Luke 10:7-12
Stay with the same family, eating
and drinking whatever they give you, because workers are worth what they
earn. Don’t move around from house to house.
If the people of a town welcome you, eat whatever they offer. Heal their sick and say, “God’s kingdom will soon be here!”
But
if the people of a town refuse to welcome you, go out into the street
and say, “We are shaking the dust from our feet as a warning to you. And
you can be sure that God’s kingdom will soon be here!” I tell you that
on the day of judgment the people of Sodom will get off easier than the
people of that town!
Scripture taken from the Contemporary English Version © 1991,1992, 1995 by American Bible Society, Used by Permission.
I
read a little joke about a teacher who explained to her students that
the mouth of a whale is very small for a creature of such great size. A
little girl protested that the whale’s mouth was large enough to
swallow Jonah, and a bit of an argument ensued. Finally, the little
girl said, “Well, when I get to heaven, I will ask Jonah.” The teacher
asked, “What if Jonah went to hell?” The little girl answered…”Then YOU
ask him!”
This is funny on the surface…but obviously, we would
be very upset with any child who spoke to an adult in such a manner. And
God doesn’t want us to be rude and condescending with people…even when
we are standing up for the validity of His word. Still, Jesus tells us
in this passage that there comes a time when we have “played nice” long
enough – and we must dust ourselves off and walk away. At this point,
we have to trust that either He will make a difference where we
cannot…or these people truly have chosen to reject Him as their Savior.
It’s
hard to know when this point occurs…when to stop trying with some
people. And I still don’t think that God means for us to give up on
them completely. Sometimes, the best option we have is to back away and
pray – and trust God to handle everything as only He can. Until we
reach this point, we are called to treat others with love and
kindness…to meet them where they are…to “eat what they offer” and
minister to them with the love of Christ.
We are to show others
kindness and compassion…to refrain from judgment, condescension, gossip
and name calling. We are to reach out to others in the name of Jesus.
It shouldn’t matter who they are, what they believe, who they worship,
how rich or poor they are - or their race, creed, ethnicity, sexual
orientation or political leaning.
My point is this…Jesus has commissioned us to spread His gospel and minister to all
of His people - not just the ones we like. He has been very clear
about how we are to offer grace, mercy, kindness and compassion to
others…and when to say “When!” and walk away. Are we listening? Are we
hearing His voice and obediently answering? Are we willing to serve
Jesus with an open mind and heart…and leave the judgment to His
discretion? Don’t you think we should be?
©2016 Debbie Robus
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