Digging Deeper – Expectations
By chance a priest came along. But when he saw the man lying there, he
crossed to the other side of the road and passed him by. A Temple
assistant walked over and looked at him lying there, but he also passed by
on the other side.
Luke 10:31-32 (NLT)
Expectations
There are two shockers in this story. One is that the hated Samaritan cared enough to aid the hurt Jewish man on the side of the road. The second is that the Priests and Levites (Temple assistants) didn’t stop to help their countryman. Let’s focus on the latter today. A little background about these guys will help explain what I mean.
Priests and Levites had to have come from the tribe of Levi. The priests had to be not only Levites but also in the line of Aaron, Israel’s first high priest (Exodus 28:1–3). Priests and Levites had different jobs in and around the temple. Priests were authorized to perform the sacrifices. Levites were set apart to help the priests. They did the work of elders, servants, custodians, assistants, musicians, movers, and repairmen. Priests and Levites were supported by Israel’s tithes and by revenues from certain cities that had been given to them. Worship in the temple could not have taken place without the combined efforts of the priests and Levites. The bottom line is that they did significant work for the Lord.
The Old Testament law demanded that Jews do good deeds and care for those who were hurt. Jesus’ story highlights the shortcomings of the priest and the Levite because they were especially required to provide care. That they didn’t stop to help was jaw-dropping to those who heard this account.
As we think about those living around us who are skeptical about God, faith, and Christianity, they expect us to say one thing but live another. God, however, expects those who carry His name to be the hands and feet of Jesus to our hurting “neighbors.” Let’s live up to God’s expectations and not those of the skeptical world around us. Let’s give them a reason to believe there is a loving God who cares about them.
Steve Roach serves as the Pastor of Spiritual Maturity at NorthStar Church. He and his wife, Amy, live in Acworth and have three girls, Olivia, Sydney, and Hayley and one son, Colton. He enjoys watching sports and spending time with his family.
