The Jericho road

Jesus was once asked by an expert in the law, “what must I do to inherit eternal life?” Jesus answered with the parable of the Good Samaritan. It seems that Jesus sees care for the wounded like the needy, the poor and downtrodden as part of the essence of following him.

Helping someone along a dangerous, dark and lonely road is not everyone’s cup of tea and whilst we are not expected to expose ourselves to danger unnecessarily, the further we remove ourselves from personal connections with people in need, the further we stray from the ministry Jesus modelled for us in this parable.

In Matt 25:31 on, we see Jesus judging people on the basis of their ministry to the hungry, naked, homeless, sick and imprisoned. The ministry of mercy appears to be central to the very definition of being a Christian.

...the King will answer them, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.

In his excellent book Ministries of Mercy, Tim Keller concludes:

• All Christians live on that road to Jericho whether we understand it or not
• It is the responsibility of us all to care for the neighbour lying in the road
• There are times when we need God most, yet he seems strangely inaccessible. At this moment of apparent abandonment, the Body of Christ can rise to perhaps it’s highest calling 

Our church has a Care Team whose aim is to care for the wounded in our church and in the community in which we serve. The team consists of people who are passionate about coming alongside those who are going through hard times and their aim is to assist in practical ways where needed.

Whilst we have this team, ultimately the responsibility lies with each and every one of us to care for others as Jesus calls. It's sometimes difficult work, and the problems can seem insurmountable. But then we serve a God who specialises in the impossible!

For more info contact info@pvfc.co.za