My small group and I have been going through the book of Luke. I picked Luke because I had never really delved into that Gospel before. Actually I don't think I had ever read the book of Luke straight through before. I think partly I have never read Luke all the way through is because it seems like a forgotten Gospel. Matthew has the sermon on the mount, Mark is full of action and John is the Gospel concerned most with the Holy Spirit. Luke seemed to be overshadowed within the rest of the Gospels but what I have found within the book has truly amazed me.
I am going through the tenth chapter of Luke this week and the contrast between those who welcome the disciples and those who reject the disciples is clear as a warm spring day. Jesus starts of with a pep talk to the disciples before he sends them out. He basically tells them that those who welcome you are giving you the gift of hospitality. Those who welcome you are following the hospitality code from the days of the Old Testament. Those who welcome you still have a grasp on what the people of Israel could and should look like. Jesus also warns them of those who will reject the disciples. Those people who have lost the importance of who the people of Israel are called to become. Those people who are more concerned with proving a political point rather than helping a brother or sister in need. Those people who just are apathetic towards their neighbors.
The climax of this speech and of the hospitality code within the Jewish world is verse sixteen. Jesus culminates this Old Testament law and tradition and centers himself within it. He states that if anyone is accepted within the people of God then he is accepted and if anyone is rejected he is rejected.
Jesus then goes on and talks about the Good Samaritan. He is using one of the most unclean people to demonstrate this new hospitality. Jesus is ripping the scab off the hatred of the Jews towards the Samaritans and is using that hatred to teach them about the Kingdom.
Looking at this scripture, I see that our discriminations, our hatreds, our bleeding scabs should be surrendered to this new code of hospitality. That when we are hating our brother, when we are ignoring our brother, when we are degrading our brother, we are hating, ignoring and degrading Christ.
