Luke 10:25 - 37

"The Neighbor of the Robbed Person"

　

by: Pastor Hironori Furuya

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"The Neighbor of the Robbed Person"

The passage of the Bible for today is the same as that Mr. Ota will take up next week. Today, therefore, shall all of us prepare for it?

In the Whole Disciplinal Meeting we invited Mr. Otomo, we learnt from the Book of Job Ecclesiastes that was the Wisdom of the King Solomon.

In the Chapter 3: 6 of the Proverbs, the same Wisdom of the Solomon says; “Always remember the Lord and walk on your path. And, the Lord makes your route straight.”

Simply, utmost simply, we shall embosom the Cross. We shall do the Lord always and anywhere.

The era of these days is so terrible that a woman who was walking along at night was suddenly deprived of her money, goods and her life. The mother of the murdered said "I will not forget this forever." Symbolically, this incident shows the human’s arrogance upon his neighbors. He is clearly far from lowering himself to his neighbor. Sadly enough, however, this is not too unusual, though.

In the Church, on the other hand, the Pastor, the Board Member and the Believers are in a standpoint where everyone shall obey only the voice of the Lord. However, once forgetting that he or she is one of the People of the Lord, he or she becomes like the wolf in the human's skin and attacks his neighbors suddenly, and robs the dignity and the life of the neighbors.

As a matter of course, I sometimes feel somewhat cold eyes in my back while the Pastor alone do not take enough care about rationalities, though I say “modesty” most to others in front of the people. In want of “something” in the interpersonal relationship, I do not sufficiently read the air between my neighbors and me, and it grows conflict that makes annoying noises. Most importantly, however, I feel losing what exists in the word of the Bible. Incidentally, I mean that “robbed” includes the situation where one is suddenly attacked by natural disaster and the sickness, etc".

In parentheses, a homeless person came to this church and wanted me to lend some money, the other day. Advising that Ueno no Mori Christian Church was likely to reach out a helping hand, he, who had said "I have lost my job and totally broken" started to search the location with his mobile phone's navigator. While he has hardship, he tried to search by the navigator, and to visit the church. I thought that he knew indeed that he was protected.

While taking share in richness, we are asked how to deal with it Even if he does not have any intention to become someone’ neighbors, he is led like that. Mysteriously, he is made neighbors to someone.

Then, it is not really difficult for us to know how to help neighbors. Least of all, ours belong to us and neighbors’ belong to neighbors, any person who live in the God's rule doesn't forget this way because whether it helps like any to us.

There is a commandments of “You shall not kill” in the Ten Commandments. Likewise, one shall not want what neighbors own at all. If complying with those commandments, no one ruins his neighbors as if he is in the place of the God.

They say about a famous doughnut shop near the Shinjuku Takashimaya department store, the customers’ cue is endless, they keep queuing up in the hot sun even the parasol is lent to them.

It is not happiness to have something tangible, money or land it has something. The desire robs everything we own while we do not notice it all. We even forget the family who must be nearby. This is the reason why the Lord Jesus becomes our neighbor.

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