"A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, when he was attacked by robbers."
What a great way to start a story... well, maybe not for the guy who was attacked! This intro grabs ya, it draws you in. Immediately it makes me wonder-- why was he attacked? Was he being a jerk? Was this some type of hate crime? What did this guy do to deserve this? Was this just senseless violence or was there a motive?
We never find out. Instead, the story takes a turn to uncover an unlikely hero from the reject fringes of religious society... but that will not be my focus today. No, the hero will need to wait out his role as the main protagonist. Today, I want to examine the man who was attacked because "They stripped him of his clothes, beat him and went away, leaving him half dead." (Luke 4:30, NIV)
Have you ever felt like this poor guy? Can you identify with feeling attacked by people who want to steal from you? Maybe not in this sense where your personal possessions are being stolen. But rather, maybe you experience people who try to rob you of your joy or peace or privileges or rank or promotion. Does that resonate?
Have you ever felt like this poor guy? Have you ever felt nude and bare while fully dressed? I don't mean that someone is "stripping you with their eyes" but rather that someone has said something that leaves you feeling completely naked. Their words or actions deprived you of all decency and left you standing there alone in a crowd being scoffed at silently. As if everyone around you could see right through your garments and you felt ashamed and embarrassed as if you were completely unclothed? Have you ever felt that way?
Have you ever felt like this poor guy? Can you identify with feeling beaten down and bedraggled? Have you ever been worn out from the daily fight, bloodied by the weight of responsibility and exhausted with little to no energy left? As if this world were closing in on you and the pressure and demands of every day were crushing your feeble soul until you become a lump of flesh melting into the dirt like an ice cube on a 100 degree summer's day? Can you relate?
They went away. They left him for dead. He was about to take a dirt nap and become worm food. The vultures were already circling just waiting to tear into his warm and bloodied flesh.
This is the picture that Jesus is painting for his listeners. The real, physical torment that this traveler endured at the hands of his attackers resonates with us because while most of us have not been beaten to the point of being "half dead," we know what it is like to feel this way.
The story gets better.
People pass by him. They see him. The hear him.
Imagine this-- there he is probably groaning from pain, fading in and out of consciousness, and bleeding all over the dirt road, and people hear something odd then see someone about 20 yards ahead of them laying on the ground. What do you think their reaction would be? Stop and stare? Size up the situation and determine that it would be better to head back to the crossroad behind them to avoid this mess? Walk another 10 yards to get a closer look? What if he had just passed out? Would they poke him with a stick to see if he was... alive? Now, what would you do?
That is exactly what happens.
People walked around him. Passed by him. No one stopped.
It is as if he were invisible.
Don't stop. Don't help. Don't comfort. Don't care. Shame him. Mock him. Accuse him. Belittle him.
I have felt this way-- invisible. Who cares for the one who cares for others? Who encourages the encourager? Who supports the supporter? Who invests in the investor?
I know that the typical, churchy response is... "All you need is Jesus, brother." Really??? By that same logic, I guess I don't really need community with others then, do I? If that were really true then why are there 6 billion people on this planet? No, that's not true. We need each other. God created us that way.
Do we need God? Absolutely. Is Jesus all we need to be made in right standing with God? Absolutely. Is the Spirit of God more than enough for our soul to be quenched and drenched with the love of God? Absolutely. But God also designed this whole human existence as a family, a community. We are not supposed to do life alone.
No one is supposed to be invisible.
I felt this way today. It sucked. I had 20 people pass me by when I needed them most. No one stopped. Some jeered. Some mocked. But no one stopped. I hate feeling invisible.
Spirit of God, please empower us to see the invisible, over-looked, under-appreciated souls that you put in our lives so that they will feel the love of your Son, Jesus, emanating from Your Spirit alive within us. Give us the boldness to move out of our comfort to unleash us into the adventure of living Spirit-led and use us to see the invisible souls around us so that we can embrace them as family. Amen and amen.
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composed by
dave
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