Author: Ben Bourland

Today I read through Luke’s recalling of the parable of the Good Samaritan. The man who was beaten had been walking from Jerusalem to Jericho; a distance of about 17 miles and the road descends more than 3,000 feet. It is the kind of wild country in which robbers might well be safe.

As the story goes, the man was left “half dead”. When the first traveler (a priest) came by the man, he walked by on the other side. This is likely because the man on the the road being half dead might appear to the priest as ‘dead’ and for the priest to touch him would make him ceremonially unclean (Lev 21:1ff). In this case ceremonial cleanliness won the day over assisting a man in need.

Next a Levite, also concerned with ceremonial purity, went by on the side as well; avoiding the man in need of help.

Then to the astonishment of the reader, in view of the traditional bitterness between Jew and Samaritan, a Samaritan was the last person who might have been expected to help. But this man had compassion on the sufferer. He attended to him as best he could on the spot. He put the injured man on his own beast (meaning the Samaritan would have to walk) and then checked him into an inn and cared for him further. When the Samaritan needs to leave, he gave the inn keeper 2 dinari for his trouble told him to take care for the man…if more money was needed, he would pay the inn keeper when he returned. According to the historian Polybius, a man could secure accommodation in inns in Italy in his time (c. 150 BC) for half an as a day, i.e. 1/32 of a denarius. If rates in Palestine at this period were at all comparable, the Samaritan was paying for about two months’ board.

Application:

If I am being truthful with myself, I can’t be sure I would stop and help; I hope I would. What Jesus is saying to the lawyer in this story is that caring for others goes above sacrament. Care for our neighbor is the second most important command after “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength”. I have made one of the top two goals at work to “invest in people” but I feel convicted to take this a step further.

Yesterday when I was catching up on my reading, I noticed verse 26 of Luke 9.

For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words, of him the Son of Man will be ashamed when He comes in His own glory, and in His Father’s, and of the holy angels. Luke 9:26 [NKJV]

One of the things that has always impacted me regarding the ‘Fear of God’ has always been this fear that I would be in a state of sin the moment when Jesus returns. Think about this – for you it might be a road rage incident where you come unhinged on another driver. Maybe a moment where your frustration with your children has caused you to lose your temper (Eph 6:5).

In any circumstance where I lapse in my self control is a moment that Jesus might return and be ashamed. Now, I am not ashamed of Jesus or His words, but I can be flippant and not respecting of His commands on my life if I refer to myself as a “Follower of Christ” yet allow my sinful flesh to entertain the things the Lord tells me to flee; then I run this risk.

God give me the strength and perseverance to embrace everything it means to be sold out to your Son. Thank you for the grace You have extended me.

Hey everyone, I’ll bet you thought I fell off the face of the earth. Well, news about my demise has been greatly exaggerated. The truth of the matter is that for the last week I’ve been working pretty much 16 to 18 hour days and getting about 3 1/2 to 4 1/2 hours of sleep a night. I am so thankful for Marianne providing this time for me to execute this very very big test event at work that included the US government. It was extremely successful, but also very tiring. I got to see some old friends that I’ve been working with for the last 4 1/2 years that I hadn’t seen in probably 3 to 6 months, God has created a very unique situation for me to be a testimony and a witness in situations, where there can be heavily competing cultures…The US ARMY and Microsoft.

Although I will still have to stay fairly engaged at work. I will be doing that remotely from Newport Beach, California where my family and I go for some vacationing every summer to spend time with the in-laws. It’s a great reconnecting time for Marianne and I and her sister and brother-in-law, as well as our four kids and their three girls who don’t get to see each other except once per year during this time.

“If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me. For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will save it. For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and is himself destroyed or lost? Luke 9:23-25 [NKJV]

Some people read this passage and feel that it is negative in its connotation. For me, it’s one of the most freeing passages in the Bible.

The daily decision to take up the Cross and crucify my sin every day…really crucify myself every day; allows me to operate in this freedom of knowing I am in the right place and the right mindset in following Jesus. The next statement about what we pursue reinforces what Jesus had just finished saying… If your pursuit is to achieve the things of this world in money, career, happiness, and, success, then your reward will be exactly what you achieve. But if you instead pursue Jesus, then you essentially inherit everything that Jesus has coming to him at the end of the age. That, is a big deal and extremely freeing.

Remembering these truths in scripture is so important to my daily life in my desire to be a godly man. Lord Jesus, help me to see that what is to come, is what my focus should be… Once again, here I am, needing to remember that my focus has to be eternal.

…love your enemies, and do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return, and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High, for he is kind to the ungrateful and the evil. Be merciful, even as your Father is merciful. Luke 6:35-36[ESV]

Today was a day filled equally with stress, productivity, rest, and relaxation. I call that a good day. It ended with a trip to the Relaxation Station with Marianne for a 60 min massage. At $45 it is hit and miss but tonight for both of us it was a hit! All around a wonderful end to a good day.

This passage today felt very appropriate for not only me in this season but also for several dear sets of friends we have that are going through tough trials in their marriages or with their kiddos. The ending of the passage is the hardest to implement -> Be merciful, even as your Father is merciful.

Being merciful like the Lord has been merciful to me, is outrageous! He has given me so many chances, so many second starts, and even in the depth of my sin He sent His Son to die on a cross for me. When I look at how my internal dialog goes when I am faced with a situation where I have an opportunity to show mercy, I am mortified by my rigid alignment to my malformed justice. I find myself sometimes seething at someone’s choices or treatment of someone else…but I have been guilty of the SAME THING…but God has been merciful to me anyway.

When you look at all the things Jesus called out before the end of this passage, the call to be selfless is clear. Lord Jesus please lead me in my sanctification in this area of my husbandhood, fatherhood, and friendships.

What blessings await you when people hate you and exclude you and mock you and curse you as evil because you follow the Son of Man. When that happens, be happy! Yes, leap for joy! For a great reward awaits you in heaven. And remember, their ancestors treated the ancient prophets that same way. Luke 6:22-23[NLT]

Wow, is the message appropriate for me in this stage in life and career. I have so many opportunities at work on a daily basis to represent and show my faith in how I present and handle myself. In the past several years, I have increasing confidence that the way I’ll be let go from my job is because people will learn that I am a devote follower of Jesus.

Our culture has developed a perception that Christians == homophobe, transphobe, and racist…which is the farthest from the truth for a genuine believer and follower of Jesus. When a person is living an obedient life to the teachings of Jesus, there is no greater lover of souls than those people.

I needed to be reminded today that living my life sold out to Jesus may impact my livelihood. When or if it does, I can walk with my head held high and with joy that I have been persecuted in His name.

And solemnly lifting up His eyes on His disciples, He said: Blessed (happy—with life-joy and satisfaction in God’s favor and salvation, apart from your outward condition—and to be envied) are you poor and lowly and afflicted (destitute of wealth, influence, position, and honor), for the kingdom of God is yours! Luke 6:20[AMP]

When I read this verse that comes out of my passage today, I find myself wanting what they (the poor) have. And what is it that they have? Well, the amplified version tells us -> “Destitute of wealth, influence, position, and honor“ Ok, none of us probably want that; but what does it mean that they have because they are in the situation that Jesus calls out here?

Quite simply, they don’t have earthly things, so they cling to spiritual things. I’m going to have to look up where, but there are other places in God’s word where it talks about the fact that when we seek to people please, the recognition that we get when we do (here on earth) is a receipt of the reward we are looking for (paid in full). So, like that reward, the security of money, influence, position, and honor fulfill a need that we… we are not looking for the spiritual comfort and peace that God can give us when we are destitute.

QUESTION: Am I living a life in my job security, worldly possessions, and comfort that have me leaning into the Lord like I need to? If I’m answering honestly, probably not. Do I need to lose all of these things in order to attain a closeness with the Lord that he desires for me? I don’t think so, but it means that I have to be prepared to lose everything, to give everything away if I don’t feel like I am getting as close to the Lord as I should, while having all of these things. This has kind of rocked me today… and I’m still processing.