Sunday
Morning Bible Study
January
24, 2016
Introduction
Do people see Jesus? Is the gospel
preached? Does it address the person who is: Empty, lonely, guilty, or afraid
to die? Does it speak to the broken
hearted? Does it build up the church? Milk – Meat – Manna Preach for a decision
Is the church loved? Regular: 2900
words Communion: 2500 words Video=75wpm
Luke was a doctor and a traveling companion of the apostle Paul.
He wrote this book while Paul was in prison.
In writing his book, Luke made use of other older documents like the Gospel
of Mark, as well as extensive eyewitness accounts.
Jesus’ ministry is well under way, and the people have been amazed not just
at the things He’s been teaching, but the things He’s been doing.
10:25-28 Inheriting Eternal Life
:25 And behold, a certain lawyer stood up and tested Him, saying, “Teacher,
what shall I do to inherit eternal life?”
lawyer – nomikos
– pertaining to the law, one learned in the law; in the NT an interpreter and
teacher of the Mosaic law
stood
up – anistemi
– to cause to rise up, raise up; to rise, stand up; at arise, appear, stand
forth; of those about to enter into conversation or dispute with anyone, or to
undertake some business, or attempt something against others; to rise up
against any one
tested – ekpeirazo – to prove, test, thoroughly; to put to proof
God’s character and power
inherit – kleronomeo
– to receive a lot, receive by lot; to be an heir, to inherit
eternal – aionios
– without beginning and end, that which always has been and always will be
; without beginning; without end, never to cease, everlasting
life – zoe –
life; of the absolute fulness of life
:25 a certain lawyer stood up
Illustration
A blonde and a lawyer are seated next to each other on a flight from LA to
NY. The lawyer asks if she would like to play a fun game? The blonde, tired,
just wants to take a nap, politely declines and rolls over to the window to
catch a few winks. The lawyer persists and explains that the game is easy and a
lot of fun. He explains, “I ask you a question, and if you don’t know the
answer, you pay me $5.00, and vice versa. Again, she declines and tries to get
some sleep. The lawyer, now agitated, says, “Okay, if you don’t know the answer
you pay me $5.00, and if I don’t know the answer, I will pay you $500.00.” This
catches the blonde’s attention and, figuring there will be no end to this
torment unless she plays, agrees to the game. The lawyer asks the first question.
“What’s the distance from the earth to the moon?” The blonde doesn’t say a
word, reaches into her purse, pulls out a $5.00 bill and hands it to the
lawyer. Okay says the lawyer, your turn. She asks the lawyer, “What goes up a
hill with three legs and comes down with four legs?” The lawyer, puzzled, takes
out his laptop computer and searches all his references, no answer. He taps
into the airplane’s Wi-Fi and searches the internet, no answer. Frustrated, he
sends e-mails to all his friends and coworkers, to no avail. After an hour, he
wakes the blonde, and hands her $500.00. The blonde says, “Thank you,” and
turns back to get some more sleep. The lawyer, who is more than a little
miffed, wakes the blonde and asks, “Well, what’s the answer? “Without a word, the
blonde reaches into her purse, hands the lawyer $5.00, and goes back to sleep.
And you thought all blondes were dumb.
This is not a secular lawyer, but a religious scholar. He is someone who is an expert in the Law of
Moses.
But just like the lawyer on the airplane, he’s going to try and cause
trouble.
:25 and tested Him
It seems as if this fellow is
trying to trick Jesus into saying something stupid.
:25 inherit eternal life
Lesson
Living Forever
Ultimately, “eternal life” has to do with a life with God in heaven.
Every single human being that has ever been born is an “eternal” being in
that they have a soul that will last forever.
The question isn’t whether or not your soul will last forever, but whether
or not your soul will last forever with God in heaven, or last forever in hell.
Jesus is going to answer and challenge this man according to his
relationship with the Law of Moses.
Jesus is going to tell the man what he needs to “do”.
But don’t think that this is the only, single, simple answer to this
question.
When you do a search of the two Greek words used here for “eternal life”, there
are 44 verses that contain these words, and more than a few of them have to do
with the concept of “inheriting”, “obtaining”, or “receiving” eternal life.
There was a rich young ruler who asked the same question of Jesus, but got
a slightly different answer.
(Matthew 19:16
NKJV) Now behold, one came and said to Him, “Good Teacher, what good
thing shall I do that I may have eternal life?”
Jesus reviewed some of the Ten Commandments, which the fellow said he was
doing, and then Jesus probed a little further:
(Matthew
19:21 NKJV) Jesus said to him, “If you want to be perfect, go, sell what you
have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come,
follow Me.”
I don’t think Jesus was saying that everyone has to all
their property to go to heaven.
Jesus was dealing with this particular man’s problem.
Yet you see with both our “lawyer” and the “rich young ruler”, Jesus made a
connection between “eternal life” and what the person “does”.
In John’s gospel, Jesus has a lot to say about eternal life.
(John 3:16 NKJV) For God so
loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in
Him should not perish but have everlasting life.
(John 6:40 NKJV) And this is
the will of Him who sent Me, that everyone who sees the Son and believes in Him
may have everlasting life; and I will raise him up at the last day.”
The term “everlasting life” in both verses is translated
from the same Greek words as “eternal life” in our verse.
Over and over again through the gospels, the single
greatest component to receiving eternal life is not about what you do but about
what you believe.
Eternal life is a gift from God, not something that you earn by doing. Paul wrote,
(Romans 6:23 NKJV) For the
wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in
Christ Jesus our Lord.
Yet don’t think that there isn’t a connection between eternal life and
living a life of good deeds, a life of turning away from sin.
Paul warned
(Romans
2:5–7 NLT) —5 But because you are stubborn and refuse to turn from your sin, you
are storing up terrible punishment for yourself. For a day of anger is coming,
when God’s righteous judgment will be revealed. 6 He will judge everyone according to
what they have done. 7 He will give eternal life to those who keep on doing good, seeking
after the glory and honor and immortality that God offers.
Here’s how it all works.
Eternal life is indeed a free gift from God, made possible by Jesus Christ
dying on a cross to pay for your sins.
We receive this gift and make it ours simply by faith, by choosing to
believe in and follow Jesus.
Yet an element of this belief in Jesus involves doing, turning from our
sins.
If your belief in Jesus is sincere, then you will see what
Jesus sees in your sins – that your sin is abhorrent and need to stop.
You will also see a desire in your life to do good things
for others.
That doesn’t mean you must live a perfect life to make it
into heaven.
You will not be able to be completely free from sin until
the day you see Jesus face to face.
But it does mean that the direction of your life has now
taken a change of course, and for the most part your life is now characterized
by turning from sin and turning toward God.
:26 He said to him, “What is written in the law? What is your reading of
it?”
reading – anaginosko
– to distinguish between, to recognize, to know accurately, to acknowledge; to
read
:26 What is your reading of it?
Jesus recognizes that this man was
an expert in the Law of Moses.
A wise counselor doesn’t always respond by giving the obvious answer.
I think sometimes it’s better to dialogue with a person. Ask questions and find out a little more
about where they’re coming from.
Jesus asks the man for his own
ideas as to what it might take to inherit eternal life.
: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
neighbor as yourself.’ ”
love – agapao
– of persons; to welcome, to entertain, to be fond of, to love dearly
with – ek
– out of, from, by, away from
all – holos
– all, whole, completely
strength – ischus
– ability, force, strength, might
mind – dianoia
– the mind as a faculty of understanding, feeling, desiring; understanding;
mind, i.e. spirit, way of thinking and feeling
neighbor – plesion
– a neighbor; a friend
:27 he answered and said…
The lawyer responds by quoting two different portions of the Law of Moses.
(Deuteronomy 6:5
NKJV) You shall love the Lord
your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength.
(Leviticus 19:18b
NKJV) …but you shall love your neighbor as yourself: I am the Lord.
:28 And He said to him, “You have answered rightly; do this and you will
live.”
rightly – orthos
(“straight”) – rightly
live – zao –
to live, breathe, be among the living (not lifeless, not dead); to enjoy real
life
:28 You have answered rightly
Jesus liked this man’s answer.
In another situation, Jesus would tell another “lawyer” that these were the
two greatest commandments. (Mat. 22:40)
When Jesus Himself was asked what
He thought was the greatest commandment from the Law of Moses, He responded
with the same two verses and then He said,
(Matthew 22:40 NKJV) On these
two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets.”
All the commandments in the Law of
Moses can be summed up in loving God and loving your neighbor.
10:29-37 The Good Samaritan
:29 But he, wanting to justify himself, said to Jesus, “And who is my
neighbor?”
wanting – thelo
– to will, have in mind, intend; to be resolved or determined, to purpose; to
desire, to wish; to love; to like to do a thing, be fond of doing; to take
delight in, have pleasure
to justify – dikaioo
– to render righteous or such he ought to be; to show, exhibit, evince, one to
be righteous, such as he is and wishes himself to be considered; to declare,
pronounce, one to be just, righteous, or such as he ought to be
neighbor – plesion
(“near”) – a neighbor; friend
:29 wanting to justify
himself
Lesson
How far can I go?
We are silly creatures who like to know just how much we can get away with.
We want to know exactly where the boundary lines are so we can get as close
to that temptation as possible.
When the Israelites wandered in the wilderness, God provided for them with
this miraculous stuff called manna.
Every morning they would leave their tents and go out and find this stuff
laying all over the ground.
It was edible. It tasted like
crackers with honey. (which is even better with coffee and peanut butter…)
Along with the manna, God gave just a couple of rules to try and develop
some healthy disciplines in their lives.
One rule was about not taking more than they needed and
not try to keep it overnight.
I think God wanted the people to learn to trust Him every
day for their daily bread.
But did they obey this simple rule?
(Exodus
16:20 NKJV) Notwithstanding they did not heed Moses. But some of them left part
of it until morning, and it bred worms and stank. And Moses was angry with
them.
Like us, some wanted to know just how far they could go.
God told them that
on the sixth day, He would provide enough for two days’ worth of food so the
people would rest on the seventh day.
God wanted to
teach the people to take a day off.
But did they obey
this rule?
(Exodus 16:27 NKJV) Now
it happened that some of the people went out on the seventh day to
gather, but they found none.
When someone wants to know where the lines are drawn for believers there is
a danger.
What kinds of movies are okay to watch?
What kinds of music are okay to listen to? What kinds of video games are okay to play?
The issue shouldn’t be how far can you get from God without crossing the line.
The issue should be how close can you get to God.
:30 Then Jesus answered and said: “A certain man went down from
Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell among thieves, who stripped him of his clothing,
wounded him, and departed, leaving him half dead.
answering – hupolambano – to take
up in order to raise, follow in speech, in order either to reply to or
controvert or supplement what another has said; carrying the idea of
interrupting (Robertson).
thieves – lestes
– a robber, plunderer, freebooter, brigand; one who steals openly
stripped him – ekduo
– to take off; to strip one of his garments
wounded him – plege – a blow,
stripe, a wound
and – epitithemi
– to put or lay upon
half dead – hemithanes
– half dead
and – tugchano
– to hit the mark; of one discharging a javelin or arrow; to happen,
chance, fall out; to chance to be
:30 a certain man
Jesus doesn’t say, but it is safe to
assume that this man is a Jew.
Some have suggested that Jesus
isn’t making up a story here, but telling about something that actually
happened.
:30 went down from Jerusalem to Jericho
Jerusalem is up in the hills at about 2,000 feet in altitude.
Jericho is down in the Jordan valley about 850 feet below sea level.
Pics of Jericho road
Here’s what it’s like driving in these hills.
The road known as a place for thieves.
There were lots of rocks and hiding places.
The Romans had to build a fort
along it to protect people along the “red and bloody way”.
:31 Now by chance a certain priest came down that road. And when he saw
him, he passed by on the other side.
chance – sugkuria – accident,
by chance, “by way of coincidence” (Robertson).
he saw – horao
– to see with the eyes
passed by on the other side – antiparerchomai
(“against” + “alongside” + “come”) – to pass by opposite to
:31 a certain priest came down that road
The “lawyer” is a man who knew the
Law of Moses. He was considered a
“religious” guy.
Who could be more religious than a
priest?
All priests were descendants of
Aaron.
It just so happened … coincidentally … a priest was on that same road.
Of all the Jews, priests should know God’s ways the best.
The priest is probably thinking that he is obeying God’s laws by staying
“clean”, but not touching a man who might be “unclean”.
Yet by using the laws for “uncleanness” as an excuse to not help someone,
the priest is violating God’s very heart.
:32 Likewise a Levite, when he arrived at the place, came and looked, and
passed by on the other side.
came – erchomai
– to come
looked – oida
– to see; to perceive with the eyes; to perceive, notice, discern, discover
:32 Likewise a Levite
The Levites were religious as well, serving as helpers to the priests in
the Temple.
While all priests were part of the
tribe of Levi, not all Levites were from the family of Aaron and eligible to be
priests.
The rest of the tribe of Levi
served in the service of the temple, as helpers for the priests.
They would stand guard at the
gates, take care of the grounds, and watch over the finances.
:32 came and looked
The Levite took a step closer to
the crime victim.
While the priest simply “glanced”
at the fellow, the Levite actually got up a little bit closer to see what was
going on.
And then he went back to the other
side of the road.
:32 passed by on the other side
Could this kind of thing happen
today?
Years ago there was a famous
incident where …
In 1964 a
young woman named Kitty Genovese was brutally attacked as she returned to
her apartment late one night. She
screamed and shrieked as she fought for her life, yelling until she was hoarse
-- for thirty minutes -- as she was beaten and abused. Thirty-eight people watched the half-hour
episode in rapt fascination from their windows.
Not one so much as walked over to the telephone and called the
police. She died that night as thirty-eight
witnesses stared in silence.
Charles Swindoll writes, (Improving
Your Serve)
The only difference with today is that all thirty-eight people would have
posted pictures and video on FaceBook.
:33 But a certain Samaritan, as he journeyed, came where he was. And when
he saw him, he had compassion.
journeyed – hodeuo
– to travel, journey
saw – horao
– to see with the eyes
had
compassion – splagchnizomai
– to be moved as to one’s bowels, hence to be moved with compassion, have
compassion (for the bowels were thought to be the seat of love and pity)
:33 a certain Samaritan
When the Assyrians conquered the northern kingdom in 722 BC, they brought
foreigners into the conquered lands and they intermarried with the few
remaining Jews.
The Samaritans had also developed a twisted form of Judaism that perverted
the truths of Scripture.
The Jews hated the Samaritans.
The good Jewish folks listening to
Jesus tell the story are going to initially think the Samaritan is probably
going to kill the man.
What Jesus is teaching here flies in the face with anyone who claims to be
a Christian, but is a racist.
We are grateful for the work of Dr.
Martin Luther King Jr., but don’t forget that his ideas came from Jesus.
The Samaritan race came about when
the Assyrians caused foreigners to intermarry with the few remaining Israelites
after the fall of the northern kingdom in 722 BC.
Today, there are about 800
Samaritans left.
The Samaritans rewrote some of the
Mosaic Law and changed the names and places so that Abraham offered Isaac on
Mount Gerazim instead of Moriah, and the feasts were all celebrated in Shechem
instead of Jerusalem.
The Samaritan isn’t coming from Jerusalem
because he had been there to worship God, he was probably just doing business
there.
Because of their mixed heritage and
their twisted religion, Jews do not like Samaritans.
Jesus had recently had a run in of
sorts with some Samaritans on His way to Jerusalem.
James and John wanted to call down
fire from heaven to wipe out a village because they didn’t want Jesus around.
(Luke 9:54)
(Luke 9:54 NKJV) —54 And
when His disciples James and John saw this, they said, “Lord, do You
want us to command fire to come down from heaven and consume them, just as
Elijah did?”
Lesson
Racial prejudice
Jesus is not only going to
demonstrate what eternal life looks like, but He’s going to show that all kinds
of people can inherit eternal life.
I think it’s fascinating how Jesus
puts this story together. I might have
made the Samaritan to the person who was beaten up, and try to say that we
ought to have compassion on those poor little Samaritans. But Jesus does it one better. He makes the hero of the story be the
Samaritan.
He makes the hero someone these
Jewish hearers would find revolting.
This isn’t just about religion;
this is about race.
I think that sometimes we may not
even be aware of our own racial prejudices.
There are some folks where it is
very obvious. I am sure the man who
wears a white hood to his club is aware of his racial prejudice.
But sometimes I wonder if we all
are quite aware of how easy it is to become prejudice.
In 1960s, civil rights and racial
prejudice in our nation were a mess.
In March of 1963, people from all
around the nation gathered in the Washington mall. Martin Luther King Jr. was one of the
speakers.
I think we’ve come a long way as a
nation, but we still have a long way to go.
Jesus was the original
revolutionary when it came to racial prejudice and civil rights.
You see it right here in the story
of the Good Samaritan.
If you are a believer in Jesus
Christ, you are going to have a hard time if you don’t learn to give up your
racial prejudice.
Paul said that when it all comes
down to it, the only thing that matters is whether a person has Jesus or not.
(Colossians 3:11 NKJV) where there is neither Greek nor Jew, circumcised nor
uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave nor free, but Christ is
all and in all.
:33 came … saw … had compassion
Just like the Levite, the Samaritan
got a little closer to take a look.
Unlike the Levite, when the
Samaritan saw what had happened, instead of moving away from the victim, he was
moved with compassion.
had
compassion – splagchnizomai
– to be moved as to one’s bowels
The ancients thought that all your
emotions, including love and pity came from your “bowels”, not from your heart.
Their Valentine’s Day cards would
read, “I love you with all my bowels”.
This man is moved at what he sees.
:34 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.
went to – proserchomai
– to come to, approach
bound up – katadeo
– to bind up
wounds – trauma – a wound
pouring in – epicheo
(“upon” + “to pour”) – to pour upon
oil – elaion
– olive oil
wine – oinos
– wine
set – epibibazo
– to cause to mount; to place upon
beast – ktenos
– a beast; esp. a beast of burden; used for four legged animals as opposed to
fishes and birds
an inn – pandocheion
– an inn, a public house for the reception of strangers
There are ruins of two inns about
halfway between Bethany and Jericho.
took care – epimeleomai
– to take care of a person or thing
:34 he went to him
He didn’t move away or back to the
other side of the street. He went
towards the man.
:34 wounds … oil and wine
This was simple standard first aid.
The oil soothes the wound while the wine is acts as an antiseptic.
Hippocrates prescribed for wounds:
“Bind with soft wool, and sprinkle
with wine and oil.”
:34 brought him to an inn
There’s some risk here for the
Samaritan because it probably isn’t too safe for him to bring a wounded Jewish
man into a most likely Jewish establishment when he’s a Samaritan.
They might think he did it.
Since Jesus doesn’t tell us, it’s
safe to assume that the wounded man was a Jew.
An inn on the road from Jerusalem
to Jericho would be a Jewish establishment because it is in the land of Judea.
It would be just a little more than
dangerous for a hated Samaritan to take a wounded Jew to a Jewish inn.
Who’s to say that this Samaritan
wasn’t the one that beat up the man?
Suppose the story is taking place
in the Wild West of 1850, and it’s an Indian who is taking a wounded cowboy
into Dodge City to put him up in the saloon.
How would you expect the folks in
the saloon to react?
:35 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.’
next day – aurion
– tomorrow
denarii – denarion
– “containing ten”; A Roman silver coin in NT time. It took its name from it
being equal to ten "asses", a number after 217 B.C. increased to
sixteen (about 3.898 grams or . 1375 oz.). It was the principal silver coin of
the Roman empire. From the parable of the labourers in the vineyard, it would
seem that a denarius was then the ordinary pay for a day’s wages. (#Mt 20:2-13)
Two days’ wages. Pretty nice of the guy!
innkeeper – pandocheus
– an inn keeper, host
Take care – epimeleomai
– to take care of a person or thing
more you spend – prosdapanao
– to spend besides
come again – epanerchomai
– to return, come back again
repay – apodidomi
– to deliver, to give away for one’s own profit what is one’s own, to sell; to
pay off, discharge what is due; to give back, restore; to requite, recompense
in a good or a bad sense
:35 two denarii
A denarius was a Roman silver coin equivalent to the wage for an entire day
for a day laborer (Mat. 20:2-13).
Two denarii is probably enough to cover the expenses for the man for a
couple of weeks.
:35 when I come again, I will repay you
If you racked up more than you could pay at an ancient inn, it was possible
for you to be sold as a slave to pay your debt.
The Samaritan does not want this man to become a slave.
He is willing to cover the entire debt.
This Samaritan may have been a
merchant who made frequent trips to Jerusalem.
He promises to stop by on his next
trip to Jerusalem to close out the tab for this stranger.
Note that the Samaritan doesn’t
stay to nurse the man back to health, but he does pay the bills that the man
will incur.
Note: If Jesus is trying to paint a picture of
someone who is inheriting eternal life, He is doing it by showing a person who
is doing good deeds.
:36 So which of these three do you think was neighbor to him who fell among
the thieves?”
think – dokeo
– to be of opinion, think, suppose; to seem, to be accounted, reputed
:37 And he said, “He who showed mercy on him.” Then Jesus said to him, “Go
and do likewise.”
showed – poieo
– to make; to do
mercy – eleos
– mercy: kindness or good will towards the miserable and the afflicted, joined
with a desire to help them
likewise – homoios
– likewise, equally, in the same way
:37 Go and do likewise
Both “go” and “do” are commands.
Don’t just be hearers, but doers.
:37 He who showed mercy
The Greek is literally, “He who DID mercy”.
Mercy, like love, isn’t something you just feel, it’s something you do.
Lesson
Who is my neighbor?
When our kids were little, we used to read them a book “Are You My Mother”
by P.D. Eastman.
It’s the story of an egg that hatches while the mother is away, and the
baby bird goes from one thing to the next asking, “Are you my mother?”
He asks a kitten, a hen, a dog, and a cow, “Are you my mother?” They all say “no”.
Spoiler alert: He
does find his mother.
We ought to be asking, “Are you my neighbor?”
The word translated “neighbor” is plesion,
which is based on the word for “near”.
A neighbor is one who is near you.
Jesus would add it’s a person who is also in need, even if you aren’t aware
of it.
In Jesus’ story, the neighbor wasn’t who you thought it would be.
I think that’s one of the things we need to be careful of, getting into a
rut of who we think our “neighbor” is.
Illustration
After WWII, a man named Bob
Pierce felt a burden to help the poor of the world, especially those in Asia.
Bob would eventually start a ministry called World Vision where he
encouraged Christians to “adopt” orphans around the world by supporting them
financially.
His intensity caused him problems and he eventually was forced to resign
from the board of his ministry in 1967.
He would eventually take over and grow another ministry that served the
poor of the world called Samaritan’s Purse.
Both organizations are top notch.
Yet what was tragic about Bob’s life was his family. He traveled as much as 10 months of the
year. He would say, “I’ve made an
agreement with God, that I’ll take care of his helpless little lambs overseas
if he’ll take care of mine at home”.
That may sound nice, but I’m not sure God would agree with it.
In 1968 he was touring Viet Nam when he got a phone call
from his daughter Sharon. She asked if
he could come home, but he wanted to extend his trip instead. His wife Lorraine started home immediately,
but by the time she had come home Sharon had tried to commit suicide. Later that year she tried again and
succeeded.
Just who is your “neighbor”?
Could it be the people who live next door?
Could it be the folks who come to the food drive?
Could it be someone at work?
Could it be someone in your family?
Your kids? Your spouse?
The answer is “all of the above”
Fred Rogers was an ordained Presbyterian minister. I wonder where he got the idea of being a
“neighbor”?
Lesson
Do Mercy
Mercy isn’t something you feel towards another person.
Mercy is something you do, something you “practice”.
The lawyer wanted to know who his
neighbor was, but Jesus’ actual response was more about “being” a neighbor than
identifying your neighbor.
The way we “be” a neighbor is by
showing mercy.
It was the lawyer who connected
“mercy” with being a neighbor, and Jesus didn’t correct him.
mercy – eleos
– mercy: kindness or good will towards the miserable and the afflicted, joined
with a desire to help them
Another related word is
alms – eleemosune
– mercy, pity; a donation to the poor, alms
Doing mercy starts with having compassion on others.
It’s showing kindness to them even when they don’t deserve it.
It’s demonstrated in actions, in giving, in meeting needs.
Illustration
Charles R. Swindoll (Hope Again (Waco: Word, 1996), p. 90.) writes,
I was told a wonderful story about Coach [Tom] Landry that
illustrates the level of his Christian love for others. Years ago, the late
Ohio State coach, Woody Hayes, was fired for striking an opposing player on the
sidelines during a football game. The
press had a field day with the firing and really tarred and feathered the
former Buckeye coach. Few people in
America could have felt lower than he at that time; he not only lost control in
a game and did a foolish thing, but he also lost his job and much of the
respect others had for him.
At the end of that season, a large, prestigious banquet
was held for professional athletes. Tom
Landry, of course, was invited. Guess
whom he took with him as his guest: Woody
Hayes, the man everyone was being encouraged to hate and criticize.
Do Mercy