SUNDAY, 18 FEBRUARY 2018

There was something bad happened in Samaria when Israel people was taken captive to Assyria. The king of Assyria brought people from Babylon, and also many others city, and placed them in the cities of Samaria instead of the children of Israel; and they took possession of Samaria and dwelt in its cities. There was a lot of mixture in Samaria between the worshippers of God and the worshippers of another idols. People in Samaria feared the Lord, yet served their carved images; also, their children and their children’s children have continued doing as their fathers did. The complete history of this can be found in 2 Kings 17:24-41.

All of this bad history builds up a massive hatred between the Jews and the Samaritan. The Jews consider Samaritan people as the unclean people although they lived together in the same country. They tried to avoid them, even not talking with them Jn.4:9. This was the reason why Jesus taught the lawyer in Luke 10 to love his neighbour including the Samaritan Luk10:25-37.

This truth speaks not only to that Jewish lawyer but also for all believers! In some points we may have those kinds of Samaritan in our life. ‘The Samaritan’ could be the specific person or specific group of people whom we are trying to avoid, may be also underestimate them, and will not let them have place in our heart. ‘The Samaritan’ could be anyone with bad history in our past and we try not to associate with them at all anymore for any reason. Revealing the problem of Samaritan in our life will help us to open the gate of heaven so the atmosphere and the blessing of heaven will pour down to our life!

²⁵ And behold, a certain lawyer stood up and tested Him, saying, “Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?” ²⁶ He said to him, “What is written in the law? What is your reading of it?” ²⁷ So he answered and said, ‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, and with all your mind,’ and ‘your neighbour as yourself.’” ²⁸ And He said to him, “You have answered rightly; do this and you will live.” ²⁹ But he, wanting to justify himself, said to Jesus, “And who is my neighbour?”

³⁶ So which of these three do you think was neighbour to him who fell among the thieves?” ³⁷ And he said, “He who showed mercy on him.” Then Jesus said to him, “Go and do likewise.” John 4:25-29, 36-37 NKJV

The command to love our neighbour must be accomplished, not with an ordinary love, but with heavenly love (agape). There is a big need for us to come closer to the presence of God, everyday, every time, receiving God’s love and let the Holy Spirit helps to put it deep down in our heart Rm.5:5, so we will have enough love to live! Jesus said: “Do this and you will live!” Having live in this world without agape will definitely make us walk in drought. This agape will help us to build and maintain a better relationship within our marriage, our family, even in our workplace and our neighbourhood.

AGAPE WILL PUT ASIDE ALL BAD PAST

We can not find anyone perfect in this world. Mistakes could be happened in any part of our life. Loving our ‘Samaritan’ means that we need to put aside all bad history in the past and see every person as God see them. Never stick to the bad things in the past but let’s see it as a condition of present.

But a certain Samaritan, as he journeyed, came where he was. And when he saw him, he had compassion. Luke 10:33 NKJV

Jesus tried to explain this truth from the opposite way and use the Samaritan as a subject! Even though the Jews always like to avoid him, but this good Samaritan put aside all bad past and saw that miserable person in the present condition which was wounded and leaved half dead by the thieves! The history may bring us to categorize people into its specific condition and even ban some of them not to come into our life. But the eye of Christ never does that! There is no partiality with God Rm.2:11. Paul wrote: There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus Gal.3.28. James wrote: My brethren, do not hold the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory, with partiality. Jam.2:1.

⁸ If you really fulfil the royal law according to the Scripture, “You shall love your neighbour as yourself,” you do well; ⁹ but if you show partiality, you commit sin, and are convicted by the law as transgressors. ¹⁰ For whoever shall keep the whole law, and yet stumble in one point, he is guilty of all. James 2:8-10 NKJV

Agape will change the way how ‘Samaritans’ see ‘Jews’. Agape will change how husband see his wife, and how wife see her husband. Agape will help us and strengthen us to see as Jesus see, so what you see is what God see. Jesus talked and ate together with sinners and the tax collectors because Jesus saw them as the son of Abraham who need to be found and saved. Agape will help us not to stick with their mistakes, but concern with what the grace of God can do in their life. Let’s see the bruised reed NOT as something useless and ready to be littered, because Jesus doesn’t want to break it yet Mt.12:20!

AGAPE WILL DO WHAT IT CAN DO NOW

Agape is more of action rather than only a theory! Agape will always find what it can do NOW rather than only make a grand plan on the paper.

So, he went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine; and he set him on his own animal, brought him to an inn, and took care of him. Luke 10:34 NKJV

The proverbs teach us: Do not say to your neighbour, “Go, and come back, and tomorrow I will give it,” when you have it with you Pro.3:28. Agape will always treat the neighbour with what I have today and what I can do today for them. Even though what we have today is not the final solution for the real problem they may have, but agape will encourage the neighbour with what it can do NOW! In the case of this good Samaritan, he was willingly poured out the oil and wine (an expensive stuff in that day) to that miserable person. The oil and the wine are put together several times in the Bible. While the oil is the symbol of anointing of the Holy Spirit, the wine is the symbol of the joy within the Spirit Eph.5:18. It is very important to always have the oil and the wine, specially in this last days, to keep our live healthy and not being damaged with tribulation of last days Rev.6:6, and moreover so we are able to practice that agape in our daily life! Your anointing and your joy as the children of God will definitely spread out the work of faith, labour of love, and patience of hope 1Thes.1:3.

God never ask us to do something that too difficult nor undoable. God asked Moses for what was in his hand that God could use to show His power to the Pharaoh Ex.4:2. What is that in our hand that we can use to show our love to our spouse, to our family, to our friends. We can be a good listener, we can bring our Biblical point of view, we can impart a fresh hope, we can give an extra hand, we can give our mobile number and ready to be a good friend. There is a lot thing to do since agape is a powerful love of God! Agape is always fresh day by day as God’s mercies always new every morning Lam.3:23. Agape will bring cheerfulness to our relationship in every single new day because agape will always do what it can do today!

AGAPE IS ABLE TO THINK AND DO THE SECOND MILE

That good Samaritan not only did the first mile, but also the second mile! Giving a big help had already considered as a superhero doing, but this wonderful Samaritan decided to do an extra by providing a complete help for that wounded person!

On the next day, when he departed, he took out two denarii, gave them to the innkeeper, and said to him, ‘Take care of him; and whatever more you spend, when I come again, I will repay you.’ Luke 10:35 NKJV

Agape will help us to do the next mile because we have more strength to do that. Our human love will quickly run out in the first mile, but God’s love is always refreshed and replenished! That good Samaritan make a good promise, an honest commitment, and even fulfil it sincerely! Agape is not only about a one-off charity night, but also consider about the eternity side! Agape will make someone become healed and made whole! Our humanity love will help other people half-way, fulfilling their needs in this world, but God’s love will also show them the way to come to God who is the Mighty Saviour. Agape will always attract people to come to God.

The power of Holy Spirit will be our strength to go to our ‘Samaria’ Ac.1:8. Let’s abide in His love and keep growing in God’s love. AMEN.