If
you are anything like me, than sometimes the Bible stories that you have been
taught/heard a thousand times can begin to lose their “wow” factor. This often
happens until God reveals a new reading or understanding of these well known
stories. This is what happened with me and the parable of the Good
Samaritan.
Jesus
tells the story, found in Luke 10: 30-37, of a man who is beaten and left for
dead on the side of the road. A priest is the first to pass by, but when he
sees the man he crosses to the other side of the road and continues on his
journey. The next man, a Levite, does the same. Finally, a Samaritan man comes
along and helps the wounded man, even taking him to an inn and paying the
innkeeper to take care of the man.
What
I noticed and found interesting is that there is a common experience had by all
three of the men who passed by the wounded man. In each case there was a
interruption to their daily lives, and only one allowed himself to be
interrupted. This is what I am going to call “Holy Interruptions.” Sometimes
God is going to place things, people, and situations in our lived that will
interrupt the schedule of our lives, all for the glory of God. Something i’ve
found is that it’s not only important to look at the words that Jesus says but to
also notice his actions. Not only did Jesus talk about being interrupted, but
he himself was constantly interrupted in his ministry.
A
couple chapters prior to the parable mentioned, found in Luke 7: 1-17, is one
of the many examples of how Jesus was interrupted. As Jesus was on his way to
another village he came across a funeral procession. When Jesus saw the dead
man and his mother “his heart overflowed with compassion. “Don’t cry!” he said.
14 Then he walked over to the coffin and touched it, and the bearers stopped.
“Young man,” he said, “I tell you, get up.” 15 Then the dead boy sat up and
began to talk! And Jesus gave him back to his mother” (NLT). Jesus was
most likely on his way to do more ministry when he was stopped to preform a
miracle. In Luke 18:15, we see how Jesus allowed himself to be interrupted
again, even when his disciples thought he was too busy and Jesus allowed the
little children to come to him.
We
need to be open to be interrupted in our daily lives. If we are too caught up
in the schedule, planning, and trying to make everything run perfectly, we
might miss an opportunity that God has planned for us.
I
spent 5 summers as a counsellor at a bible camp. My first summer on staff, one
of my campers passed me a note one evening which said something like “can I
talk to you sometime,” to which I quickly responded “of course! We can talk
tomorrow.” The next morning came and I was quick to continue on with the daily
schedule and programming for that day. I didn't think much about the note as I
thought it would simply be a funny or silly story that she wanted to tell me,
as was often the case. The morning passed and I still hadn't taken the time to
talk to the camper. Finally after lunch, during rest time, I went over to the
camper and quietly asked “what is it that you wanted to talk about?” To
which she quickly answered “I was just wondering if you could help me ask
Jesus into my heart.” I was floored. This was the first camper that I had
the privilege to help lead to Christ and I almost missed it. In camping
ministry, a major part of the ministry is the games and activities, but I was
so caught up in doing that aspect of the ministry that I almost missed the
bigger picture. I almost missed helping someone make the most important decision
because I wouldn't allow myself to be interrupted.
My
prayer for the team during our time in Haiti is the same prayer I have for
myself in every day circumstances. I pray that we would let God be our eyes to
see the needs of those around us rather than focusing on getting from point A
to point B. I pray that we would let God interrupt our lives for His
glory.
“Forget
yourselves long enough to lend a helping hand” - Philippians 2:4
(MSG)
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