The gospel this weekend came from Luke chapter 10, you know, the parable of The Good Samaritan. The “expert in the law” asks what he must do to inherit eternal life.
Jesus asked the expert what was written in the law and the expert said the law stated to love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, strength and mind. Oh…and one other thing “love your neighbor as yourself.” Luke 10:27
Jesus told him he was correct, “do this and you will live.” vs. 28
There are countless lessons to be learned from this parable. Lessons on compassion, generosity and love, just to name a few. But for some reason that is not the lesson I took away this time.
I don’t know why, but yesterday verse 29 jumped out at me.
But he wanted to justify himself, so he asked Jesus,
“And who is my neighbor?” Luke 10:29
emphasis mine
It isn’t the neighbor question that gets me, it is the first part of that verse. The justification part.
The expert wants eternal life.
He knows what the law says.
He understands the law.
But let’s have a bit more clarification. (He is a lawyer, after all!)
Just exactly, Lord, WHO is my neighbor. WHO do I have to love?
Surely not the people that are different from me.
Surely not the people that have less than me.
You are not asking me to love the people that do THOSE things, are you, Lord? And what about those people that don’t follow the law, Lord…I have to love them too?
Yes, I think that is exactly what the Lord was telling the expert of the law.
And that is what he telling me too. Our neighbor is everyone. Even those that we really don’t WANT to love…Jesus says we have to love them too.
I wonder if I am as loving toward those that are not like me as I should be. I think I am not.
And if this seems like an unfinished blog post, that is because it is. I don’t have the answer.
I working through the process of learning to love my neighbor. I don’t have 3 bullet points on how to do that.
Or steps to work on. I am just mulling over the fact that I don’t need to be trying to JUSTIFY my decisions, I need to LOVE my neighbor.
And my neighbor is everybody.
Faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.
1 Corinthians 13:13
Do you have trouble loving your neighbor?
Or even deciding WHO is your neighbor?
I am joining with Michelle. Click here to read more Hear it on Sunday posts.
And my neighbor is everybody – yes! It's sometimes difficult to hear that we must love the unlovely, but that's really what the gospel is all about. He loved us, the unlovely, first. Thanks for sharing at the Hear it on Sunday link-up! 🙂
You got me at your title. 🙂 I'm probably not going down as the Good Samaritan either.
Your point about justifying though: I *might* could be accused of that from time to time (if anybody were to ask). Trying to let go of that need to justify and instead just flat-out obey.
I wrote on the good samaritan too! (I actually got to give the sermon this week, since we have a little baby start-up church and the pastor wasn't going to be there. My husband presided; I just preached with my theologian husband's help.) The way I see it, Jesus is answering the self-justifying (because the lawyer knows he is a tiny bit guilty) with a helpful correction: it's not about who the nearby person is, it's about who you are going to be. Maybe you want to look at my whole sermon? highheartedly.wordpress.com
Thanks for your honest reflection. God is at work, rely on him!!
you've got that right, Mary! we're forever trying to make ourselves look good and shrug off what we own, what we're responsible for. we're crazy if we think He doesn't know the deepest depths of our hearts!
Thanks for stopping by my blog today Mary. I had to come over and read your Good Sam post too. I wrote about this passage in a different way for Tuesday's post but am smiling since I see it is similar to yours today. Glad to find your blog. I think we are spiritual sisters.
Justification…..one of my favorite words to throw around when I want to get my way….which is just the problem..God's way is so different from my way. I don't want to love everyone but God is so patient and keeps reminding me that His way is best and that He will help me accomplish His way….What an awesome God we serve…
Thank you so much for this post…Words to ponder for sure….
This is one of my favorite Bible stories–how could it not be? I am always struck by the masterful way Jesus used stories. It wouldn't have been the same had he simply said, "A good neighbor is someone who shows compassion to all, not just those who look like them." The story gives the aha gently.
In what seemed like the blink of an eye, those young 20 somethings were married for 41 years.
The second photo was taken last year on our 40th anniversary. I didn`t post it because I didn`t like the way my legs looked. Something happened in the last year and I`m reminded that those legs have carried me for 62 years (when the photo was taken). Carried me through 3 pregnancies that gifted me with one living child, @coach_andy_bonner
The last photo was taken on Tuesday as we sat on the beach and a lady walked by and said, "would you like me to take your picture?" We said yes. Time with John is still one of my favorite things. He retired on Friday, before we left on Monday for this trip. There are so many unknowns but so much to be grateful for and so much to look forward to in the next stage.
I`m grateful for my clients that give me something to do every day Monday-Friday. @christiepurifoy @kriscamealy @bekah @whatlolalikes @abby_roadhome & to the wonderful team @parkermanagement-you guys all make my life so fun!
And I`m grateful for time at a place like this. Sand and water...not sure there is anything better!
Happy Anniversary Week to my love that is not on ANY social media channel!
She died 4 days after she was born. We buried her 4 days after she died.
Born 6-9-1992
Died 6-12-1992
Buried 6-16-1992
That would be 31 years ago today.
Last year, on the 30th anniversary of her birth we re-buried her on the grounds of St. Emma Monastery Greensburg, PA where her paternal grandparents are buried.
This year, today has been harder than Friday, June 9 the day she was born. Or Monday, June 12 the day she died.
I`ve cried more today than either of the other days.
I took a walk.
Got a pedicure.
Cried.
And chose a simple dinner of appetizers.
And I give myself permission to do nothing else.
I am thankful for the time we had her. For the experience and the things I learned about myself through the experience.
John and I are very conscious of what we say yes to and what we say no to. All because of Amy`s short life.
I`ve tried to use my experience to help others experiencing infant loss-or any loss. Some things are the same no matter the age of the deceased. Even if it is a loss thru miscarriage. I`ve experienced that too.
A loss is a loss.
Thank you to my sister and niece @sherrigd @tarahelise for letting us spend last weekend on your porch crying, laughing, and drinking wine and margaritas. I love you guys more than you know and I really needed that.
In what seems like the blink of an eye, it is 31 years later. Not a day goes by that I do not think of her.
My heart still hurts.
I cry at random times.
And I miss her. Still. 31 years later.
I grieve all the things that didn`t happen.
The relationships.
The life events.
Strangely though there are fewer tears today. Sometimes I think my tears are all gone. The well is dry.
Lack of tears does not mean lack of grief. There is no right or wrong way to grieve. So I accept my emotions today-whatever they may be.
If you know someone that has experienced a loss, don`t be afraid to tell them you remember. Let them know you care. Take a meal, send a text, write and snail mail a card. We want to know our loss is not forgotten.
I cried in church. Not because I was thinking about the events leading up to the crucifixion but because there was a little girl of about 5 or so sitting in front of me. She had the most gorgeous dark hair. With streaks of gold running through it. Natural streaks. Not the artificial colored streaks I pay more than I`m willing to share to get every few months.
As I observed her I thought about my own daughter. The one that died at 4 days old.
I thought of how she might be standing next to me this morning or next Sunday on Easter. Maybe she would have travelled to Charlotte to spend some time with her dad and me.
Grief is something that robs us of so much. It robs me of not just my daughter but it robs me of being the mom of a daughter.
I look at some of my closest friends, all mothers of daughters and I envy, yes ENVY!, the relationships they all have with their daughters. They may not agree with them on all things or see eye-to-eye with them but the daughters lead the charge to throw surprise 60th birthday parties for their parents or make sure that mom gets a Mother`s Day card, a birthday card, etc.
I think daughters are different than sons. Daughters are more sensitive than sons based on my observations as an outsider. I do not experience that sensitivity. And I grieve the fact that I am not the mother of a daughter.
The version of me before Amy`s death is totally different than the me that is here now.
If you want to read more about about my daughter, Amy, you can go to https://marybonner.net/?s=Amy and read more about my journey through infant loss and moving forward.
Adam McHugh`s book Blood From a Stone is a beautiful piece of writing about returning from the dead. I encourage you to check it out. You can find the book on Amazon or wherever books are sold. Find and follow him @adammchughwine You won`t be sorry.
"Grief is so agonizing not only because you have lost something, but you have lost someone, and that someone is the version of you that was alive before your loss." Blood From a Stone Adam McHugh Page 102
Every June I think I`m going to handle this better. Whatever better looks like - I don`t know. 30 years and I still cry at random times. And every June I fall apart.
She would have been 30 next week. Instead of whisking her off for a 30th birthday trip to Key West like we did for her brother @coach_andy_bonner or Niagara Falls like we did for his wife we will make another kind of trip.
There will be a mass next Saturday and we will stand at a grave site as we move her body from the small town where she was buried to a final resting place by her paternal grandparents on the beautiful grounds of St Emma Monastery in Greensburg, PA.
I look forward to the weekend and I dread it all at the same time.
Today I broke down and sobbed. Just like yesterday. And probably will tomorrow. But I remember that He catches my tears in a bottle Psalm 56:8
If I learned anything from this life experience, it is this: I can do hard things. But not of my own strength. Philippians 4:13
And my neighbor is everybody – yes! It's sometimes difficult to hear that we must love the unlovely, but that's really what the gospel is all about. He loved us, the unlovely, first. Thanks for sharing at the Hear it on Sunday link-up! 🙂
So thankful that He loved us…the unlovely!
Great post. We all want to justify our actions, don't we? Instead, we are to love, unconditionally, as Christ did. Linking with Playdates. Kim
So nice to meet you Kim! Thank you for stopping by.
You got me at your title. 🙂 I'm probably not going down as the Good Samaritan either.
Your point about justifying though: I *might* could be accused of that from time to time (if anybody were to ask). Trying to let go of that need to justify and instead just flat-out obey.
Oh, Lisa…I think you and I have a LOT in common! 🙂
I wrote on the good samaritan too! (I actually got to give the sermon this week, since we have a little baby start-up church and the pastor wasn't going to be there. My husband presided; I just preached with my theologian husband's help.) The way I see it, Jesus is answering the self-justifying (because the lawyer knows he is a tiny bit guilty) with a helpful correction: it's not about who the nearby person is, it's about who you are going to be. Maybe you want to look at my whole sermon? highheartedly.wordpress.com
Thanks for your honest reflection. God is at work, rely on him!!
you've got that right, Mary! we're forever trying to make ourselves look good and shrug off what we own, what we're responsible for. we're crazy if we think He doesn't know the deepest depths of our hearts!
Thanks for stopping by my blog today Mary. I had to come over and read your Good Sam post too. I wrote about this passage in a different way for Tuesday's post but am smiling since I see it is similar to yours today. Glad to find your blog. I think we are spiritual sisters.
Justification…..one of my favorite words to throw around when I want to get my way….which is just the problem..God's way is so different from my way. I don't want to love everyone but God is so patient and keeps reminding me that His way is best and that He will help me accomplish His way….What an awesome God we serve…
Thank you so much for this post…Words to ponder for sure….
This is one of my favorite Bible stories–how could it not be? I am always struck by the masterful way Jesus used stories. It wouldn't have been the same had he simply said, "A good neighbor is someone who shows compassion to all, not just those who look like them." The story gives the aha gently.
Leave it to Jesus. Beautiful.