Text: Luke 10:25-37
“But if anyone has the world’s goods and sees his brother in need, yet closes his heart against him, how does God’s love abide in him?” 1 John 3:17
Everything in our society is screaming at us to pick a side. Choose one over the other. Go right, go left. Love one side, hate the other. Acrimony is the norm. Sadly, this form of divisiveness has also crept into the church. The latest reprising of an age-old debate seems to be drawing lines of partition among Christians. The debate is fueled by this questiohttps://jimmylarche.breakawayoutreach.com/wp-admin/edit.php?post_type=pagen: Is the gospel mere proclamation or is it acts of compassion and charity?
Oddly enough, proponents on one side or the other dichotomize what was meant to be biblically harmonious—making a division between two things Jesus has united in Himself. In Christ’s teachings and in his holistic example of fleshing out kingdom compassion, the voice of truth was never divorced from the hands and feet of mercy.
[bctt tweet=”Oddly enough, we make a division between two things Jesus unites in Himself.” username=”jimmylarche”]
In today’s text we read a very familiar story that Jesus told. It was in response to a question that a scribe asked in a self-serving effort to justify his own theological views. Jesus spoke of a man who traveled from Jerusalem to Jericho, and while on his journey was robbed, beaten down, and left in dire straits. Two devotedly religious characters passed him by, as they turned a deaf ear to his plight. Interestingly enough, the passage says that these men passed by on “the other side.” They chose their “side,” and it was the other side of the street, a safe distance away from the bleeding man. To this day many religious people are still choosing to walk on the “other side”—very far from those societal margins where hurting people are in distress.
The next character, a Samaritan, was the least likely to have shown compassion, due to the prejudices that Jews and Samaritans had for each other. But he spent his own money in taking care of the man, nursing him back to dignity. The scribe (also known as an expert lawyer or theologian) was told to “go and do likewise,” implying that he shouldn’t divorce his orthodox beliefs, or his verbal creed, from his practical responsibilities of fleshing out compassion in society.
Jesus’ point was loud and clear. Don’t separate what should be integrated.
In the very same context, the same gospel that has graced us with unmerited salvation tells us that we are God’s workmanship for good works (Ephesians 2:8-10)—works that Jesus tells us should be demonstrated as light shining in a dark world (Matthew 5:16). The same Bible that compels us to proclaim God’s truth with boldness (2 Timothy 4:2, Ephesians 6:19-20) also commands us to “open” our mouths for the “rights of all who are destitute,” to “judge righteously” in defending “the rights of the poor and needy” (Proverbs 31:8-9). God has promised: “And if you spend yourselves in behalf of the hungry and satisfy the needs of the oppressed, then your light will rise in the darkness, and your night will become like the noonday” (Isaiah 58:10).
It’s been said that if you cut out every Bible verse that is related to poverty and social justice, you will have removed over 2,000 texts from God’s sacred book. While it is vital that the blood-stained cross, the empty tomb, and the “go and preach” directives never get jettisoned on the waves of a Christ-less social gospel, it would be equally reckless to throw out compassion and acts of mercy in favor of mere Christian rhetoric—as seen stigmatized in the characters of the priest and Levite in the story of the Good Samaritan (Luke 10:25-37).
We shouldn’t have to choose between proclaiming the good news of salvation and practicing our charity in serving society’s distressed and downtrodden. Truth-bearing and mercy-giving should not be pitted against each other. In Jesus they are always both-and, never either-or. If we try to choose one or the other, we leave a giant, gaping hole in the beautifully redemptive gospel we have been entrusted with—a gospel we need to be taking to the very ends of the earth. It’s what we are still here for.
PRAYER
Heavenly Father, help us to never divide what you have united in Christ. Help us to identify prejudices that have been rooted in fear, which may unknowingly be affecting how we flesh out the gospel. Help us to never add or take away from your Word, but take the whole counsel of God into consideration. Keep us from unnecessary and divisive arguments with other believers, and help us to live out our faith in a divided and hurting world. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Questions for Reflection and/or Family Discussion:
- What legitimate concerns are there in addressing social justice issues while abandoning the proclamation of biblical truth?
- What legitimate concerns are there in adopting a “proclamation only” approach to the gospel, which often neglects practicing compassion and fleshing out acts of mercy in society?
- How did the scribe redefine the word “neighbor” after he heard the parable of the Good Samaritan (Luke 10:37)?
- How do you define the word “neighbor” and why is that definition important to the redemptive work of the gospel in our world today?
- What did Jesus command the scribe to do in response to the parable, and how should this parable affect the faith of those who desire to follow Jesus in this generation?
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