Compassion in its Finest

      We don’t really know the reason people make the choices they do. We may only somewhat understand our own. At times we even make assumptions and jump to all kinds of conclusions about others decisions.  However, unless the person shares their feelings with us, we are only making a guess about them.

    The Scriptures tell us a story of an injured man on the side of the road and the response of three by-passers. The purpose of this parable was to teach what it takes to be a truly loving neighbor.  It drives home the point that in order to love the Lord we cannot physically see with all our heart, soul, strength, and mind, we must love the neighbor we can see.

     Our story begins by telling us about a man ambushed and severely injured by a robber. He lies on the side of the road, possibly close to death.  The first two men, a priest and a Levite, pass by on the other side.  For whatever reason, they avoid getting involved in the situation. We can make guesses as to their reasons, but instead should put ourselves in a similar situation and honestly evaluate what we do.  Don’t we pass stopped cars or the filthy individuals holding signs and asking for money all the time?

     Jesus points out that the third man, who stops to help the injured man was first and foremost a man of compassion. The fact that he was a Samaritan adds more validity to his compassion as he crossed cultural differences to assist the hurt man.  We are told the Samaritan went above the call of duty by not only taking care of the immediate needs of this man but assuring the innkeeper his desire to foot the entire bill to see that this man received the necessary care for him to regain his health. 

     This parable reminds me of two particular incidents in my life in which the Lord placed caretakers in my life as a young lost girl.  The first was my first grade teacher and the second was my seventh grade teacher.

     As a seven year old I took a fall on the playground, skinning up my knee.  My teacher comforted my tears with a hug.  I had no idea at the time the reason I craved affection from her, but what would be considered modern day self-inflicted injury, I fell every day afterward.  I received the exact same response each time, comforting arms.  I believe compassion for a troubled little girl drove this woman’s response to me.

     By the time I reached seventh grade, my private struggle with suicidal thoughts consumed most of my waking hours.  I decided to take a risk and gave my English teacher a journal entry revealing my dark and dismal thoughts.  For the next two years she invested even some of her off hours trying to instill in me a sense of self-worth.  Unfortunately, it was void of the saving grace of Jesus, but it did keep me alive to find Jesus as my Savior in the middle of my sophomore year of high school.

     As I reflected on this parable and these teachers placed in my life, I realized their provision in my life from the Lord. Due to my insecurities, I had few companions my own age and carried many deep unresolved fears far into my adult life.  It took decades for me to fully comprehend how the Lord lived this parable out in my life with my own Good Samaritans.

     How about you?  Can you reflect on your life and see the way the Lord brought a person of deep compassion into your life?  Do you see the way they went beyond the call of duty to help you?  How did his or her response give value and meaning to that difficult time in your life?  When you were bleeding and needing someone to bind up your wounds, what did they do to care for your injuries?  Even if they are no longer a part of your life, praise Jesus for providing them for you when you needed them.

Always Dream

As a young boy the Lord gave Joseph dreams.  These dreams showed Joseph accomplishing great things and his father and brothers bowing before him.  Joseph enjoyed talking about his dreams and this infuriated his brothers.  Increasing the tension even more with his siblings, their father gifted Joseph with a multi-colored coat that he wore all the time.

One day, Joseph headed out to the fields in search of his brothers.  They couldn't miss his coming as they saw the brightness of his coat as he approached.  A deep root of anger and jealousy simmered in their hearts, and now an ideal situation had arisen for them to lash out and rid their lives of the one that vexed them.

As they ate and contemplated their exact plan of action, Joseph sat at the bottom of the dried out well.  Certainly he must have wondered if his dreams had actually come from the Lord now.  As his brothers decided to sell him off to some travelers instead of killing him, he still probably questioned the validity of his dreams.

However, Joseph made the best of his circumstances and no matter where he landed he found favor with those in authority over him.  Eventually he rose to a position of second in charge in the land of Egypt.  It was during a great famine in the land that his life crosses paths with his brothers again.  He instantly recognized them, but they remained clueless about his identity until they past the test Joseph placed before them to confirm whether their hearts had changed since their last encounter.

His brothers never really understood the heart of Joseph until the passing of their father.  They were still reeling in guilt and fear for their lives.  However, Joseph looked at them and with full trust in how the Lord worked in his life he said to his brothers, "What you meant for evil against me the Lord used for good for the preservation of many lives."

Whether we receive true visions or just a dream implanted within our hearts, we need to realize that Jesus fulfills the dreams submitted to honoring and glorifying the Lord.  Those dreams come in unexpected ways and most of the time in unexpected times.  Just like Joseph needed pride removed before his dreams came true, we too might need some heart preparation before our dreams come to pass.

For now, may we place all our dreams in our Savior's hand and trust the fulfillment of them to His timing and His way.  His plans will be best for everyone involved.

Transformed

Zaccheus climbed a sycamore tree because the crowd was so large.  He wanted a glimpse of Jesus.  Did only curiosity motivate him?  There may have been something much bigger stirring in the heart of this man of small stature.

When Jesus approached the tree, He looked up at Zaccheus and called him down.  The Scriptures tell us he came down joyfully as Jesus had invited Himself over to dine with Zaccheus.

The crowds grumbled, of course, presuming Jesus was clueless about not only who Zaccheus was but his occupation.  Tax collectors carried with them reputations of deep dishonesty and Zaccheus was not only a tax collector, but the chief of the tax collectors. He probably swindled wages owed to those working under him too.

The next scene is the salvation and complete proof of a true transformation in Zaccheus.  He promised Jesus that he would return four times the amount he stole from people.  Zaccheus recognized his sin immediately, and Jesus honors the repentance in Zaccheus' heart by stating to everyone present that salvation had come to this home.  Jesus also reiterated the fact that His purpose was to save the lost.

How difficult life must have been for Zaccheus after he returned to work the next day as a changed man.  He was still a tax collector despised by the people.  What a humbling experience to now trace back every dishonest act against others and restore back to them what he stole.  Now he would strive to do honest work, but carry with him the reputation of being a tax collector with people still assuming he was dishonest.

How gracious are we to those transformed by their encounter with Jesus and have repented?  May we learn to open our eyes and love like Jesus those who strive to overcome their past by God's grace.

The Lesson From the Sisters

Entering the village of Bethany, Jesus stopped by the home of Martha and Mary, and their brother, Lazarus.   On what may have been His first visit in their home with them, Martha rushed off to the kitchen.  Suddenly, she realized that Mary had not offered to help in the cooking and serving of the meal.  The Scriptures are silent about who else accompanied Jesus, but it's pretty safe to assume that Lazarus and some of the disciples were there too.  Mary listened as Jesus spoke to someone besides her.

When Martha became overwhelmed with her preparations, she decided to discuss the situation with Jesus.  She pointed out her need for help and expected Jesus to tell her sister to help her.  However, Jesus rebuked Martha for her anxiety.  Her words bled with a "poor me" mentality  which showed her insecurity and possibly a struggle with her self-worth. She asked Jesus if He cared about the wrong treatment she felt she had received from her sister.  She might have wondered if Jesus even noticed the amount of work she put in trying to serve Him.  

She definitely felt slighted by Mary's lack of help, but her anxiety might have been caused by either her excessive preparations or the possibility from the number of guests present. (Luke 10).  Jesus ignored her question regarding His care for her and commended Mary's choice to listen.  He refused to deny her this opportunity. It's possible that Mary's faith actually needed strengthening at this point in order to best prepare her for what the future held.

Only Jesus would know what both sisters truly needed at this time in their lives.  Martha's encounter with Jesus apparently taught her the valuable lesson she needed to learn.  The next time we hear about Jesus dining with them, she prepared the meal alone again without any complaints.  

However, the one upset with Mary's choice on this occasion was Judas Iscariot.  He gave off what sounded like a righteous concern about a better use of the money Mary used to purchase pure nard to anoint Jesus' feet.  Jesus saw through his facade and once again praised Mary's choice.  (John 12). 

We too can get distracted by the wrong things and miss the true intentions of others.  We may fall prey to the selfish acts of others and even at times develop a victim mentality.  Martha first believed she was being mistreated by Mary's choice and not only wanted some help but probably some attention to what she was doing.  

We do know that money can absolutely be used wastefully at times.  Judas' downfall was money, and despite all the time he spent with Jesus, he never understood Him the way these two sisters did.

We need to guard our hearts or we can become blinded to the truth lived out in front of us.  Martha took heed to Jesus' rebuke, and we see the way her faith developed to the point of cheerfully serving a meal without help or complaints.  She no longer stressed over her sister's choices. 

The Deception of Pride

A walk through the gospel gives us a picture of the deception of pride.  The religious leaders in Jesus' days followed Him from impure motives.  They held on to their traditions like they were God's gift to them, and so whenever Jesus seemed to break their man-made laws it provided them with more evidence for their case against Him.

How often do we approach situations and people with our own preconceived ideas, too?  We question the heart and motives of those who use different methods then us.  We jump to conclusions and think the worse about what others are doing.  We don't understand or dislike something and therefore decide that it must be bad.

When we don't like what others are doing, we need to step back and examine our own hearts.  We need to carefully guard against the spirit of pride and judgment.  If not, we may become the Scribes and Pharisees dwelling in the church today.  Jesus looked into their hearts and called them hypocrites and white-washed tombs.

Father, open our eyes and  help us recognize areas in which pride has found a foothold in our hearts.  Give us the courage to face it and release it to You, so that deception will be lifted from us and we might walk in the truth toward others and ourself.

The Cleansing of Captivity

The Lord warned the Israelites that sin gave their enemies opportunities to captivate them, but they took no heed to His Word.  Already a divided country, Israel had been led into captivity.  In Jeremiah we read how Babylon has now taken Judah captive.  

However, the Lord never leaves His people without a faithful witness, and Jeremiah speaks to the people about their freedom again.  He reminds them that the Lord's plans entail a future and a hope for them (Jer. 29:11-13).  During captivity, the Israelites need to focus on walking with the Lord once again.

Jeremiah continually reminded the people about the Lord's plan to return them to their promised land.  Just like in the days of Moses, the people experienced slavery for a time so they might truly understand freedom.  Once again, they needed to recognize the importance of relying on the Lord.

The Lord instructs Jeremiah to warn the people about false prophets, because the Lord knows how prone people are to deception in difficulties.  When life gets hard, people tend to look for the easiest solution out of it.  However, captivity helps dross to rise to the surface in order for a necessary cleansing to be revealed.  When the cleansing is complete, then freedom comes and can truly be enjoyed.

Where are we today?  The Lord wants us to recognize the truth about where we are, so that we might indeed be free!

Perfect Timing

The five thousand fully satisfied from being fed now begin to desire to make Jesus king (John 6).  When Jesus perceives their intention toward Him, He dismisses Himself from their presence.

Jesus knew His purpose. This time on earth served the purpose of providing salvation for us.  Jesus kept His sights on what He was called to do.  He knew in the right time, His day would come to rule as king, and that time had not yet arrived.   We still wait for that day.

Do we know our purpose?  Do we know how to keep our focus on what the Lord calls us to do today?  Let's guard against jumping ship to the next best thing and therefore miss out on God's perfect timing for all things right now.