The Parable of the Good Samaritan – Are You Like the Lawyer? (Part 2)

When a lawyer tried to put Jesus to the test, Jesus reversed the question: “What is written in the Law? How do you read it?” The lawyer answered: “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind, and?your neighbor as yourself.” Jesus responded: “You have answered correctly” (Luke 10:25-28).

The lawyer knew the right answer; yet, he desired to “justify himself.” In other words: even though he knew the right, biblical, moral answer, he was trying to find a way to accommodate the plain truth of God’s word to what he thought it should be.

Unfortunately, we often do the same. Even though we know the right answer, we try to accommodate God’s word to our preferences, practices, policies, and procedures. For example, not so long ago I reached out to a ministry that has an email list to over 600,000 pastors (as stated on their social media).

No doubt, this pastor would wholeheartedly agree with and affirm what Paul wrote: “So then,?as we have opportunity, let us?do good to everyone, and especially to those who are?of the household of faith” (Gal. 6:10). Most likely, he would even share this verse on his social media.

Yet, when I asked this ministry if they would be willing to help distribute Bibles to their persecuted brothers and sisters, which is without any cost or effort on their part, they declined this free, simple, and easy opportunity to “do good . . . especially to those who are of the household of faith.”

They weren’t interested in helping distribute (more) Bibles to the persecuted church because, as the lady said on the phone, we only share the writings of our founder.

Does a ministry (partly) exist for its founder and?his?platform, or does it exist in order to reach and help more people when it has an opportunity to do so?

Only God know how many Bibles this retired pastor could easily and freely distribute to his persecuted brothers and sisters through just one email, especially if he would encourage these 600,000 pastors to share this Bible fundraiser with their church.

If only 10% of the pastors would buy one of the $4.00 classic Christian book deals, he would distribute 20,000 Bibles, without any cost or effort on his part.

Undoubtedly, if this retired pastor was caught in a moral scandal, the media would be all over it, calling it an outrage. What about the “moral scandal” of refusing to help distribute God’s word to his persecuted brother and sisters, because it doesn’t fit the policy and practice of his ministry? Should that not also be a moral outrage?

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