Strummin ‘ My Theological Pain with His Fingers…

September 4, 2009 in God with 3 Comments

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Dallas Willard just put words to something I’ve been trying to verbalize for years. Listen to these words from The Divine Conspiracy:

In the story of the good Samaritan, Jesus not only teaches us to help people in need; more deeply he teaches us that we cannot identify who “has it,” who is “in” with God, who is “blessed,” by looking at exteriors of any sort. That is a matter of the heart. There alone the kingdom of the heavens and human kingdoms great and small are kit together. Draw any cultural or social line you wish, and God will find his way beyond it. “Human beings look at the outer appearance. but Jehovah looks on the heart” (1 Sam 16:7). And “what humanity highly regards can be sickening to God” (Luke 16:15).

To a Jew in Jesus’ time, “the only good Samaritan was a dead Samaritan.” Samaritans were the half-breeds that young Jewish children were taught to hate from birth.

If that’s the case, who is your “good Samaritan”? Is it the good Muslim? Good atheist? Good homosexual? Good Iraqi? Good Communist? Good liberal? Good conservative? Willard says that God will find a way to make it past your social judgment.

That was like a much-needed kick to the theological groin. Thanks Dallas!

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3 Responses to “Strummin ‘ My Theological Pain with His Fingers…”

  1. makarios September 4, 2009 at 9:16 pm #

    That's a good book, worth at least two reads.

  2. Tony September 5, 2009 at 4:00 am #

    Love Dallas Willard… and The Divine Conspiracy! Love the story of the Good Samaritan as well… notice that when Jesus asked the teacher of the law so Who Is Your Neighbor, he couldn't even say the word Samaritan he hated them so much!!!

    Peace
    Tony

  3. Sam Mahlstadt September 8, 2009 at 1:47 pm #

    Also, if the Samaritan who was "left for dead" would have been dead, the priest would have been defiled for touching him – making him ritually unclean and unable to perform his tasks in the temple. Sometimes God is asking us to make ourselves "unclean" in the context that we are familiar with in order to find ourselves clean in His sight. Imagine the modern-day religious implications of interacting with a Muslim or atheist – hesitance at best. I think those are the moments where Christ's light blasts through the darkness that we have had a hand in creating. Good post Justin.