To Love Christ is to Love His Church

When Jesus was taken captive by the officers of the Jews, he was brought to the palace of the high priest. The Scriptures record that Peter followed Jesus and was let into the palace by “her that kept the door” at the request of John “who was known unto the high priest” (John 18:15-16). It was in that setting that Peter denied knowing Christ on three separate occasions (Matthew 26:69-75).

Fast forward to the Sea of Galilee after the Lord was resurrected from the dead. Peter and other of the disciples are fishing offshore. Jesus appears on the shore and miraculously makes a futile night fishing profitable with a huge catch of fish. At this point they make their way to join him on shore where they dine with him.

After the meal Jesus ministers to Peter’s failure at the high priest’s palace. He asks Peter three times “Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me?” (John 21:17). Each time Peter responds to Jesus, “Yea, Lord; thou knowest that I love thee” (John 21:16). It is through this exchange that our Lord tenderly restores Peter to a place of service.

It is interesting to note here that love for Christ manifests itself in love for his children. On each occasion after Peter’s response, Jesus instructed Peter “feed my sheep” (John 21:16). In essence, the Lord said, “Peter, if you love me, love those that belong to me, too”. This admonition extends to all those who have been born again. John stated in his epistle “everyone that loveth him that begat [Jesus] loveth him also that is begotten of him” (I John 5:1).

The Scriptures know nothing of loving Christ apart from loving those in his body, the church. It is a family kind of love that God gives to his children, and it testifies to our new life in Christ. “We know that we have passed from death unto life, because we love the brethren” (I John 3:14).

What does it mean to love the brethren? God has placed each of his children “in the body, as it has pleased him” (I Corinthians 12:18). Furthermore, he has gifted each one of his children with a specific ability to minister to his or her fellow believers in the body. “But the manifestation of the Spirit [spiritual gift] is given to every man to profit withal” (I Corinthians 12:7). Not only has God gifted his children, but he has the expectation that each believer will use his gift. “As every man hath received the gift, even so minister the same one to another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God” (I Peter 4:10).

Loving the brethren means we seek and pray for the welfare of those in the family of God with a governing focus of promoting Christlikeness in each to the glory of God. Yet a love for others must first necessarily overcome our own self-interest. Paul challenged the Philippian believers accordingly. “Look not every man on his own things, but every man also on the things of others” (Philippians 2:4).  Only then are we able to “serve one another in love” (Galatians 5:13).

How about you? Are you in the family of God? “But as many as received him [Jesus], to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name: which were born…of God” (John 1:12-13). Fellow believer, how are you demonstrating love to your brothers and sisters in Christ?

We Lead by Serving

What comes to your mind when you think about the role, responsibility, and exercise of leadership? How we answer that question reveals much about the state of our society. A well-functioning, multi-faceted society requires a variety of leadership roles carrying out their responsibilities in an effective manner. On one hand, leaders by definition operate  with a degree of autonomy. On the other hand, the effectiveness of their leadership is leveraged by a proper sense of inter-dependence with other societal leadership roles. But there is one quality that is the earmark of all effective leadership and that is a servant’s mindset. However counter-intuitive that may sound to us, it is nonetheless the chief characteristic set forth by the Lord Jesus Christ to his disciples. It is key to leadership.

Our Lord took time to teach this valuable lesson to his disciples following the Passover meal. He arose from supper and “laid aside his garments; and took a towel, and girded himself. After that he poureth water into a bason, and began to wash the disciples’ feet, and to wipe them with the towel wherewith he was girded” (John 13:4-5). His action created no small stir among his disciples. After all, Jesus was their Messiah and Lord, the very Son of God. “So after he had washed their feet…and was set down again, he said unto them, Know ye what I have done to you? Ye call me Master and Lord: and ye say well; for so I am. If I then, your Lord and Master, have washed your feet; ye also ought to wash one another’s feet. For I have given you an example, that ye should do as I have done to you” (John 13:12-15).

The key to understanding our Lord’s actions is found in his love for his disciples. Immediately prior to washing the disciples’ feet, the Scripture records “when Jesus knew that his hour was come that he should depart out of this world unto the Father, having loved his own which were in the world, he loved them unto the end” (John 13:1; emphasis added). His example declares and teaches that love flows from authority.

Love then is a superintending and selfless care for those under authority. This mindset, consequently, must be the prevailing and governing mindset of all who exercise authority by virtue of their leadership roles. Another way of expressing this truth is that a leader’s thinking must be governed by the benefit accrued to those under their leadership. Leaders do what is best for those whom they lead. In this sense, leaders serve those under their leadership.

At one time during Jesus’ earthly ministry, James and John requested of him that they might sit on his right hand and on his left hand in his kingdom. Christ pointed out that they had mischaracterized the purpose of leadership, which is not found in position, but in service. He both admonished and challenged them (James and John, as well as all the disciples) saying  “whosoever of you will be the chiefest, shall be servant of all. For even the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many” (Mark 10:44-45). Love truly does flow from authority.

How about your view of leadership? Do you consider yourself a leader? Do you have in mind the best interest of those under your leadership as you lead?

Whom Say Ye That I Am?

The gospel writer, Luke, records the Lord’s challenge to his disciples about his identity. “And it came to pass, as he [Jesus] was alone praying, his disciples were with him: and he asked them, saying, whom say the people that I am?” (Luke 9:18). It was a fair question. He had come testifying that he was the Son of God, performing the miracles that was prophesied of his being and purpose. Even so, the answers of the people missed the mark. “They answering said, John the Baptist; but some say, Elias; and others say, that one of the old prophets is risen again” (Luke 9:19).

It is evident from the passage that Jesus was not moved by what the people thought, but that he desired this initial inquiry to lead to exploring what his disciples thought. “He said unto them, but whom say ye that I am?” (Luke 9:20). They had been living in close proximity to the Lord for quite some time now, both observing his miracles and listening to his teaching. It was imperative that his disciples were convinced of his claims as to who he was before they could embrace his purpose for coming. Peter speaking with great boldness and confidence, perhaps for all of the disciples, “answered and said, thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God” (Matthew 16:16).

The Scriptures declare “From that time forth began Jesus to show unto his disciples, how that he must go unto Jerusalem, and suffer many things of the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised again the third day” (Matthew 16:21). This was not what his disciples were expecting.

The title “Christ” is the Greek form of the Hebrew word “Messiah.” The Messiah was God’s anointed One, the promised deliverer of God’s earthly people, the Jews. In Jesus’ day the Jews expected the Messiah to deliver his people from Roman rule and establish his kingdom on earth. But before Jesus could take his place as the King of Israel, he must first suffer death on the cross. “For even the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many” (Mark 10:45).

The disciples recoiled at the Lord’s declaration of his death. In fact, Peter rebuked the Lord, saying, “be it far from thee, Lord: this [his death] shall not be unto thee” (Matthew 1622). But our Lord answered Peter forcefully ascribing his resistance to God’s will to Satan himself. “Get thee behind me, Satan: thou art an offense unto me: for thou savourest not the things that be of God, but those that be of men” (Matthew 16:23).

Our Savior clearly understood God’s plan and purpose in redeeming the souls of men and followed it faithfully. The claims of Christ stand today as plain as they did 2,000 years ago. He is the Messiah, the King of Israel and the Lamb of God, the Savior of men. He is coming back soon to establish his throne. The question that Jesus asked his disciples remains valid. What think ye? Whom say ye that I am?

What Manner of Man Is This!

The gospels record for us the life and ministry of Jesus Christ. These events are intended to give us pause to reflect. Take, for instance, an event related in the gospel of Luke that testifies to the Lord’s power over the deep. Luke records “he [Jesus] went into a ship with his disciples: and he said unto them, let us go over unto the other side of the lake [Galilee]” (Luke 8:22). The Scriptures go on to say, “as they sailed, he fell asleep: and there came down a storm of wind on the lake; and they were filled with water, and were in jeopardy” (Luke 8:23).

Two points merit consideration. First, the men on this boat were fishermen. This was not their first storm, and they certainly were not inexperienced in dealing with such circumstances. Second, the disciples were in the very will of God, for Jesus himself had instructed them to get in the boat and cross the lake. The arrival of the storm did not take Christ by surprise. Consequently, there was a purpose in his instruction to the disciples to launch forth.

The storm was intensely powerful because these fishermen, though experienced, were genuinely afraid for their very lives. Luke tells us “they [the disciples] came to him, and awoke him, saying, Master, master, we perish” (Luke 8:24). It is worth noting that they came to him and sought his intervention. They believed that he both cared and that he could do something to secure their safety. Souls in danger have sought the Lord to deliver them countless times through the centuries believing the very same things.

In a simple statement of fact, the gospel writer records “Then he arose, and rebuked the wind and the raging of the water: and they ceased, and there was calm” (Luke 8:24). Instant peace and tranquility! The One who led them to launch into the deep delivered them from an almost certain watery grave with the word of his mouth. Is it any wonder that all they could say was “What manner of man is this! For he commandeth even the winds and water, and they obey him” (Luke 8:25).

It is certain that nature’s elements knew the voice of their Creator. John records for us that “All things were made by him [Jesus]; and without him was not anything made that was made” (John 1:3). To still the wind and to quiet the waves was nothing for the One who brought them into existence by his very word. This is only one display of his divine power recorded for us in the Scriptures. The Scriptures also teach us that when the disciples reached the other side of the lake, they encountered a man possessed by demons who was forced to make his abode in the tombs. Christ set the man free from his captors and these demons, now residing in a heard of swine, were swallowed up by the same deep that just moments before had sought to swallow the disciples’ boat.

There are many records of Jesus’ miraculous works in the gospels. John informs us “these are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life through his name” (John 20:31). If we take a moment to reflect upon his works, we must come to the same conclusion as his disciples. What manner of man is this! Friend, this is the Christ, the Son of God!

Restoring God’s Image

Is morality dead? The short answer is no, morality is not dead. We know that to be true because mankind was created in the moral likeness of God. “And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness…So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them” (Genesis 1:26-27). Man’s likeness to God invariably includes a moral likeness because God himself is a moral being. The Scriptures teach us that the Lord is holy and righteous in all his ways, words of moral character. “The LORD is righteous in all his ways, and holy in all his works” (Psalm 145:17).

God placed Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden with instructions to cultivate it and care for it. Everything was at their disposal for food with one exception, the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. The LORD “commanded man, saying, of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat: but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die” (Genesis 2:16-17).

The rest is history. Adam did that which God had told him not to do and sin entered the world. “Wherefore, as by one man [Adam] sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned” (Romans 5:12). Death now reigns because every man and woman born into this world is a sinner. Every cemetery that dots the landscape of our countryside is testimony to the universal presence of sin and death.

Sin did not eradicate that image of God in man, but it did mar it greatly. In short, man’s moral compass is broken. Morality then is not dead, but merely tragically disfigured by sin’s destructive influence and the blindness of our hearts. Jeremiah, the prophet, reminds us “the heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?” (Jeremiah 17:9). Men, apart from the mercy and truth of God, wander in darkness inviting the judgment of God. “Professing themselves to be wise, they become fools” (Romans 1:22).

We are a people that, as Isaiah puts it, “call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!” (Isaiah 5:20). But, take heart! God is in the business of restoring his image through the reconciling work of Jesus Christ. The Scriptures declare that “God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them…for he hath made him [Christ] to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him” (2 Corinthians 5:19, 21).

Christ bore our sins on his cross suffering the wrath of God that was due unto us “for the soul that sinneth, it shall die” (Ezekiel 18:4). His blood paid the ransom for our souls. Those who put their faith in Jesus enjoy the forgiveness of sins and are declared righteous with the very righteousness of Christ. We stand reconciled to God by him. And it is through this reconciliation that the process of restoring that moral image of God begins.

A Few Thoughts on Prayer

The Bible records many things about prayer. That should not be surprising. The Bible is God’s word and prayer is the means of communicating with God. Consequently, examples and instructions pertaining to prayer are commonly seen throughout the Scriptures. It takes a careful collective examination of these references to prayer to craft a credible understanding of this multi-faceted topic.

Perhaps, it is good to begin with John’s record of Jesus dealing with the Samaritan woman. Christ tells her, “God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth” (John 4:23). From this we understand that prayer is of necessity a spiritual enterprise. In order to pray to God, one must first have spiritual life. As Paul reminded the Ephesian believers, every man and woman who enters this world is born spiritually “dead in trespasses and sins” (Ephesians 2:1). As anyone who has ever stood in a cemetery understands, the dead cannot speak.

One must be born again, regenerated by the Spirit of God, to have spiritual life. As Jesus told Nicodemus, “That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Marvel not that I said unto thee, ye must be born again” (John 3:6-7). The Apostle Paul emphasized to Titus that the new birth does not occur by our own works, but by the work of the Spirit of God. Paul explains that this new birth is “not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his [God’s] mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost” (Titus 3:5).

The Spirit of God uses his word to impress the claims of Christ and his gospel upon our spiritually dead souls to create new life in us. Peter teaches this truth in his first epistle. “Seeing ye have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit…being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth forever” (I Peter 1:22-23). As we then exercise faith in Christ, we are born again. “But as many as received him [Jesus], to them gave he power [authority] to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name: which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God” (John 1:12-13).

The New Testament goes to great lengths to present the foundation of a life of communion with God. It begins with repentance toward God and faith in the Lord Jesus Christ to receive spiritual life, eternal life. This is prayer’s source. There is no communion with God that does not begin with new life.

But new life alone does not guarantee answers to prayer. New life gives an audience with God, but it is loving obedience that gives confidence that our prayers are heard and answered. “And whatsoever we ask, we receive of him [God], because we keep his commandments, and do those things that are pleasing in his sight” (I John 3:22). God gives new life to repentant sinners that they might walk with him in obedience and enjoy him forever. Do you have this life? Are you walking in loving obedience?

A Peace That Lasts

Immediately prior to his crucifixion, Jesus spoke of the Comforter who would come upon his own return to the Father following his resurrection. “And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you forever…for he dwelleth with you and shall be in you. I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you” (John 14:16-18). Jesus promised his disciples that he would come to them and abide with them in the Person of the Holy Spirit.

It is in this context that he makes this wonderful promise. “Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid” (John 14:27). Take a moment to let that promise grip your soul. The emphatic element is that there is a genuine and significant difference between how the world gives and how Christ gives. Christ gives good gifts and lasting gifts. On the other hand the world gives that which does not satisfy and that which does not endure.

For example, the world might give wealth, but such riches are uncertain (I Timothy 6:17); they “certainly make themselves wings; they fly away as an eagle toward heaven” (Proverbs 23:5). Jesus warned about laying up riches on earth where moth and rust corrupt and where thieves break through and steal (Matthew 6:19). In short, riches cannot purchase a lasting peace. Solomon captured the elusive promise of wealth in this manner. “He that loveth silver shall not be satisfied with silver; nor he that loveth abundance with increase: this is also vanity” (Ecclesiastes 5:10).

Genuine, lasting peace is both the rarest and most sought after commodity known to man. Yet Jesus offers it as a gift in the Person of His Holy Spirit to those who trust him as Savior. True peace comes from a right standing before God. Since Adam’s disobedience God in the Garden of Eden, every man and woman has been born a sinner before God. And so it is that “by one man [Adam] sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned” (Romans 5:12). Every cemetery that we pass by is a testimony to the universality of sin and its just consequences.

Now, mankind, through his sin, is alienated from God and quite literally stands as the enemy of God in need of reconciliation. God has provided this means of reconciliation “through the blood of his [Jesus’] cross…and you, that were sometime alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now hath he reconciled in the body of his flesh through death, to present you unblameable and unreprovable in his [God’s] sight” (Colossians 1:20-22). Paul reminded the Corinthian believers “that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them” (2 Corinthians 5:19).

Paul testified to the believers in Rome that Christ Jesus “was delivered [on the cross] for our offences, and was raised again for our justification” (Romans 4:25). Jesus died for our sins and all those who accept him as their Savior have their sins forgiven and stand justified before God. Paul puts it this way, “Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ” (Romans 5:1). This peace is the source of all comfort for now and eternity. No wonder Christ said,  “Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.” Do you know this peace?

God’s Rule in the Affairs of Men

Chapter 21 of Second Chronicles records God’s dealing with Jehoram, a wicked king of Judah. The Scriptures record that he did not walk in the ways of Jehoshaphat, his father, or Asa, both godly kings of Judah. Rather, he “walked in the way of the [evil] kings of Israel, and hast made Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem to go a whoring [departing from the LORD after idols]…and also hast slain thy brethren of thy father’s house, which were better than thyself” (v. 13).

For these sins “the LORD stirred up against Jehoram the spirit of the Philistines, and of the Arabians…and they came up into Judah, and brake into it, and carried away all the substance that was found in the king’s house, and his sons also, and his wives” (vs. 16-17). Note that it was the LORD who stirred up the spirit of these nations against Judah. We are not told how he did it, but merely that he did.

God’s sovereign control over the affairs of men was emphasized to Isaiah, the prophet, when the LORD declared that he would use Cyrus to deliver the Jews from a future captivity. This prophetic utterance was two hundred years before Cyrus was born! He became king of the Medes and Persians and ultimately defeated the Babylonians. He then opened the door for the Jews to return from their Babylonian captivity and rebuild the temple in Jerusalem. God sovereignly directed all of this from the moment he declared it.

Speaking prophetically to Cyrus, the LORD declared, “I am the LORD, and there is none else, there is no God beside me: I girded thee, though thou hast not known me: that they may know from the rising of the sun, and from the west, that there is none beside me. I am the LORD, and there is none else. I form the light, and create darkness: I make peace, and create evil [calamity]: I the LORD do all these things” (Isaiah 45:4-7).

He not only does all these things sovereignly, but he does them in perfect measure in accordance with his will. There is no such thing as unintended consequences in God’s oversight of men’s affairs. He knows when to bring judgment and when to restrain. He shapes the affairs of men’s lives through the hardships and calamities of life. Yet at the same time “he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sendeth rain on the just and the unjust” (Matthew 5:45).

Through such events and workings God shows that “the most High ruleth in the kingdom of men, and giveth it to whomsoever he will, and setteth up over it the basest of men” (Daniel 4:17). Yet this God who rules the nations uses the same wisdom and might to care for all of his creation. Jesus taught “Are not five sparrows sold for two farthings, and not one of them is forgotten before God? But even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not therefore: ye are of more value than many sparrows” (Luke 12:6-7).

The Apostle Paul summarized our right response to these truths well. God “giveth to all life, and breath, and all things…and hath determined the times before appointed, and the bounds of their habitation; that they should seek the Lord…for in him we live, and move, and have our being” (Acts 17:26-27; emphasis added).

A Sure Foundation

Jesus at the conclusion of his Sermon on the Mount makes a remarkable claim. He essentially says that those who take heed to do as he says will not be destroyed by life’s frequent troubles and hardships. “Whosoever cometh to me, and heareth my sayings, and doeth them, I will shew you to whom he is like: he is like a man which built an house, and digged deep, and laid the foundation on a rock: and when the flood arose, the stream beat vehemently upon that house, and could not shake it: for it was founded upon a rock” (Luke 6:47-48).

It is a remarkable claim indeed! As the Preacher of Ecclesiastes points out throughout his sermons, life is challenging, difficult, frustrating, and frequently disappointing, but not meaningless. Notwithstanding Christ promises a sure stand to those who follow him. He does not say that his disciples will not be touched by difficulties, but rather that they will endure, even triumph, in and over them.

On the other hand and with equal authority, our Lord warns that those who disregard his teachings are headed for certain destruction. “But he that heareth, and doeth not, is like a man that without a foundation built an house upon the earth; against which the stream did beat vehemently, and immediately it fell; and the ruin of that house was great” (Luke 6:49). Those who have not built their lives on the sure foundation of Jesus Christ will be swept away when the storms of life arise.

Only Jesus, the Son of God, could guarantee safe passage through all of life’s trials and difficulties. No other religious teacher could dare make such a claim. He himself is that rock upon which we are to build “for other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ” (I Corinthians 3:11). To refuse him and his teaching is to brazenly (and foolishly) invite defeat. The Psalmist grasped this principle plainly. “Except the LORD build the house, they labor in vain that build it” (Psalm 127:1).

Our Savior made himself the dividing line between those that hear and do his sayings and those that hear and do not his sayings. The key is believing. We are all confronted with the claims of Christ. Our lives hinge on whether we believe him or not. One either does or does not believe. The Psalmist encourages us with his testimony concerning the word of the Lord. “I esteem all thy precepts concerning all things to be right” (Psalm 119:128; emphasis added).

Jesus told Pilate before his crucifixion “for this cause came I into the world, that I should bear witness unto the truth. Every one that is of the truth heareth my voice” (John 18:37). On the other hand, Christ rebuked the Pharisees saying, “If ye were Abraham’s children, ye would do the works of Abraham. But now ye seek to kill me, a man that hath told you the truth, which I have heard of God: this did not Abraham” (John 8:39-40).

The words of Christ are truth. To believe them is to build your life on a sure foundation. To reject them is to invite eternal loss. Do you hear and do his sayings, or do you hear and do not his sayings?

Do Unto Other As You Would Have Them Do Unto You

Jesus provided us a very plain and practical summary of God’s standard of righteousness as expressed in the Old Testament when he was concluding his Sermon on the Mount. “Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them: for this is the law and the prophets” (Matthew 7:12). Jesus taught that a love rightly expressed toward God and toward our fellow man was the very heart of God’s message in the Old Testament.

We should not be surprised that this summary is expressed in the context of our relationship with others. After all, six of the ten commandments deal with our relationship to others. The love that we are to have for God is here assumed by our Lord because we cannot love our fellow man rightly without first loving God.

What does it mean then to treat others as I would have them treat me? This command is not glib rhetoric, but is comprehensive instruction that Christ expects us to perform. First and perhaps foremost we must apply this standard to every relationship that we encounter, whether it be with the cashier at the grocery store or our best friend. Why? Every man, woman, and child bears the image of God, our Creator, and as such is worthy of our respect and honor, no matter how tarnished that image may be (Genesis 1:26-27).

Jesus gave further insight to the full implication of this command later in an encounter with a certain lawyer. “And, behold, a certain lawyer stood up, and tempted him [Jesus], saying, Master, what shall I do to inherit eternal life? He [the Lord] said unto him, What is written in the law? How readest thou? And he answering said, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy strength, and with all thy mind: and thy neighbor a thyself” (Luke 10:25-27).

The Scriptures tell us that the lawyer “willing to justify himself, said unto Jesus, And who is my neighbor?” (Luke 10:29). Jesus answered his question by relating a story of a man traveling from Jerusalem to Jericho who “fell among thieves, which stripped him of his raiment, and wounded him, and departed, leaving him half dead.” (Luke 10:30). A priest passed by and ignored the man as did a Levite. Both of these men, owing to their duties and station of life, would have been expected to aid this poor man, but they did not. Finally, a Samaritan passed, saw the man, and “when he saw him, he had compassion on him…and bound up his wounds…brought him to an inn, and took care of him” (Luke 10:33-34).

Jesus asked the lawyer which of these three “was neighbor unto him that fell among the thieves? And he [the lawyer] said, He that had mercy on him. Then said Jesus…Go, and do thou likewise” (Luke 10:36-36). It is clear that love is no respecter of persons and the command to do unto others as we would have them do unto us extends to all those we encounter. The image of God in every man demands it; that this image is marred requires us to show mercy to every man. This is the teaching of the Old Testament and the expectation of our heavenly Father.