A Double Portion of Grace

He said to them, "This is what I told you while I was still with you: Everything must be fulfilled that is written about me in the Law of Moses, the Prophets, and the Psalms." --Luke 24:44

The entire Law is summed up in a single command: "Love your neighbor as yourself."  --Galatians 5:14

A dear friend of mine studies numerology, and infuses meaning to everyday occurrences based upon the numbers with which they are associated.  For example, this year, 2015 in the Gregorian calendar, is also the year 5775 in the Jewish calendar.  The number "5" is repeated three times in those two sequences, or names given to the current calendar year.  "5" is the number associated with grace.  So my friend believes that this is the year of Grace, meted out in double- or triple-portion: Grace in giving, Grace in receiving, Grace in our relationships and in our business dealings and in our budgets.  This is the year, he believes, that God will truly open the windows of heaven and bless us abundantly more than we could ever ask or think.

So in my quiet time this morning, I was reading a passage in the Old Testament Law that reminded me of a New Testament story with which we are all familiar.  I will remind you of it here.

On one occasion an expert in the law stood up to test Jesus. "Teacher," he asked, "what must I do to inherit eternal life?"  Jesus replied, "What is written in the Law?  How do you read it?"  The man answered, "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind; and, Love your neighbor as yourself."  Jesus replied, "You have answered correctly.  Do this and you will live."  But he wanted to justify himself, so he asked Jesus, "And who is my neighbor?" In reply Jesus said: "A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, when he fell into the hands of robbers.  They stripped him of his clothes, beat him and went away, leaving him half dead.  A priest happened to be going down the same road, and when he saw the man, he passed by on the other side.  So too, a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side.  But a Samaritan, as he traveled, came to where the man was; and when he saw him, he took pity on him.  He went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine.  Then he  put the man on his own donkey, took him to an inn and took care of him.  The next day he took out two silver coins and gave them to the innkeeper. 'Look after him,' he said, 'and when I return, I will reimburse you for any extra expense you may have.'  Which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?"  The expert in the law replied, "The one who had mercy on him."  Jesus told him, "Go and do likewise."  --Luke 10:25-32

We have all heard this story from the time we were in Children's Church.  There was, indeed, mercy shown by the Samaritan to the Jewish traveler.  There are some deeper meanings, as well, that we may have learned as we grew in the Lord: that Samaritans were considered unclean outcasts by the Jews, yet this Samaritan man was more merciful than the priest and the Levite, who were Jewish religious leaders.  The concept of "neighbor" was effectively expanded to include many more people than just those who live and work in our community, but may also include strangers, as well.

But I want us to take a fresh look at this passage, maybe expanding the meaning a little bit, to show what law the "expert in the law" may have been thinking of as he heard this story.  We may get a glimpse, too, of the ministry and work of Jesus, as well as the character and grace of God.

The scripture I read in my quiet time this morning was from Exodus 21.  You will recall that the Ten Commandments are listed in Exodus 20: you shall not commit murder; you shall not steal; etc.  In the rest of the Torah, the books of the Law, there are some 630 laws that God set out for His people to follow.  The expert in the Law would certainly know all 630 of them, inside and out.  The one most appropriate to our story in the parable may be in Exodus 21:18-19.

If men quarrel and one hits the other with a stone or with his fist and he does not die but is confined to bed, the one who struck the blow will not be held responsible if the other gets up and walks around outside with his staff; however, he must pay the injured man for the loss of his time, and see that he is completely healed.

In the scenario that Jesus described, the ones He called "robbers" were guilty of striking the man, either with their fists or with a tool, such as a stone. Under the law, these men would have been guilty of murder if the man had died.  But if he did not die, according to the verse we just read from Exodus 21, they would not be held responsible (for his death), but would owe him compensation for his lost wages and his medical expenses.

When the priest and the Levite in the story came by the man and saw him, they may have thought of other laws in the Torah, the ones that dealt with keeping themselves ceremonially clean.  There are laws that said a man with open sores or seeping wounds was unclean, and that anyone who touched such a person would be unclean, as well.  A practicing Jew would not want to touch a woman who was on her monthly menstrual period, as during that time she was considered unclean and anyone who touched her would be unclean, as well.  So in order to remain eligible to perform his priestly duties, the Priest would not be in a position to help.  The Levite, on the other hand, was of the priestly tribe, but was not scheduled to do any priestly duties at the time.  The Law gave a schedule of rotating shifts where the Levites were expected to cleanse themselves and be holy for a number of days, then after their rotation in the Temple they were given a rest, so that other Levites could perform the priestly duties.  By helping the man, the Law says that the Levite would be unclean until evening, that he could wash his clothes and bathe, and that the next day, he would be considered clean again.  But in our story, he didn't want the hassle.

But nowhere in the story is anyone concerned about the robbers and their culpability.  No one but Jesus (and perhaps the expert in the Law) would be concerned about them.  Let me show you what I mean.

By giving the injured man assistance and medical aid (pouring oil on his wounds, giving him wine as an anesthetic or antiseptic agent), the Samaritan kept the man from dying, thus absolving the robbers from responsibility for his death.  Look at Exodus 21:19 again:  "The one who struck the blow will not be held responsible if the other gets up and walks around with his staff."  By taking the man to the inn and nursing him back to health, the Samaritan saw to his healing, absolving the robbers of the medical responsibility outlined in the law.  By leaving money to see to the man's needs (food, shelter, new clothes), the Samaritan made sure that the man was compensated for his loss, again absolving the robbers of that responsibility in the Law.  The last part of verse 19 says, "However, he (the attacker) must pay the injured man for the loss of his time and see that he is completely healed."

This kind act by the good Samaritan was more than just an act of mercy for a stranger left bleeding and half dead by a band of robbers; by the strictest reading of the Law, this good deed was also an act of grace extended to the robbers themselves, whether they knew it or not.  Their sins had been atoned for by the act of one man.  Were they still guilty?  Of course.  They had broken the law against theft, and had almost broken the law against murder (if the man had not been rescued, he would have surely died).

If the band of robbers had been arrested and charged, and brought before a judge, they would certainly have been found guilty under the Law.  I would imagine that the judge would have made them pay a pretty hefty price for their sins.  But imagine if, at the time of their sentencing, the good Samaritan had stood up and interrupted the court proceedings.  Imagine him saying, in all truthfulness, "Judge, I have paid the penalty for these men's sins.  They are not to be held responsible in this case."  No condemnation would then be placed on the robbers, since their sins had been atoned for, their penalty had been paid.

I have written in prior postings about the word picture painted in Zechariah chapter 3.  In that chapter a man, Joshua, stood before God, with Satan standing at his right side to accuse him before God, and with Jesus at the right hand of God.  Satan accuses, and Jesus defends.  Joshua, who has nothing to say for himself, is given a white robe and clean standing before God, because Jesus' defense is greater than the accuser.

Isn't this a picture of what Jesus did for us?  It is a small measure of grace, representing the bigger and greater picture of grace that is Jesus Himself.  See, Jesus did not just pay the debts of one man who was beaten and stripped and left for dead.  He also paid the debt for murderers and thieves, and for all the sins of the whole world.  He paid the debt for you.  And He paid the debt for me.

The parable in Luke does not mention it, but if the man who had been beaten realized his hopeless state, he may have called out to the passers-by.  He may have called out to the Priest, who did nothing for him.  He may have called out to the Levite, who passed him by.  And he may have called out to the Samaritan, who stopped and ministered to him.  In the same way, we may call out to clergymen, but they cannot heal us.  We may have called out to religious leaders, but they cannot make things right.  But as we call out to Jesus, we can say with confidence, "Surely he took up our infirmities and carried our sorrows, yet we considered him stricken by God, smitten by Him and afflicted.  But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we were healed."  (Isaiah 53;4-5).

What about the robbers?  Weren't their penalties under the Law paid in full as well by what the Samaritan man had done?  Yes, but if they did not call upon the Samaritan to testify or defend them at trial, they would be convicted and sentenced for their crimes.  Similarly, if we die in our sins without Jesus, without His blood to cover our sins, we will be doomed.

Friend, I urge you to call on Jesus.  He is the firstborn of righteousness, the one and only sacrifice for our sins.  "Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we are saved." (Acts 4:12).

I had a debt I could not pay,
He paid the debt He did not owe,
I needed someone,
To wash my sins away.
And now I sing a brand new song,
“Amazing grace” all day long,
Christ Jesus paid the debt,
That I could never pay.

I hear the Savior say, 
Thy strength indeed is small;
Child of weakness, watch and pray, 
Find in Me thine all in all.

Jesus paid it all,
All to Him I owe;
Sin had left a crimson stain, 
He washed it white as snow.

Lord, now indeed I find 
Thy power and Thine alone,
Can change the leper's spots 
and melt the heart of stone.

Jesus paid it all, 
All to Him I owe;
Sin had left a crimson stain, 
He washed it white as snow.

And when before the throne 
I stand in Him complete,
Jesus died my soul to save,
my lips shall still repeat

Jesus paid it all, 
All to Him I owe;
Sin had left a crimson stain, 
He washed it white as snow
Sin had left a crimson stain, 
He washed it white as snow

O Praise the one who paid my debt
And raised this life up from the dead
O Praise the one who paid my debt
And raised this life up from the dead
O Praise the one who paid my debt
And raised this life up from the dead
O Praise the one who paid my debt
And raised this life up from the dead
O Praise the one who paid my debt
And raised this life up from the dead

Jesus paid it all, 
All to Him I owe;
Sin had left a crimson stain, 
He washed it white as snow
Sin had left a crimson stain, 
He washed it white as snow
He washed it white as snow

 https://ouvirmusica.com.br/gateway-worship/grace-that-wont-let-go/