A Conviction

In the Gospel of Luke the Greatest Commandments are given, not by Jesus, but by a teacher of the law who desired assurance of the way to eternal life. His answer,

"You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength, and with all your mind; and your neighbor as yourself."

is affirmed by Jesus as the way to eternal life. But even with this affirmation, the lawyer wanted to justify himself, so he asked Jesus, "And who is my neighbor?" Jesus then launched into the parable of the Good Samaritan:

"A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell into the hands of robbers, who stripped him, beat him, and went away, leaving him half dead. Now by chance a priest was going down that road; and when he saw him, he passed by on the other side. So likewise a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. But a Samaritan while traveling came near him; and when he saw him, he was moved with pity. He went to him and bandaged his wounds, having poured oil and wine on them. Then he put him on his own animal, brought him to an inn, and took care of him. The next day he out two denarii, gave them to the inkeeper, and said, 'Take care of him; and when I come back, I will repay you whatever more you spend.' Which of these three, do you think, was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of the robbers?" He said, "The one who showed him mercy." Jesus said to him, "Go and do likewise." 

Although these two sections of the same passages (the Greatest Commandments and the Good Samaritan story) are well known, we tend to read them separately. But here we have Jesus, giving us a definition of what it means to be a neighbor to someone, right after affirming that loving our neighbor is one of the greatest commandments that will lead us into eternal life. The two parts of the passage should not be separated.

But I think it's pretty incredible that here, Jesus explains in detail how to really live out what He is teaching. I can't think of any other place where He really does that. So, in other words, pay attention. Greatest commandment --> specific application. Got it?

The reason that this has been on my heart recently is because of this application to my life. In the past year or two, the Lord has really given me a heart to love those who are loveless, those that are on the fringes of society, those that the rest of the world tends to pass by on the other side of the road. Not that I'm super good at it now (I'm not), but it's just been weighing on my heart more and more how crucial it is for the life of a Christian to live like this, to "Go and do likewise." Not only for the sake of just doing good things, but for the sake of seeing the image of God in the Undesireables of this world. For knowing God's heart for those who no one else cares about. For allowing God to use us to be His hands and feet, which can be as much of a benefit to us as to those we are helping. For knowing that every human being needs to know the love of Jesus Christ, in whatever form it may take.

Last week I made a vow with the Lord, one which I'm not quite sure how to keep yet, but that won't keep me from trying. I told the Lord that I will never intentionally avoid eye contact with a homeless person or someone whose presence makes me uncomfortable. I will try to never miss an opportunity to buy a hungry person a meal and have a conversation with them and try to befriend them. I will do whatever I can, no matter how small of a gesture, to help someone and show them the love of Jesus Christ.

It's been difficult at times, especially when all someone wants from you is cash, which you should never give to a homeless person. But still, I think just making the effort to see them as a real person with real needs, regardless of whether they are telling you the truth or not, has to count for something. I have faith in the love of Jesus Christ to have power in people's lives, whether I see the effects or not. 

In God's Kingdom, there are no social boundaries. God has called us to love all people, regardless of race, class, gender, or hygiene. And people need to know that love. They need to know that they are accepted in the eyes of the Lord, and thus in ours as well. And we need to know that they are real people with real stories and real hurts that need healing. 

Refuse to let social boundaries contain the love of God. Refuse to allow your discomfort to contain the love of God. Allow God's love to work through you to love the unlovable, comfort the uncomfortable, bring hope to the hopeless, and bring the light of God's Kingdom to this world.

Amen.