Jesus : The Good Neighbor

A Lawyer came to Jesus to test him. He asked Jesus: "How do I gain eternal life?" I suspect Jesus knew the man expected a "keep the system faithfully" type of answer. So, since, he was a Law expert, Jesus asked him: "What does the Law say?"

The Lawyer answered -- quoting Scripture, which I am just paraphrasing: "Love God Love people. Put God first. Put people before yourself." Jesus answered: "Yep! 100 percent on that quiz!!"

But the Lawyer thinks: "If I do that, I may have to get involved with the riff raff, make myself unclean, and lose respect of all the important people in town." So, he asks Jesus: "Who is my neighbor?" If Jesus says the people in your neighborhood, or social circle, he can deal with that.

But, Jesus tells a story about a man, who was mugged and left for dead.

Two men, pillars of the community, who would be held up as examples to emulate, see the man lying in a heap, and walk on by. It was more important to them to keep ceremonially clean, than to dirty themselves helping someone.

Another man walks by. He is part Jewish. He does not worship the God of Israel. Goodm law-abiding Jews avoid contact with his kind. He sees the man, has compassion, and helps the man. He gives first aid. He gets the man a room at a local hotel. He gives the hotel manager some money to take care of him. And he gives the manager what was essentially a blank check. He guarantees he will pay for whatever else the manager spends to care for the hurt man.

God did give cleanliness laws to the Jews. And he meant for them to keep them. But if the Laws the Lawyer quoted meant eternal life (if they are the greatest commandments, as it says elsewhere) then the should have #1 priority. The Jews should be obeying these laws above all others.

As I was considering how the Jews looked down on Samaritans, and one of them obeyed God's Law better than one of the best of them, I realized that the Jewish leaders, the "best" of the Jews, looked down on Jesus. 

Unlike the Samaritan, Jesus worshipped the God of the Bible. Like the Samaritan, Jesus got too close to unclean people. He obeyed the Great Commandment to the point of giving a blank check. He paid for us to gain entrance into God's family. He will pay whatever we need to be healed, whole, and well. 

Our Hearts

In part of the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus quotes the Law that murder is wrong, and murderers are liable for judgment. But Jesus clarifies that someone, who is angry, or gives insults, as an expression of anger, is equally guilty before the Law.

Jesus quotes the Law that adultery is wrong. But Jesus clarifies that lustful desires are equally wrong.

The last of the Ten Commandments says we should not have wrong desires.

The Bible does not stop with our actions. It moves into our inner life. It includes, and judges, our thinking, emotions, imagination, motives, and will.

The words the Bible uses for "heart" in both the Old and New Testaments encompass all of the above. So, it looks to me like the people of Jesus' day regarded a person's inner core as one unit. And Jesus said that outward actions flow from the inner core. A person goes in a direction that his\her inner core agrees with.

So, part of the transformation process is agreement with God's word with our inner core. If a person knows cognitively that God loves people, and choosing to follow him results in justification of sin, reconciliation to God, and redemption into his family. So, we should share God's Good News with people. But if someone's imagination paint pictures of rejection, of failure, and being foolish, how wholehearted will he be in pursuing it? His inner core is in disagreement.

Scripture says that God's Spirit is stronger than our hearts. It is his business to bring all of the parts of our hearts into alignment. 

The Family of God

God gave his family different men, who complete different functions. The result of these men completing their function is:

• God's people are able to do God's work -- which should also include the function these men do.
• God's people move toward completeness.

This work -- the performance of these functions -- will continue until there is a oneness of faith, and a oneness of understanding Father, Son, and Spirit. God's family will reach spiritual maturity, and become complete. Our picture of what completeness is, is Jesus.

We won't chase around after new things. We won't be deceived by clever lies. We will understand the truth; and we will speak it with a new motivation. That is, we will be filled with love, and speak to truly benefit those around us.

We are becoming more, and more, like Jesus. But we are not clones. God designed each person, before the foundation of the world, to fill a particular place. Because of sin, we fail to do what we designed for. This process brings us back to our original design.

The current situation is lack God's people are a vast orchestra. Some people are playing clarinets, when they should be playing oboes. Some are using their flutes like drum sticks. Some are using their bows to pokes their neighbors. The tubas, trumpets, and trombones are gathering dust. And we are all supposed to be playing "Beethoven's Fifth". But some are playing "Roll Over Beethoven." And others "The Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy." But God is working to bring us together into one focused harmony.

Some people focus on behavior modification. I choose to follow Jesus, so I need to change the stuff I do. T need to stop lying, stop getting hammered on the weekend. And I need to start reading the Bible, going to church, praying, and sharing the gospel. And all of these to-do's and to-don't's are important. But following, and growing, is more than crossing off stuff on a list.  

Jesus

The gospels are written by four different authors, with four different perspectives, and, maybe, four different intents.

Matthew seems to have written his gospel with the intent of demonstrating that Jesus was indeed the Jewish Messiah.

He begin with -- to most people -- a very boring genealogical list. The Jews believed that the Messiah would be Jewish, from the line of Abraham. They also believed the Messiah would be from the line of David. This genealogy was specifically intended to demonstrate Jesus fulfilled those requirements.

As I understand it, and I may be misinformed, the Jews kept genealogical records. If so, Matthew is giving a place of confirmation, or a place to disprove, his claim. Someone could go through the records and refute the claim that Jesus is the Messiah.

Moreover, he quotes Jesus fulfilling Messianic prophecy. In the section, concerning Jesus' birth, he cites several. Prophecies that Jesus could not manipulate, because he was in his mother's womb at the time.

• Birth city of Bethlehem.
• Born of a virgin.
• Living as a child in Egypt.
• Slaughter of the innocents.
• Living in Nazareth.

Someone searched the Scriptures, and counted fulfilled prophecies, concerning Christ's first coming at over 100. And calculated the odd of fulfilling 8, as one out of 10^17. (That's a one followed by 18 zeros.) 

To the Saints

"Identity" is a picture people have of themselves, based on values, experiences, and interactions with other people. It is how people answer questions like: Who am I? Do I have value? What is my role in the world?

All too often, the answers we give ourselves, to these questions, are lies. We give ourselves the answer that we think is true. However, what we believe is a lie.

The Holy Spirit makes his home with his children. One reason, he does this is: he transforms our spiritual DNA. He works in our lives from the inside out. Because, if he changes the inside, the outside follows along, and behaves in accordance with the inside. And part of that change is our self-picture.

Most of the New Testament letters are addressed to the "saints" or "the holy ones." For a lot of people, a saint, or holy one, is someone, who is especially pious, and does something really awesome. Or we think of someone who is especially moral. Someone, who is holy, and practically perfect in every way. (Mary Poppins?)

In the original language, "holy" means "other" or "different." So, holy does not necessarily mean morally perfect.

God is holy, because he is morally perfect, unlike anyone else. He is also all-wise, all-knowing, all-powerful, totally just,  and totally loving. There is no other. 

And God has designed a way to live. It is based on his character. It is perfect. And he follows it with perfection. God is the only one to live in perfect integrity, and to have never been a hypocrite.

There is also, in holiness, a sense of being different, because something is set apart for something special. Like the special china, that a family only uses at Thanksgiving, Christmas and Easter.

If God's people are also holy, how does that happen?

All people are born into a state of rebellion against the character, and word of God. But people can choose a different way. They can turn back to God, and follow his design of creation.

And, even though we are rebels, he receives us into his family. We are received, because Jesus paid the penalty for sin -- past, present and future -- for every person -- past, present, and future.

So, God's people are holy, because they have returned to God, redeemed by Jesus, and they have agreed with God about how life should be lived. They not only agree, they seek to practice the lifestyle they agree with.

So, what does this say about the self-picture we should have?

Eternal LIfe

Right before the crucifixion, Jesus was praying. He was yearning for the Father to be glorified. And Father would be glorified as Jesus gave eternal life to those in his family, to those who gave him allegiance. 

When people think of eternal life, there are certain things that come to mind. Many think in terms of time. That is, it's eternal. Some think of heaven. There is perfection -- no sorrow, no pain, no disease.

And Jesus says: "This is eternal life: knowing Father, and knowing Jesus."

Eternal life is forever. It is a joyous, blissful state of being. But most of all, it is a relationship.

I have suggested -- at least as a metaphor -- the concept of "spiritual fuels." 

To function optimally, a car engines needs gas, oil, coolant, grease, and, maybe, window washer fluid. 

To function optimally, what does a human body need? So, we do not get bogged down in minutia: sufficient quantities of protein, vitamins, minerals, fats, carbs, etc. (Obviously, we could get a lot more detailed.)

To function optimally, what does the human inner core need? A representative, but probably not exhaustive list is: love, purpose, community, beauty, peace, joy, and creativity. A couple of these can be seen to involve relationship. Because we are designed by Father, a mandatory part of optimal living is a relationship with Father.

One reason why people seem to have it together, and, therefore, have no desire to seek a relationship with Father, is because a lot of this other stuff is in place.

Father wants us to have all that stuff, and a relationship with him too. Moreover, a relationship with Father enhances, empowers, and accentuates all that other stuff too. It becomes more, and better. Love is more and better. Beauty is more and better. Community is more and better.

For those in God's family, eternal life is, in some ways, in the future, but, in some ways, it is now. We know Father now. We have a relationship with Father now. We have eternal life now.

Whose Lives Matter?

I do not often write about current events, but the country has gotten focused once again on a tragedy. A policeman killed an arrested, handcuffed African American man. My only hope is that it was a stupid stunt, and not malicious, and intentional. But I can't climb inside the man's head.

And the black community is enraged. There are protests. There are riots.

I understand the anger. Many are calling this a sign that African Americans do not matter. Hence the BLM slogan.

As a follower of Jesus, how do I respond?

Scripture says that Jesus died for the whole world. He died for the Roman soldier, who put the nails in his hands. He died for the Jewish leaders, who turned him over to Pilate. He died for Judas Iscariot. He died for the arrested man. He died for the policeman. He died as an expression of his love for people. 

And if God loves you, you matter. There is a saying in some religious circles: "If you were the only person to sin, Jesus would have died for you . . . alone." And if God loves you, you matter.

So, black lives do matter. And white lives, brown lives, yellow lives -- and even blue lives -- all matter. And if they matter to God, they should also matter to God's family.

The media, of course, is focusing on the sensational. Fires, rock throwing. beatings, tear gas, and looting. The ignore the good, showing up among the bad. Like the 6 black men in Louisville, surrounding, and protecting, one lone white cop. Black men and white men shaking hands, hugging, praying together.

How should God's people respond? To quote Martin Luther King Jr:

"Darkness cannot drive out darkness. Only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate. Only love can do that."

The Challenge

Early in Jesus’ ministry, one of the Jewish leaders came to Jesus secretly, after dark. His primary question was: when would God’s kingdom be established? Like a lot of Jews, he read his Bible, and he saw Messiah as Reigning King … and missed Messiah as Suffering Servant.

So, Jesus told him, unless he was born a second time, he would not see the Kingdom of God. There are two kinds of life. There is physical life. There is spiritual life. The physical can only reproduce the physical. And only the Holy Spirit can give spiritual life.

People are estranged from God, cut off due to sin. Jesus reminded the leader of a time in Israel’s past, where they rebelled against God. And God sent poisonous snakes among them. But Moses made a bronze snake, and hung it on a pole. Anyone, who was bitten, could look to this “snake on a stick” and God would heal them. There was no medicinal value, or healing properties, in the snake. There was only God’s promise that this would work.

So, because of God’s great love for people, he allowed his son to get hung on a pole. Everyone who looks to the Son, like Israel looked to the snake, will be redeemed from God’s punishment. When we accept what Jesus did for us, and choose allegiance to be followers, we are redeemed from God’s judgment, justified, brought into God’s family, and our spiritual DNA is reseeded. We become new, and different. We have moved from the dark to the light.

Because a person’s inner core now agrees with God’s design, he begins to live in a new way. Some people have a radical metamorphosis. (Caterpillar to butterfly.) Some, because of early decisions, and experiences, are profoundly changed, but don’t look so different on the outside. (Moth to butterfly.)  And some, because of early decisions, and experiences, are accepted by Father, Son, and Spirit, but have more difficulty changing lifestyles.

Just, because a person does not look like a butterfly on the outside, does not mean that he\she is not a butterfly. Yes, it is certainly true that they may not be. But, they may be staying in the cocoon longer than others.

I am encouraging all of us to be a little more patient, and kind, with someone, who is more broken from his life experiences, and not expressing Father’s character very well, but whom Father loves just as much as you and I, and who Jesus died for, just as he did for you and I.

The Ascension

In Jesus' final days on earth, he made an appearance to his disciples. He let them touch him. He showed them the scars on his hands. He ate some fish. All of this to assure them, he was not a dream, or a disembodied spirit.

Then, he told them that everything, that had happened, was foretold by prophets: his birth, his ministry, his death, and his resurrection.

Now, every person needed to hear that, if any person chose to change their thinking, decide that God had a better way to think, feel, speak, and act, choose to follow God's way -- give allegiance to the God of creation -- there was forgiveness of sins ... past, present, and future. There was a cancellation of the punishment of sin ... past, present, and future. That person would become part of God's family, and God would begin re-working their lives, so they would live as he had originally designed them to live.

The disciples were not responsible to proclaim this message to everyone. But they were responsible to begin the process. And they were responsible to pass the mission onto those, who choose to follow Jesus. So, each person, who gives his allegiance to Jesus, has a part in advancing his mission, like running in a relay race.

This mission we advance: God is seeking to rebuild his family, by making people, who rebel against him, his children. He wants them to know, to understand, and to experience his love. Those people need only to live in agreement with what God says. Living in agreement with God's word brings love, joy, peace, and all good things.

Jesus, and his disciples, went out of the city, spent time in prayer, and then, he was lifted up, and went back to his Father ... and our Father. The disciples worshiped, and rejoiced.

The Resurrection

Good Friday is the pivot point of the universe. Because the Crucifixion happened on Good Friday. Jesus paid the price for all mankind. Jesus redeemed all people, and the Father began re-building his family.

But it wasn't until Easter that the impact began to be felt by people.

Early Sunday morning, women, who had been following Jesus, gathered spices, and went to the tomb to prepare the body for burial. They couldn't do it before, because it was the beginning of the Sabbath. (To honor the dead, or break God's law -- as they had been taught it.)

But, when they reached the tomb, the stone was rolled away. And two "men," in a bright light, stood there, and told the women: "Go tell his disciples, that he has risen, as he said he would."

And Jesus appeared to various groups:

• To Mary Magdalene.
• To the rest of the women at the tomb.
• To the disciples, without Thomas.
• To the disciples, with Thomas.
• To two disciples on the road to Emmaus.
• To 500 people.
• To the disciples, while they were fishing.
• To the disciples at the Ascension.

Scripture does not always give numbers. It said 500 at one time. It said there were 120 gathered at Pentecost, and they received the Holy Spirit. So, disciples could mean the Twelve, or it could be a group of more people.

The disciples, who fled and hid in fear after the crucifixion, who denied they knew Jesus:

• They boldly stood in a public place, and proclaimed Jesus. 3000 gave their allegiance to Jesus.
• They went to the temple, and healed a man, who had been crippled from birth, in a very public way. And 2000 more gave their allegiance to Jesus.
• They stood in front of the same Jewish leaders, who handed Jesus to Pilate, and proclaimed that Jesus was God's Promised One.
• And, of the Twelve, who all ran for their lives, when Jesus was arrested, only one died of old age. The rest were all martyred, because of their stand for Jesus.

The Resurrection changed these men forever -- not in anyway minimizing the Helper, Advocate, Teacher, Enabler, that Father sent to them. And sends to each one of us. It is God's Spirit in each person's heart, that enables them to walk in obedience.

Perhaps, it is the Resurrection that gives people a handhold on faith, enabling all of the inner man to live in agreement, and to allow the Spirit to flow through a man, and be part of impacting the world.

The Crucifiction

The Jews turned him over to Pilate. And Pilate turned him over to his soldiers. And the soldiers crucified him.

And during his time on the cross, Jesus demonstrated he had a different heart than normal people. Most people would focus on their present condition. Jesus took time to focus on:

• His mother, who he gave to John to care for her.
• One of the other thieves, who he assured was now in his family.
• The soldiers, and Jews, responsible for his death, to forgive them, and ask his Father to forgive them. 

If you are a follower of Jesus, if you have given him your allegiance, you recognize this day, that Jesus died, as the focal point of all history.

The punishment for the sin of all mankind fell on Jesus. He bore the punishment for those who give him allegiance. He bore the punishment of those who would never give him allegiance.

Father would re-boot his family making project. The way is open to reconciliation, to justification, to redemption, and to adoption.

The Holy Spirit moves closer to reclaiming mankind, marking and guaranteeing who God's children are. Filling the depths of his children's heart with his grace, his love, and his empowering. 

His followers did not realize it, but nothing in the cosmos would ever be the same. But they would soon.

The Arrest

After dinner, Jesus led the disciples to a garden to pray. Judas, knowing about the garden, also led soldiers there to arrest Jesus.

Peter took a sword, and attacked one of the servants, cutting off his ear. Jesus ordered Peter to stop, and healed the servant’s ear. Then, the soldiers took Jesus, and led him to the High Priest. And after he had questioned Jesus, he sent him to Pilate.

And after being questioned by Pilate, Pilate saw that he was innocent, and sought to have him released. But the Jews objected. So, Pilate had him flogged, and sought to have him released again. But when the Jews continued to object, in order to avoid a riot, Pilate gave Jesus to the soldiers to be crucified.

After his one act of bravado, Peter grew afraid. He denied he even knew Jesus three times. We will all find ourselves in Peter’s shoes at one time, or another. And we may succeed to stand up for him. And we may fail. But we should all be encouraged by Peter, because Jesus gave him another chance. And Peter made good use of that chance. God used him to bring the first 3000 members of his new family to him. He challenged the Sanhedrin. He brought the first Gentile, non-Jewish, people into God’s family.

God is the God pf second chances. And probably third, and fourth, chances.

I don’t think God gets excited when people are overcome by their failure, and feelings of guilt. If such feelings lead people to seek him, choose allegiance, and become part of his family, that’s good. But, being wrapped up in guilt means our focus is not where it should be. He wants our focus to be on:

• Love – service, sharing his love and good news, encouragement.
• Prayer – worship, praise, for blind eyes to see, for workers, healing.
• Thanksgiving – sonship, salvation, provision, God’s positive activity.

 

The Passover

Before Jesus was crucified, he celebrated the Passover with his disciples. The Passover was Israel’s celebration of God’s deliverance from Egypt. On that day, the Jews sacrificed a lamb, and smeared some of its blood on the lintel, and door posts of their houses. The blood marked that house as having people, who belonged to the God of Israel. Judgment would pass by that house. That night, they ate bread made without yeast. They needed to eat, but they needed to hurry, because they were preparing to leave their current life, and current home, behind.

During the meal, Jesus made several things very plain to his disciples. (Although, what he told them was so foreign to their thinking, judging by their actions in the next few hours, that the did not understand what Jesus was saying.)

First, he was going to be betrayed by one of his disciples.

Second, he was going to be delivered over to those who hated him, and killed.

Third, his death was, in reality, like the Passover lamb. His blood, like the lambs, would mark those who were his, and protect them from God’s judgment. His body was like the bread, sustenance leading to a new life.

This new Passover meal was a celebration of deliverance from a different cruel master – sin – and a transition to a new promised land.

Greatest in the Kingdom

Biblical prophecy can be like looking at a range of mountains. Individual peaks rise up, and appear to stand right next to each other. However, in reality, there is a valley between them.

When the Jews read the Scripture, they saw prophecy concerning God’s Promised One. They saw the Promised One on the throne of Israel, ushering in a golden age of peace and prosperity.

So, maybe, it’s not so strange for one woman, who believed that Jesus was God’s Promised One, and therefore, that the golden age was coming very soon, to ask Jesus to give her sons high positions in his kingdom.

She, like many of the Jews, saw the Reigning King mountain peak, but missed the Suffering Servant mountain peak. So, Jesus had an opportunity to teach two lessons.

First, in God’s kingdom, love rules. So, those, in the highest position, give the most. They are servants. Service is not just physical labor. Generosity is also service. Teaching, and encouragement, to enable people to live improved, more optimal lives, is also service. But, in all cases, a servant gives himself, and his resources, to meet needs, and to make someone else’s life better.

And that leads to the second lesson. God is a servant. And God’s Promised One is a servant. God’s Promised One in one particular way – by giving his life to ransom the world. To pay the price, so that each, and every person, living in the past, present, and future, can be delivered from sin, the devil, and the world, and brought into God’s family, and kingdom.

Not everyone will choose to receive this gift. But there is a gift for everyone, bought, and paid for.

Lazarus

Jesus received a message from his friends – Mary, Martha, and Lazarus – that Lazarus was very sick. Scripture goes great lengths to inform the readers that Jesus, and these three, have a very close relationship. Yet, Jesus remains where he is, on purpose, for two more days.

Jesus knows that if something is not done, Lazarus will die. He stays because God will move in Lazarus’ life as a powerful demonstration of who he is, and what he can do.

So, Jesus and the disciples return to Bethany. And Mary, and Martha, go to him. They go separately, but they have similar conversations with Jesus. “If you had been here …”

Life, and wholeness, is not derived from a set of rules. Life is derived from a relationship with a person. And to demonstrate that, Jesus has men remove the stone, that covers the tomb. And he calls Lazarus to come back form the dead. And Lazarus walks out of the tomb.

Life, whole, and optimal living do not come from following a system. They come from following a person.

Religious Behavior

The religious leaders did not like Jesus, because he did not behave like a religious teacher should. He did not follow their system.

Jesus did have expectations of behavior too. He expected each person to have a relationship with Father. And each one practice it with sincerity, genuineness, and authenticity. He expected each person to live expressing love to other people.

The Pharisees – or, at least, some of them – seemed to make a habit of publicly, and obviously, demonstrating that they kept the system. Were they saying: “All this is not my fault.” ? Or were they saying: “Look how good, noble, devoted, and pious I am.” ?

People don’t do family things to be noticed. People do family things, because they love their family. Because they like to be with, and do things with, their family.

We are part of God’s family. We ought to be with him, because we love him, and he loves us. “Doing our religion” ought to be a demonstration of that love. Giving to meet needs, prayer, worship, fasting – all of these should be natural moves of a heart motivated by love.

Prayer

And Jesus discusses prayer in other ways. Once, we have given our allegiance to Jesus, we become part of his family. And, as his child, we can approach him directly. We come to him through the work of Jesus. But, now we have our own relationship with him.

And Jesus encourages us to go to him with whatever is on our hearts, our needs, and our desires. And because he is our Father, he listens to us. Really listens with 100% focused attention.

And his inclination is to grant whatever we ask. His heart yearns to fulfill whatever is on our hearts.

He obviously does not. A child may yearn intensely to have “gummy worms” every day for dinner. It is actually cruel to grant that request. No matter how much we may like, and want, “gummy worms,” a consistent diet of “gummy worms” does not lead to optimal living.

And our hearts should become like his heart. Jesus told his disciples to pray for more workers in the harvest. How often do we pray this? How often is our hearts aimed at those who do not know him? His heart yearns for in increase of his family. Does ours?

The Pharisee and The Tax Collector

Jesus told another story about a Pharisee and a tax collector.

Both went to the temple to pray. The Pharisee praised God, because of his right standing through is obedience to God’s Law. The tax collector begged for mercy, because all he saw was his own sin.

I have a theory about the Pharisees. (As it is a theory, it may be true, but it might also not be true.) They read the Scriptures, and saw all the places where God said: “You are my people. I will bless you.” Then, they looked at history: the Philistines, Assyria, Babylon, and Rome. And they said: “That’s not good. What happened?”

So, they read more Scriptures: “Obey me, and I will bless you. Disobey me, and you’re in trouble.” The, they looked at more history, and said: “Oh, yeah. My bad.”

The say that the bad, that happened to Israel, was a result of their disobedience. So, to get good results, they needed to work hard at obeying God. So, they asked: “How do we obey God?” And they studied, and they mapped it all out. They developed a system. Obey the system, you’re good with God. Disobey the system, and you’re the cause of all the bad stuff.

So, the Pharisee, praising God in the temple, is saying: “I’m keeping the system. So, I know God is pleased with me. The bad stuff is not my fault.”

They did work hard to obey God, but it was in all the superficial areas. They tithed, but the were not loving, merciful or compassionate. They should be obeying all of God’s word.

The tax collector was honest with God. He knew he sinned, and could only stand before God if God extended mercy, and grace. The Pharisee was deluded, because he only obeyed part of the Law. And the easy part at that.

The Two Sons

Then, Jesus tells another story about a family: a father, and two sons. One son was a rebel, who had no love for his family. The other son was a do-gooder, dutiful, and hardworking.

The rebel son wanted whatever property, or money, he would receive when his father died now! The only value his father, and his father’s work, had for him was how big of a party he could throw.

Amazingly, even the son practically yelled at the top of his lungs “I hate you! I hate it here! I can’t wait to get out of here!” his father gave him his inheritance. He turned it into cash, left the area, and started one long continuous party, for as long as the money lasted.

And he does run out of money … right in the middle of a famine. He can’t provide for himself. And he can’t get a job that can provide what he needs.

Suddenly, a light turns on. He remembers his father, and life back home. He knows not one of the people, who work for his father, are going hungry, or are lacking anything.

So, he packs up, goes home, and prepares to eat humble pie. He meets his father, confesses he screwed up, and all he is looking for now is a job.

But his father is so glad he is home, safe, and well, that he throws a party to celebrate.

The do-gooder son worked hard, and did everything his was supposed to do. And he gets angry when he finds out that his brother – the selfish, self-centered, brat! – has returned, and his father is celebrating.

The do-gooder son does not have the father’s heart. The father realizes that life is not all play. The father realizes that the rebel son has made decisions that have hurt his life, and negatively affected his life in all areas.

But the father loves both his sons. And the rebel son has made a vital decision: he chose to move back into relationship with his father.

The story is about God’s heart. God is serious about how people live. Their behavior, and lifestyles, affect themselves, their destiny, and how God is represented. Optimum living is derived from how close one keeps to how one is designed.

But God loves everyone. Those who walk away from him. And those who walk with him.

And because the number one, foremost item that brings wholeness, and completion, to people in life is a relationship with Father, he celebrates each, and every, one who chooses to return, and walk with him, no matter where they are coming from.

The Neighbor

Jesus challenged the expectations of what a life that pleased God looked like. One man asked him how someone achieved right standing with God.

Jesus flipped it around. “You read the Scriptures. What do you think God says?”

The man responded: “Love God first. Love your neighbor as yourself.”

Jesus answered: “You’re correct.”

Scripture says the man sought to justify himself. “Who is my neighbor?”

So, Jesus told a story about a man who was beaten, and robbed. The robbers left the man bleeding, and unconscious by the side of the road.

Two leaders of the community passed by the man, pretending not to notice him. These two men were regarded by the community as ones who followed God the best, and were, therefore, ones to emulate. But they failed to show love to someone in need. They lacked compassion, and didn’t want to get involved in something messy.

Another man passed by, and had a different response. He provided care, food, and shelter … and paid for it.

This man was from a group of people view with contempt by the Jewish nation. Yet, he obeyed God’s command to “love your neighbor,” where the men, who should be God’s best, failed.

Life in God is not talking, or teaching, about how we should live. Life in God is about obeying God.

Jesus did not command us to make converts, or church attenders. He commanded us to make disciples. That is, persuade people to give allegiance to Jesus, and have a lifestyle that does what Jesus said, and does what Jesus did.