Wallace Vickers made an easy target. He was the brunt of a lot of jokes. But not for Leta Hayes. She'd smile and say, "He's as good a man as he knows how to be." Well, I'd like to think we could say the same of the priest in The Parable of the Good Samaritan – he was as good a man as he knew how to be.
Jesus WAS the Samaritan. He was an outcast who was willing to seek and save people who were perishing. He was and is the ultimate neighbor whose compassion contrasted with Jewish religious leaders who had no compassion for those who suffered.
"And who is my neighbor?" What the lawyer's really saying is, "Let's keep this on the intellectual level. Let's stay in the library or the classroom or the sanctuary. I don't want to venture out into the sunlight of the real world."
There comes someone to help us. Someone of a despised race. He takes risks in approaching, and spends resources on our recovery with no guarantee we will ever thank him. Even to us, who may appear to despise him, this Samaritan shows compassion. For once we learn his name. His name is Jesus.
A young couple were new in town and looking for a church home. They'd visited several churches already and wondering what his had to offer – Family life center? Personal growth groups? It's a competitive world for churches. He said, "Oh, you'll love our church. We'll give you a Cross to bear."
When we look at the church, our church, we see mundane meetings, ordinary folk, unspectacular routine, people with all kinds of troubles. Yet Jesus sees heaven and earth being transformed through us. Jesus commissions us to be part of his revolutionary overthrow of the powers of death and evil.
During the week, dispersed in many directions, each of us will, no doubt, feel rising in our hearts at least one of these forms of fear. This fear will try to disrupt our discipleship, interrupt our journey to the kingdom. But if we listen, we will also hear Jesus telling us once again: "Do not be afraid!"
Jesus gives advice to the seventy he sent out to every town and place where he intended to go. The number is important for it was the number of nations that ancient people believed to exist on earth. Seventy people sent meant that no tribe or nation on earth was to be excluded from the Gospel.
Another joined the march. Jesus invited him, "Follow me." BUT he said, "first, let me go and bury my father." Pam Laing responds, "I wish we could kick all the 'buts' out of the church."
Jesus has the annoying habit of calling people, whether their life is a moral disaster or a moral example. This is because he is interested in something besides improving bad people's behavior. He wants all people, regardless of their behavior, to become his disciples.