August 31, 2020

Minute of Transparency: Things are shut-in down all over the place!

Today’s Topic: The Transcendent Samaritan 

In this episode:

1. The story then

2. The story on replay

3. How is your heart?

4. How we can respond

// 1. THE STORY ITSELF

The parable of the Good Samaritan is found in the Bible: Luke 10:30-37

https://www.bible.com/en-GB/bible/111/LUK.10.NIV

Reading the story on a surface level we might be prone to think:

• Shouldn’t the guy have been traveling with friends if this road was so dangerous?

• How is it that most people just walked by and didn’t do anything?

• Well at least someone was kind enough to help!

• I wonder if I would do what the last guy did?

• I want to be that last guy...

But this is just scratching the surface. There are behind-the-scenes elements that make the story even more interesting…

https://www.bible-knowledge.com/parable-good-samaritan-lives-today/

• Jews and Samaritans did not get along - at all 

• Since Jesus was talking to a Jewish lawyer, this story would hit very close to home 

• The Priest and the Levite (also Jewish) were the ones that passed on the other side of the road

• The Samaritan in the story ended up being the good guy. This would have been especially hard for the lawyer to hear

• Some other interesting nuggets:

  • It was the Jewish people who “knew better” so to speak - and should have offered care to the victim

  • And yet - it was the Samaritan who supposedly "didn’t know better” that did the right thing

  • There is also a chance that the Jewish men feared being “contaminated” by blood, or possibly by touching a dead carcass (if the man was already deceased)

  • This is another interesting wrinkle in the story as it appears Jesus is suggesting our religious beliefs and traditions can actually get in the way of us being helpful to people in need

// 2. THE STORY ON REPLAY

Just like the parable - stories like this happen every day - to us - in our modern world.

The names have changed, but the scenario is the same:

• There is a victim

• There are people means and even affinity - who choose to do nothing

• And then there is the least likely person - who steps up and does the right thing

We may not always recognize it, but we see it every day in examples like these:

• The explosion victims in Beirut, Lebanon

• Fire victims in small California towns

• Small business owners who have lost their life savings due to COVID-19

• Someone of a different race being taunted in a restaurant or store

• Systemic racism in our prison systems

• The homeless person you see on the same corner day in and day out

• The woman who has just had a flat tire and looks scared along the road

• The teenager kicked out of their home after an argument with their parents - and no place to go

• The child on the playground who has no friends or is being bullied

• And the list goes on and on...

In fact - the list is so long these days we don’t typically go a day without running into, or being confronted with a victim like we described above.

Sure we can sit in our nice, comfortable homes and pretend it doesn’t exist. But it does.

And just like the men in the story - we have a decision to make:

• We can be like the Jewish men - and walk on the other side of the road

• Or we can be the Good Samaritan and stop to help

// 3. HOW IS YOUR HEART

The decision we just talked about is a heart issue. Sure you make it with your mind - you make a conscious decision. But often you make the logical decision because your heart is telling you what is right and what is wrong. 

So how is your heart? 

If you don’t know - let’s do a heart check.

I don’t have an official test you can take that will rate your heart from good to bad, altruistic to selfish, or moral to evil - but here is a fun list:

11 Signs That You are a Good Person

https://www.indy100.com/article/signs-youre-a-good-person-am-i-nice-charity-kind-8262256

1. You go the extra mile to help people

2. You are forgiving

3. You treat everyone the same

4. You're not scared of admitting you're wrong

5. You stand up to bullies

6. You make sure everyone gets heard

7. You are polite

8. You listen to others

9. You don't do it for show

10. You treat people less powerful than you with respect

11. You are the change you want to see in the world

And maybe that’s enough? After reading through this list are you getting a sense of the state your heart is in?

• I mean - if you’re saying “Yes” to most of them you’re probably headed in the right direction!

• If you’re asking yourself how it is even possible for people to answer “Yes” to these - your heart may be in a slightly darker place...

But at least you know - and knowing is half the battle.

// 4. HOW CAN WE RESPOND?

Back to the heart issue…

In order to become the Transcendent Samaritan Jesus described in the parable, we have to get our hearts pointed in the right direction. And there are many ways to accomplish this. As Christians, we’re taught to:

• Read your Bible

• Pray

• Take in a church service, watch online services, or listen to messages via podcast 

• Start hanging around people who already seem to have their hearts pointed in the right direction

• Spending time in nature

• Reading uplifting books

• Listening to uplifting music

They say, “You are what you eat.” But there’s an even better chance, “You are who you hang out with, and what you spend your time doing…"

Let’s go back to the parable of the Good Samaritan one more time. 

In an article from crosswalk.com: 5 Ways Christians Can Apply the Parable of the Good Samaritan Today

https://www.crosswalk.com/faith/spiritual-life/bible-parable-of-the-good-samaritan.html

So I thought I would end with these 5 things:

1. Be “Noticers”:

   • Simply put - don’t put your head in the sand

   • Live with your eyes wide open

   • See the needs around you vs. avoiding them  

2. Prayerfully Prepare For These Moments:

   • Prepare in advance for the things you might do in the world

   • Ask God to help you identify needs

   • Then be available when they arise

3. Don’t hesitate:

   • When you see a need - meet it

   • Don’t start an internal dialogue about whether or not you have the time, if you’re dressed appropriately, or if you might be late to something else

   • The minute you start this process is the minute you decide you’re not able to meet the need

   • It can happen that fast - so don’t hesitate! 

4. Reflection & Gratitude:

   • Develop a reflective approach to helping others

   • A thankfulness that God is using you in such a time as this

   • Don’t view the people you’re helping as weak, or less than

   • Be grateful that you can help, and that God has blessed you to be a blessing 

5. Generosity:

   • Generosity is often viewed as a financial term - giving of your resources

   • But being generous with our time - being willing to share it with others who may be in need - is just as generous

   • And God calls us to be generous in both ways just like the Good Samaritan:

     • He was generous with his time - helping the victim right then and there

     • He was generous with his resources - putting the victim up for the night and being willing to pay extra for his care

And finally, it occurs to me that there might be two main ways to flex our Good Samaritan muscles:

• The "Spur of the moment” Samaritan:

  • The whole “See a need, meet the need” thing

  • In the heat of the moment

  • Walking to lunch, driving home, on a walk in the neighborhood

  • Always ready to be of service - in the spur of the moment

• The “Intentional” Samaritan: 

  • The planner

  • The person who is proactive about helping others

  • Signing up to volunteer in a hands-on capacity

  • Signing up to give online monthly to help others

Again, isn’t it interesting that the Samaritan did both in the same story?

• Spur of the moment by helping the victim along the road that day

• Intentional by paying the Inn Keeper for future services rendered 

Let’s Land the Plane: This week I would ask you to focus on the following things:

1. Are you a Good Samaritan?

2. If so, what type comes easy to you? 

   • Are you a spur of the moment person?

   • Are you intentional?

   • If neither, what would it look like for you to start flexing your Good Samaritan muscles?

3. This week be a “Noticer:”

   • Look for needs around you

   • And try to meet a few of them

Thanks for being with us this week!

This episode was definitely NOT just for you. This is something I struggle with all the time - wanting so badly to shrink back into my little bubble of familiarity, routine, comfort and security - instead of moving out, noticing needs and meeting them. 

It’s a heart issue for me - and I’m working on it.

Hopefully these have been helpful words for each of us this week as we keep Transcending Human!