provides the necessary to live his way. He doesn’t have to, but he does. God, the King of the universe, doesn’t have to forgive us our outrageous rebellions, he doesn’t have to send his Son to die for us, he doesn’t have to send his Spirit to comfort, counsel and change us. He doesn’t have to lavish on us ‘the incomparable riches of his grace’ (Eph.2:7). But he does.
I get to do this when I’m here in the mornings through the week. When someone drops in I get to give them a friendly welcome, a conversation, a cup of water – usually hot with tea or coffee in it – something to eat, a prayer when appropriate. It’s no big deal for me but it ministers to people in Jesus name.
For ministry is love in action: taking a moment to engage with the checkout person, noticing the ‘invisible’ people, saying thank you to the caretaker of your kid’s school, or the cleaner in the changing room at the gym, waving a thank you to the people who collect the rubbish … you add your own. Minister grace and love to those who would least expect it of you. We can do that by ministering grace and love to anybody and everybody we meet on our frontline.
It doesn’t have to be some evangelistic initiative or some major project like looking after the homeless, working with teenagers, counselling someone or running a soup kitchen. Praise God for all that but at heart, ministry just means serving others. And in serving others small things count.
You might like to have a look at this video – ‘Small things count’.
Were your expectations challenged by the video? How?
People can have very fixed views of what Christians are like and, consequently, highly defined expectations as to what we will do. How do you act and react in such a way that challenges their expectations?
Tom’s frontline was his office, and for some time he’d been disappointed by the lack of any real opportunities to talk about Jesus directly. He prayed, asked advice and tried to stay alert to opportunities. One Monday, one of his colleagues, James, failed to turn up to work. No one thought much about it – probably just a spectacular weekend – but when he didn’t turn up the following day, Tom phoned him, even though he wasn’t a particular friend of his.
“Are you ok?”
“No, I’m feeling terrible. I haven’t been able to get out of bed for three days.”
“Is anyone looking after you?”
“No, I live alone and my family are miles away.”
“Have you got the right medicine?”
“I haven’t even got any food.”
So Tom went round to see James that evening, got him into the shower, changed his bed, took him to the doctor, got the medicine, bought food and went to see him every evening for a week.
During that week, James never asked Tom a single question about why he was doing all he was doing for him. However, within a week of James’ return to work, Tom found himself inundated with opportunities to talk about the gospel. James told everyone what Tom had done and Tom found himself accosted in the lifts, in the corridors, in the cafeteria; his colleagues simply couldn’t understand why he’d done it.
So Tom replied carefully and humbly to all who asked, “It is nothing I did; I have chosen to model my life on the life and teachings of Jesus and I think what I did is the kind of thing he would have done. I don’t do it very well, but I do my best.”
Of course that is a pretty spectacular example, but the essence is grace and love. Tom didn’t have to look after James, did he?
So, as you think about the people on your frontline, I suspect that there have been times you’ve given the equivalent of a glass of water, and not really thought about it. But, I wonder, as you pray for them, whether the Lord will show you some way you might extend grace and love to them. You may also find ways to support other Christians on their frontlines, to help one another be more fruitful there. Yes, in prayer, but perhaps in some practical way too.
Grace doesn’t have to. Love doesn’t have to. But they find a way.
Grace to you this week.
Grace through you this week.
Prayer:
Lord, help me to see these people, this place, and these issues with your eyes and your love.
Lord, help me to bring to these issues, to this place, and to these people, your wisdom and your love. Amen.