Marvin,
Thanks for your post. I believe that what you say is true, I have never known you to make statements irresponsibly, unless you were sure of the accuracy of what you presented.
I can’t help but think of the example of our Lord, Jesus Christ.
It may be true that his primary goal was to preach concerning the Kingdom of God. It is true that he was primarily known as “teacher.”
But what caused people to be willing to listen to what Jesus had to say? What made Jesus, and his message, attractive?
Likely, you enjoy the following account as much as I do:
(Luke 9:10-17)
And when the apostles returned they recounted to him what things they had done. With that he took them along and withdrew to privacy into a city called Beth·sa'i·da. 11 But the crowds, getting to know it, followed him. And he received them kindly and began to speak to them about the kingdom of God, and he healed those needing a cure. 12 Then the day started to decline. The twelve now came up and said to him: “Dismiss the crowd, that they may go into the villages and countryside round about and procure lodging and find provisions, because out here we are in a lonely place.” 13 But he said to them: “YOU give them something to eat.” They said: “We have nothing more than five loaves and two fishes, unless perhaps we ourselves go and buy foodstuffs for all these people.” 14 They were, in fact, about five thousand men. But he said to his disciples: “Have them recline as at meals, in groups of about fifty each.” 15 And they did so and had them all recline. 16 Then taking the five loaves and the two fishes, he looked up to heaven, blessed them and broke them up and began to give them to the disciples to set before the crowd. 17 So they all ate and were satisfied, and the surplus that they had was taken up, twelve baskets of fragments. (bold mine)
The main lessons I discern from this passage are:
1. The people who came to hear Jesus’ teachings had a physical need
2. The disciples’ initial reaction was: “They can fend for themselves”
3. Jesus’ response was: “No, you care for them”
I too am ashamed that our organization doesn’t seem to have learned from that example.
Would it have been an inconvenience? I’m sure it would have been.
Would it have caused disruption in the Bethel schedule? I’m sure it would have.
But, in Jesus’ parable of the Good Samaritan, how much inconvenience was that Samaritan willing to bear to help a wounded Jew?
What lesson was Jesus trying to teach that Jewish lawyer, who thought himself to be so righteous?
Nicodemus
