"And a lawyer stood up and put Him to the test, saying, 'Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?' And He said to him, 'What is written in the Law? How does it read to you?' And he answered, 'You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength, and with all your mind; and your neighbor as yourself.' And He said to him, 'You have answered correctly; do this and you will live.' But wishing to justify himself, he said to Jesus, 'And who is my neighbor?'" Luke 10: 25-29
So-Pastor Palmer informed me in mid February, that March was my month to prepare a devotional for the WMC. This notice has been on my mind since that time. What could I share that would enlighten and encourage a group of men whom, when they speak-I take notes? I decided to turn to my weekly source of greatest inspiration and greatest frustration.
As I think you all know, I teach a class of 2nd graders ( 4 boys) every Sunday morning. Last week, we were on the 5th Commandment: "You shall not kill." The lesson was great on Cain and Abel and of course, in the lesson Cain kills Abel in the heat of bitterness and anger. I didn't share with you that all 4 boys in this class have brothers. What amazed me-and probably shouldn't have-was that the general feeling among the boys was that killing your brother maybe is a necessary, and even welcome event at times. In this world of video games, death is only temporary relief-until the next game-and I think that thought process of temporary relief controls these young minds. I felt at the end of the class that I had miserably failed portraying the reaction of Cain as a sin. All week long, I reflected on that failure with the question-how could I have presented the Commandment differently-how does one impart to these young souls the gravity of this commandment?
As I contemplated, my mind wandered to Jesus' parable of the Good Samaritan where a Jew is robbed, beaten and left to die. Jesus tells of the priest and the Levite who when they saw him, both passed by on the other side of the road. The thought then occurred to me: what if this wounded, dying man had been a physical brother to the priest or Levite-would they have still passed by on the other side? We, of course, hope not. Yet, just a year or so ago, not far from us, a man shot and killed his brother over a land dispute. The parable was given in answer to a lawyer's question: "but wishing to justify himself, he said to Jesus, 'Who is my neighbor?'" Why was this lawyer seeking to justify himself? Who had he passed by and left behind that was wounded? My guess is that it was someone who was close to him-probably a brother.
The problem with Cain's actions toward Abel is that it's not only difficult for 2nd graders to grasp as sin, it is a challenge for us 'mature' adults. We can justify hate in the event of an offense. The Law as summarized so well by the lawyer in Luke 10:27 is absolutely impossible-I, just like the lawyer, cannot love the Lord, nor my neighbor (brother) as it is written. The Law, as simple as it sounds, frustrates and condemns me. Yet, at the end of the parable, Jesus tells the lawyer, "Go and do the same." We now see that frustration is not limited to those teaching 2nd graders, it is universal-but we also see again the great joy of Easter-if this Jesus can defeat death, His Spirit can bring forgiveness and love through me-even to the point of loving my brother!! Amen and amen!!
Editor’s note: This devotional was written by Lyle Mattson.
