Good Morning,
One of the readings for last Sunday was taken from Luke 10. This is story of the Good Samaritan. The story of the Good Samaritan was part of the text for my High School English curriculum along with the Parable of the Prodigal son . These texts were in the King James Version.
In the story of the Good Samaritan Luke 10:25-37 we are immediately introduced to a lawyer. He poses a question to Jesus as a "test" - "Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?" Jesus answers this question with one of His own. "What is written in the law? What do you read there?" The answer comes back, "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."
Good answer. And Jesus agrees. But the lawyer, not satisfied with that, still wishes to be noticed, so he asks another question "And who is my neighbor?" In other words, "OK, Jesus, I understand I am supposed to CARE, but what are the limits of my caring? When can I quit?" And here Jesus tells His famous story.
The first person to which we are introduced is the poor traveler. He had taken the road from Jerusalem to Jericho, which was notoriously dangerous. It descended nearly 3,300 feet in 17 miles, running through narrow passes at points. The terrain offered easy hiding for the bandits who terrorized travelers. This unfortunate man had been stripped, beaten, and left for dead. Jesus’ audience that day knew how easily it could happen and I would suspect that today we could easily identify by glancing quickly through the newspapers or watching the news on television.
Suddenly who should come along but a priest? If anyone could be expected to stop and help it would be a priest. But wait. The priest does not come over to help; he passes by on the other side. No reason is given. Perhaps it was fear. Those who beat the man in the ditch might be lying in wait to beat him as well. Have you ever come upon someone after an ugly accident? And simply passed by for fear of becoming involved." Next there came a Levite...an "assistant" priest. As the text has it, "he came to the place and saw him, [and] passed by on the other side." Another hero!
Enter character number three - a Samaritan. The GOOD Samaritan! Nowhere in the Bible will we find the words "Good" and "Samaritan" next to each other. For those folks who first heard this story, the phrase "Good Samaritan" would have been an oxymoron, (oxymoron is the putting together of words which seem to contradict each other) anyway - the only GOOD Samaritan would have been a DEAD Samaritan.
Why such depth of feeling? The hostility between Jews and Samaritans was hundreds of years old. By the time of Jesus, the animosity toward Samaritans was so great that some Jews would go miles out of their way to avoid even walking on Samaritan soil The hatred between Jew and Samaritan in Jesus’ day was at least as deep as the feeling Jews and Arabs have towards each other today. After all, if Jesus were just trying to say we should help the helpless, supply the needs of the needy, he could have talked about the first and second men who passed by and the third one who stopped and cared for the half-dead guy in the ditch. If Jesus were also making a gibe against religious establishment, we would expect the third man to be a layman - an ordinary Israelite - in contrast to the professional clergy. If Jesus were illustrating the need to love our enemies, then the man in the ditch would have been a Samaritan who is cared for by a loving Israelite. Of course, that is NOT the way the story goes. We will deal with, ”WHY A SAMARITAN”? The Samaritan sees the man, but instead of distancing himself just as the priest and the Levite had earlier, he comes closer. As the text has it, "when he saw him, he was moved with pity. He went to him and bandaged his wounds, having poured oil and wine on them --oil to keep them soft, wine to sterilize. Then he put him on his own animal, bought him to an inn, and took care of him. The next day he took out two denarii -two days wages, gave them to the innkeeper, and said, ’Take care of him; and when I come back, I will repay you whatever more you spend."’ Not an insignificant amount, not lavish either, but enough to do the job. The story is over. Jesus has responded to the lawyer’s question about the limits of neighborliness with his story and now turns the question back to the lawyer: "Which of these three, do you think, was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of the robbers?" And the answer, "The one who showed him mercy." Amazing, isn’t it? The concept of a GOOD Samaritan is so distasteful that the lawyer cannot bring himself to even speak the name. Perhaps the answer to that question we raised earlier, "Why a Samaritan?" is that Jesus did not want his hearers to identify with this generous caregiver. As attractive and winsome is the behavior of this man, as much of a helper/hero as he obviously was, that WOULD be the temptation. But no good Jew could do that. He would not want to be like the Priest or Levite either, so the only character left with which to identity would be the man in the ditch.
Now Jesus concludes, "Go and do likewise." What? Be the guy in the ditch? Perhaps that is not so far-fetched as we might think. We never hear if this poor victim recovers, but my assumption is that he does. That being the case, what would the effect have been on him that a Samaritan had rescued him? One would presume that it would forever color his view of Samaritans. For that matter, one would presume that it would forever color his view of the world’s victims. There would be less callousness, less inclination to lay blame for getting into such a fix in the first place, less temptation to "pass by on the other side." If Jesus’ story had gone on any longer, I would bet that this poor fellow, from that day forward, became a better neighbor to the rest of his world than he would have ever dreamed possible. On several occasions when I have thought about the story of the Good Samaritan, I have wondered about the rest of the story. What effect did the charity have on the man who was robbed and beaten and taken care of...Did he remember the cruelty of the robbers and shape his life with that memory? Or did he remember the nameless generosity of the Samaritan and shape his life with that debt? What did he pass on to the strangers in his life, those in need he met? "Has anyone ever helped you? ---
A Few years ago when our daughters were young, we were in Florida. We are traveling from Daytona Beach, on the highway. Our van ran out of gas . We got stranded there by the highway. We signaled for help. There were many Christians traveling that road that particular day. No one stopped . They all passed by. We kept praying for the Lord intervene. Finally a man stopped and gave us a ride to get gas in a nearby gas station in his gas can. He stopped and gave up his time to care and share. He was a Jehovah witness. The Lord can use strangers who become good neighbors.
Alice and Laureen came home yesterday. They're getting ready for the wedding shower for Sunita on Saturday. Thank you for praying for Janice. She's doing really well. Jeremy's mom is there to help for the next few days. I'll be away for a few days next week, attending a conference in Birmingham, AL at Beeson Divinity School on Samford University's campus. This is my annual summer event. Pastors from around the country attend. One of the main speakers for this event is Dr. Richard Bewes, from Cambridge, England.
Have a wonderful day.
Brown
Thursday, July 19, 2007
Tuesday, July 17, 2007
Brown's Daily Word 7-17-07
Good morning,
Praise the Lord for all of God's promises. "For no matter how many promises God has made, they are "Yes" in Christ. And so through Him the "Amen" is spoken by us to the glory of God. 2 Corinthians 1:20. We live by faith and not by sight and we stand on His promises. We read in Matthew 5:13-16 "Ye are the salt of the earth: but if the salt have lost his savor, wherewith shall it be salted? It is thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out, and to be trodden under foot of men. Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid. Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven." We are called, chosen, anointed and empowered by the Lord to be partners in His miracles. He uses the least, the lost and the last to accomplish extraordinary things in His Kingdom in His power. He used a slave girl from Israel to bring about healing to a Syrian army General. He used a little boy in feeding 5,000 men alone. He desires to use us now as good Samaritans, with tender hearts in a tough world. When Rosina Hernandez was in college, she once attended a rock concert at which one young man was brutally beaten by another. No one attempted to stop the beating. The next day she was struck dumb to learn that the youth had died because of the pounding. Yet, neither she nor anyone else had raised a hand to help him. She could never forget the incident or her responsibility as an inactive bystander. Some years later, Rosina saw another catastrophe. A car driving in the rain ahead of her suddenly skidded and plunged into Biscayne Bay. The car landed head down in the water with only the tail end showing. In a moment a woman appeared on the surface, shouting for help and saying her husband was stuck inside. This time Rosina waited for no one. She plunged into the water, tried unsuccessfully to open the car door, then pounded on the back window as other bystanders stood on the causeway and watched. First, she screamed at them, begging for help; then cursed them, telling them there was a man dying in the car. First one man, then another, finally came to help. Together they broke the safety glass and dragged the man out. They were just in time -- a few minutes later it would have been all over. The woman thanked Rosina for saving her husband, and Rosina was elated, riding an emotional high that lasted for weeks. She had promised herself that she would never again fail to do anything she could to save a human life. She had made good on her promise. (Bits & Pieces, June 24, 1993, pp. 20-21.)
Galatians 6:9 "And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not." Luke 6:46 "And why call ye me, Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say?" Edward Everett Hale, the distinguished poet and former Chaplain of the U.S. Senate, while speaking of Americans eloquently captured the essence of every believer’s duty: "I am only one, but I am one. I cannot do everything, but I can do something. What I can do, that I ought to do. And what I ought to do, by the grace of God, I shall do." There is a story of an Atlantic passenger laying in his bunk in a storm, deathly sick--seasick. A cry of "Man overboard" was heard. The passenger thought, "God help the poor fellow--there is nothing I can do." Then he thought that at least he could put his lantern in the porthole, which he did. The man was rescued, and recounting the story next day he said, "I was going down in the darkness for the last time when someone put a light in a port-hole. It shone on my hand, and a sailor in a lifeboat grabbed it and pulled me in." Weakness is no excuse for our not putting forth all the little strength we have. Who can tell how God will use it? Habakkuk 3:19 "The LORD God is my strength, and He will make my feet like hinds’ feet, and He will make me to walk upon mine high places. To the chief singer on my stringed instruments."
Philippians 4:13 "I can do all things through Christ which strengthened me."
Psalms 118:6 "The LORD is on my side; I will not fear: what can man do unto me?"
Isaiah 41:10 "Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness."
Thank you for praying for Janice and her family. They are all doing well. I did send some of the pictures of them, I hope you can access them.
Congratulations to our friend Julie in Oklahoma on the birth of her grandson, Joseph.
I'm enclosing a prayer request from our friend Senie from Virginia, please do remember them in prayer.
Have a wonderful day filled with His grace and His power.
In Him,
Brown
Allan went to the surgeon today to see about much needed knee replacement surgery on his right knee and before we knew it, the date was set for August 9th. They had just had a cancellation and didn't have anything until weeks after that, so we took it as a sign! What that means, unfortunately for us, is that he is not allowed to travel for at least a month, maybe more, partly because of the inability to function easily but also because of a fear of blood clots. And so we will not be able to make it to Sunita's wedding. Drat!!! He has been very uncomfortable recently so we felt that he needed to go ahead and get it done, putting several things aside to make that a priority. So please keep him in your prayers, that he will remain healthy and sail through the surgery and be back at it by later in September. Maybe we'll take a trip to NYS to celebrate!
Also, my longtime friend Betty Boyer in PA's 24 year old granddaughter was killed in an auto accident about 3 weeks ago. Would you please pray for her, her daughter and son-in-law, and the other 2 children that they will be able to get all of this in the right perspective. They are all Christians but the 21 year old sister is having a very difficult time and has become involved in things that she shouldn't be, has a non-Christian boyfriend that she is considering moving in with and feels she should have been killed and not her older, perfect sister. She has always had low self-esteem apparently. Anyway, at a time when the parents need to be dealing with their own grief, everything has become very complicated because of the actions/mindset of Katie. The son, about 10, was also in the vehicle, though he is doing okay, so that is another whole situation to deal with. They know that the Lord can meet their needs but just don't know the best way to handle Katie. She refuses to talk about counseling - a very complicated situation all the way around!
Thanks so much for your note, Brown, and for your willingness to pray for us.
Love to all the family. Do you know how to respond to a little boy? Get practicing soccer and baseball, Grandpa?
Senie, and Allan too
Praise the Lord for all of God's promises. "For no matter how many promises God has made, they are "Yes" in Christ. And so through Him the "Amen" is spoken by us to the glory of God. 2 Corinthians 1:20. We live by faith and not by sight and we stand on His promises. We read in Matthew 5:13-16 "Ye are the salt of the earth: but if the salt have lost his savor, wherewith shall it be salted? It is thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out, and to be trodden under foot of men. Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid. Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven." We are called, chosen, anointed and empowered by the Lord to be partners in His miracles. He uses the least, the lost and the last to accomplish extraordinary things in His Kingdom in His power. He used a slave girl from Israel to bring about healing to a Syrian army General. He used a little boy in feeding 5,000 men alone. He desires to use us now as good Samaritans, with tender hearts in a tough world. When Rosina Hernandez was in college, she once attended a rock concert at which one young man was brutally beaten by another. No one attempted to stop the beating. The next day she was struck dumb to learn that the youth had died because of the pounding. Yet, neither she nor anyone else had raised a hand to help him. She could never forget the incident or her responsibility as an inactive bystander. Some years later, Rosina saw another catastrophe. A car driving in the rain ahead of her suddenly skidded and plunged into Biscayne Bay. The car landed head down in the water with only the tail end showing. In a moment a woman appeared on the surface, shouting for help and saying her husband was stuck inside. This time Rosina waited for no one. She plunged into the water, tried unsuccessfully to open the car door, then pounded on the back window as other bystanders stood on the causeway and watched. First, she screamed at them, begging for help; then cursed them, telling them there was a man dying in the car. First one man, then another, finally came to help. Together they broke the safety glass and dragged the man out. They were just in time -- a few minutes later it would have been all over. The woman thanked Rosina for saving her husband, and Rosina was elated, riding an emotional high that lasted for weeks. She had promised herself that she would never again fail to do anything she could to save a human life. She had made good on her promise. (Bits & Pieces, June 24, 1993, pp. 20-21.)
Galatians 6:9 "And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not." Luke 6:46 "And why call ye me, Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say?" Edward Everett Hale, the distinguished poet and former Chaplain of the U.S. Senate, while speaking of Americans eloquently captured the essence of every believer’s duty: "I am only one, but I am one. I cannot do everything, but I can do something. What I can do, that I ought to do. And what I ought to do, by the grace of God, I shall do." There is a story of an Atlantic passenger laying in his bunk in a storm, deathly sick--seasick. A cry of "Man overboard" was heard. The passenger thought, "God help the poor fellow--there is nothing I can do." Then he thought that at least he could put his lantern in the porthole, which he did. The man was rescued, and recounting the story next day he said, "I was going down in the darkness for the last time when someone put a light in a port-hole. It shone on my hand, and a sailor in a lifeboat grabbed it and pulled me in." Weakness is no excuse for our not putting forth all the little strength we have. Who can tell how God will use it? Habakkuk 3:19 "The LORD God is my strength, and He will make my feet like hinds’ feet, and He will make me to walk upon mine high places. To the chief singer on my stringed instruments."
Philippians 4:13 "I can do all things through Christ which strengthened me."
Psalms 118:6 "The LORD is on my side; I will not fear: what can man do unto me?"
Isaiah 41:10 "Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness."
Thank you for praying for Janice and her family. They are all doing well. I did send some of the pictures of them, I hope you can access them.
Congratulations to our friend Julie in Oklahoma on the birth of her grandson, Joseph.
I'm enclosing a prayer request from our friend Senie from Virginia, please do remember them in prayer.
Have a wonderful day filled with His grace and His power.
In Him,
Brown
Allan went to the surgeon today to see about much needed knee replacement surgery on his right knee and before we knew it, the date was set for August 9th. They had just had a cancellation and didn't have anything until weeks after that, so we took it as a sign! What that means, unfortunately for us, is that he is not allowed to travel for at least a month, maybe more, partly because of the inability to function easily but also because of a fear of blood clots. And so we will not be able to make it to Sunita's wedding. Drat!!! He has been very uncomfortable recently so we felt that he needed to go ahead and get it done, putting several things aside to make that a priority. So please keep him in your prayers, that he will remain healthy and sail through the surgery and be back at it by later in September. Maybe we'll take a trip to NYS to celebrate!
Also, my longtime friend Betty Boyer in PA's 24 year old granddaughter was killed in an auto accident about 3 weeks ago. Would you please pray for her, her daughter and son-in-law, and the other 2 children that they will be able to get all of this in the right perspective. They are all Christians but the 21 year old sister is having a very difficult time and has become involved in things that she shouldn't be, has a non-Christian boyfriend that she is considering moving in with and feels she should have been killed and not her older, perfect sister. She has always had low self-esteem apparently. Anyway, at a time when the parents need to be dealing with their own grief, everything has become very complicated because of the actions/mindset of Katie. The son, about 10, was also in the vehicle, though he is doing okay, so that is another whole situation to deal with. They know that the Lord can meet their needs but just don't know the best way to handle Katie. She refuses to talk about counseling - a very complicated situation all the way around!
Thanks so much for your note, Brown, and for your willingness to pray for us.
Love to all the family. Do you know how to respond to a little boy? Get practicing soccer and baseball, Grandpa?
Senie, and Allan too
Monday, July 16, 2007
A Word from Alice 7/16/07
Dear praying friends,
Good morning from Jamaica Plain (Boston). I'm just letting you all know
that at this moment in time Janice is feeling much better. Though we
don't with certainty know the cause of her abdominal pain the other
day, she is feeling much stronger. This morning Janice, Micah, and
Simeon went on a 3 mile walk with Aunti Laureen and Grandma. It was
great! Thank you to one and all who have been lifting Janice in prayer.
Micah is adjusting quite well to her new role as big sister. She is
very tender with her baby brother, showering him with kisses and lots
of love. She is gradually adjusting to the squeaks and cries of a
newborn, learning that all babies cry - and she is no longer helping to
make a chorus of crying when the baby is upset.
Simeon is loving his life. He does all the baby things - eats, sleeps,
cries, etc., and has a wonderful raspy little baby voice. Last night he
had his best night yet. He had only a mild day-night switch-up from
about 9 to 10 PM, then slept to midnight. After the midnight feeding
(midnight snack would probably not be an adequate term) he slept until
after 5:30 am. It was wonderful for one and all, giving everyone
much-needed rest.
All is well, and we praise the Lord for His marvelous hand. We are
reminded constantly of God's providence for His people by setting us in
families. What an amazing process it is!
Enjoy your day wherever you are in God's great creation. Blessings on
one and all.
In Christ
Alice
Good morning from Jamaica Plain (Boston). I'm just letting you all know
that at this moment in time Janice is feeling much better. Though we
don't with certainty know the cause of her abdominal pain the other
day, she is feeling much stronger. This morning Janice, Micah, and
Simeon went on a 3 mile walk with Aunti Laureen and Grandma. It was
great! Thank you to one and all who have been lifting Janice in prayer.
Micah is adjusting quite well to her new role as big sister. She is
very tender with her baby brother, showering him with kisses and lots
of love. She is gradually adjusting to the squeaks and cries of a
newborn, learning that all babies cry - and she is no longer helping to
make a chorus of crying when the baby is upset.
Simeon is loving his life. He does all the baby things - eats, sleeps,
cries, etc., and has a wonderful raspy little baby voice. Last night he
had his best night yet. He had only a mild day-night switch-up from
about 9 to 10 PM, then slept to midnight. After the midnight feeding
(midnight snack would probably not be an adequate term) he slept until
after 5:30 am. It was wonderful for one and all, giving everyone
much-needed rest.
All is well, and we praise the Lord for His marvelous hand. We are
reminded constantly of God's providence for His people by setting us in
families. What an amazing process it is!
Enjoy your day wherever you are in God's great creation. Blessings on
one and all.
In Christ
Alice
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