{"id":27378,"date":"2026-07-28T10:45:38","date_gmt":"2026-07-28T14:45:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/co2mannatoday.com\/?p=27378"},"modified":"2026-07-28T11:11:03","modified_gmt":"2026-07-28T15:11:03","slug":"27378","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/co2mannatoday.com\/?p=27378","title":{"rendered":"Reading the Good Samaritan"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-4-3 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"He Knows My Name - Tommy Walker - (with lyrics) (PPT slides)\" width=\"500\" height=\"375\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/7UhQEjmVfBc?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Tuesday, July 28, 2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>The Rev. Dr. Jacqui Lewis explains how Jesus told the parable of the Good Samaritan (<\/em><a href=\"https:\/\/email.cac.org\/t\/d-l-wcirud-dkgktyktu-j\/\"><em>Luke 10:29\u201337<\/em><\/a><em>) to illustrate <strong>God\u2019s desire that no one be left alone in their hour of need.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Rabbi Jesus is talking to a religious leader\u2014a lawyer\u2014about what it means to be faithful. Together, they review the Jewish scriptures: The way to live right is to love God with everything you have and love your neighbor as yourself. Looking for a loophole, the lawyer wants to know who qualifies as a neighbor. Jesus answers by telling a story about a man who was robbed, beaten, and left for dead by a marauding gang. A priest and another religious man walked by and, seeing the man on the ground, they did nothing\u2026. But a Samaritan\u2014a mixed-race person considered in ancient times to be an impure enemy of the Jewish people\u2014did not cross the street. Instead, he tended to the wounded man\u2026.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In using&nbsp;<em>this&nbsp;<\/em>story to answer his companion\u2019s question about the definition of&nbsp;<em>neighbor,&nbsp;<\/em>Rabbi Jesus was getting to what he considered to be the essential laws\u2014love God with all you have and love your neighbor as yourself\u2026. If you want to know what love looks like, Rabbi Jesus is saying, here it is: <strong>Love crosses borders and boundaries; it makes new cultural rules; it cares for the stranger. Love turns strangers into friends. [1]<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>The religious scholar Jonathon Walton considers how Martin Luther King Jr. interpreted the Good Samaritan through a lens of love:&nbsp;<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>For Jesus, <strong>demonstrating our love for God by seeking the good of others<\/strong>\u2014an ethic known as agape love\u2014sums up the law and the teachings of the Hebrew prophets\u2026. King held neither a romantic nor a friendly conception of love but rather<strong> an understanding of love expressed in intentional acts of care and compassion, which is at the core of the Hebrew Bible and the heart of the gospel message. <\/strong>King looked to the parable of the Good Samaritan (Luke 10:25\u201337) in his iconic \u201cI\u2019ve Been to the Mountaintop\u201d address.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Of course, the parable itself is about agape love, empathy, and identifying your neighbor in the unlikeliest of places\u2026. Jesus subverts conventional wisdom and places empathy in the eyes of the one who would otherwise be considered a foreigner. <strong>Jesus wanted to make the point that the Samaritan could see as God sees. The Samaritan saw the victim through the lenses of love\u2026<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>King\u2019s retelling of this story models the ethical design of the parable. He <strong>demonstrates both an ethic of love and empathetic care without reducing one to the other. <\/strong>This is to say, we have the capacity and obligation to do what is right and to show concern for our neighbor whether we feel like it or not. <strong>When we strengthen our capacity to identify with others, and thus empathize with them, it is always easier to do right by them. Love and empathy, together, lead to justice.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>=====================<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h1 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><a href=\"https:\/\/substack.com\/app-link\/post?publication_id=2863497&amp;post_id=208568004&amp;utm_source=post-email-title&amp;utm_campaign=email-post-title&amp;isFreemail=true&amp;r=2dkj2&amp;token=eyJ1c2VyX2lkIjozOTkyMzY2LCJwb3N0X2lkIjoyMDg1NjgwMDQsImlhdCI6MTc4NTA4MTY4NCwiZXhwIjoxNzg3NjczNjg0LCJpc3MiOiJwdWItMjg2MzQ5NyIsInN1YiI6InBvc3QtcmVhY3Rpb24ifQ.0x1HVjO3ux3VP73a9RvmyXFN05_UgwZ0xEIvy9s0cgo\">The God Who Seeks Us: You&#8217;re the Pearl!&nbsp;<\/a><\/h1>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">A Homily for the Church of the Magdelen<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table\"><table><tbody><tr><td><a href=\"https:\/\/substack.com\/@bradleyjersak\">BRADLEY JERSAK<\/a>.     JUL 26<\/td><td><a href=\"https:\/\/substack.com\/@bradleyjersak\"><\/a><\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><a href=\"https:\/\/substack.com\/redirect\/da716126-bd8f-413b-9335-16bed4808808?j=eyJ1IjoiMmRrajIifQ.ND0qR5RKsmVnltuWgIlyr3BY7uwq2Kt9ZzX29UJK4cg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/substackcdn.com\/image\/fetch\/$s_!UYQl!,w_389,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep\/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F4e24e805-79aa-4b81-af6b-a8b3f9eb5622_390x260.webp\" alt=\"\"\/><\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Lectionary Readings<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote\">\n<p><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/substack.com\/redirect\/55ff3202-6bc0-4154-880f-edc267a5931c?j=eyJ1IjoiMmRrajIifQ.ND0qR5RKsmVnltuWgIlyr3BY7uwq2Kt9ZzX29UJK4cg\">Psalm 119:129-136<\/a><br><a href=\"https:\/\/substack.com\/redirect\/d938bb45-86c6-43a5-ae83-2dc6b3ac7a1d?j=eyJ1IjoiMmRrajIifQ.ND0qR5RKsmVnltuWgIlyr3BY7uwq2Kt9ZzX29UJK4cg\">1 Kings 3:5-12<\/a><br><a href=\"https:\/\/substack.com\/redirect\/b08f6bea-7771-4901-b6eb-a3f780b05bf3?j=eyJ1IjoiMmRrajIifQ.ND0qR5RKsmVnltuWgIlyr3BY7uwq2Kt9ZzX29UJK4cg\">Romans 8:26-39<\/a><br><a href=\"https:\/\/substack.com\/redirect\/ab21ec39-2160-4650-b31a-64bc8183217c?j=eyJ1IjoiMmRrajIifQ.ND0qR5RKsmVnltuWgIlyr3BY7uwq2Kt9ZzX29UJK4cg\">Matthew 13:31-33; 44-52<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p>A quiet thread runs through our readings today\u2014<br>like a river burrowing through soil,<br>like yeast working through dough,<br>like a mustard seed pushing upward toward the sun.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>It is the thread of holy desire:<br>of God forming a people in<br>how to see, how to long, how to choose.<br>And at the heart of that thread we see Christ,<br>the Wisdom of God,<br>the Word made flesh,<br>the Treasure hidden in the field.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\">SOLOMON \u2014 SEEING<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p>We begin with Solomon, the child king,<br>uncertain, nervous, overwhelmed?<br>Humbly aware of his insufficiency.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>God visits him in a dream and says,<br><em>\u201cAsk what I should give you.\u201d<\/em><br>That question reveals hearts.<br>Solomon could have asked for wealth, fame, power.<br>He may have pondered victory over his rivals,<br>or the glory of building Yahweh\u2019s first temple.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Instead, <strong>he asks for \u201ca hearing heart\u201d\u2014<br>a heart tuned to the frequency of God\u2019s wisdom.<\/strong><br>Solomon knows\u2014<br><strong>without God\u2019s own way of seeing,<br>even good intentions become crooked,<br>power corrupts, riches rust, and gold turns to idols<\/strong>,<br>temptations he would stumble over later,<br>and that harem\u2026 well.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>But he does start well.<br>He asks for the gift that makes all other gifts meaningful:<br>the ability to see reality as God sees it.<br>This is where the golden thread begins:<br>with the wisdom of a hearing heart.<br>He didn\u2019t seek to be clever or wily;<br>his desire was to be aligned with God.<br>A heart learning to want what God wants.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\">PSALM 119 \u2014 DESIRING<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p>The Psalter takes us deeper into that interior landscape.<br>The psalmist delights in God\u2019s decrees\u2014<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>He sees God\u2019s Law as the Lamp<br>that illumines our path through a fraught world.<br><em>\u201cThe unfolding of your words gives understanding.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The psalmist has begun to breathe in the beauty of God\u2019s way,<br>so that obedience became the natural rhythm of that love.<br>He is discovering that the commands of God are not burdens.<br>They are invitations\u2014open doors into life.<br>His heart is being shaped, slowly, lovingly, by the Word of the Lord.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Solomon shows us the human longing for wisdom.<br>The psalmist shows us the joy of receiving it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\">ROMANS 8 \u2014 BEING FORMED<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p>Paul in Romans 8 shows us the divine generosity that sustains it.<br><em>\u201cWe do not know how to pray as we ought,\u201d<\/em>&nbsp;Paul says.<br>No failure there; it is an honest confession of our human condition.<br>Of the limits of our faith.&nbsp;<br>Of how life is really, really hard.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>But the <strong>Spirit meets us precisely there\u2014<br>in our unknowing,<br>our weakness,<br>our sighs too deep for words.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The Holy Spirit intercedes within us,<br>reshaping our desires from the inside,<br>aligning our prayers with the heart of Christ.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>And then Paul lifts our eyes to the horizon of hope:<br><em>\u201cAll things work together for good.\u201d<br>\u201cIf God is for us, who can be against us.\u201d<br>\u201cNothing can separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This is wisdom as belonging.<br>God does not simply teach us what to desire;<br>he binds us to himself so that our choosing is sustained by grace.<br>We are held.<br>We are carried.<br>We are kept.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\">CHRIST \u2014 THE TREASURE HIMSELF<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p>But most of all,<br>the parables of our Lord Jesus shimmer with the poetry of the Kingdom.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The mustard seed\u2014small enough to slip through your fingers\u2014<br>becomes a tree where birds and squirrels<br>and children (cheery or weary) children find shelter.<br>The yeast disappears into the dough, yet everything rises.<br>The treasure hidden in a field, awaiting a buyer.<br>The pearl of great price, awaiting a seeker.<br>The net that gathers all kinds, even us.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>These parables are about recognition.<br>In every one of them, something is recognized as precious.<br>A mustard seed. A measure of yeast.<br>A treasure buried in a field. A pearl beyond price.<br>Once its worth is seen, everything changes.<br>Everything else becomes negotiable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The merchant or the farmer or the investor<br>who sacrifices everything<br>to buy the field<br>has seen the treasure,<br>knows its value.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Having recognized its worth, he sells everything<br>without reluctance or reservation.<br>This investment brings us joy.<br>This is freedom.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>And here is the heart of the matter:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Christ is the treasure.<br>Christ is the wisdom.<br>Christ is the kingdom of God \u2026 in person.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>He is the mustard seed planted in the soil of our humanity.<br>He is the yeast working through the dough of our community.<br>He is the pearl of great price, radiant with the beauty of God.<br>He is the net that gathers us\u2014all of us\u2014in mercy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Solomon asked for wisdom;<br>Christ is the wisdom of God.<br>The psalmist delighted in the Word;<br>Christ is the Word made flesh.<br>The Spirit intercedes for us;<br>Christ prays for us, day and night, at the right hand of his Father.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This is why, for us,<br>Christ is more than an ancient prophet, sage, or rabbi<br>purveying wisdom and revelation, performing powerful miracles.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>No. We confess that Jesus IS the Christ<br>IS the wisdom and the revelation and the power of God.<br>IS the Love of God from whom nothing can separate us.<br>IS the kingdom and the power and the glory of God<br>with us now and forever and ever!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\">THE DEEPER MYSTERY \u2014 YOU ARE THE PEARL<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p>Perhaps the deepest mystery is this:<br>we may read these parables,<br>imagining ourselves selling everything<br>to buy the field<br>to find the Treasure<br>to dig up the pearl<br>But what if the kingdom of God is like this:<br>That Christ is the merchant,<br>His riches were the glory of heaven.<br>The field is this world.<br><em><strong>And you are the treasure.<br>You are the pearl.<br>You are his heart\u2019s desire<\/strong>.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>And <strong>he sold everything, sacrificed everything,<br>he emptied himself to come down<br>to draw you from the earth<br>to clean you up<br>for the display of his splendor.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>The mystery is a both\/and:<br>Lover and beloved.<br>He is our treasure, and we are his.<br>We seek him, and he sought us.<br>And now we\u2019ve found one another.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\">EUCHARIST \u2014 RECEIVING<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p>Today, Christ comes to us as simply as a mustard seed,<br>as quietly as yeast hidden in dough,<br>as humbly as bread broken<br>and wine poured out.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Many who come to the Table see only bread and wine.<br>But faith is the gift of recognizing the Treasure hidden in plain sight.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>We come to this table with no claim<br>to being wise enough,<br>holy enough,<br>or spiritual enough.<br>We come because Christ first desired us.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>So we come.<br>We come with our questions and our weakness.<br>We come with our joys and our griefs.<br>We come with our longing for a listening heart.<br>We come and receive Christ,<br>the Wisdom of God,<br>the Word made flesh,<br>the Pearl of great price,<br>the Treasure hidden in the field.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>As we receive Christ,<br>may our hearts recognize the Kingdom<br>already among us.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Amen.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Tuesday, July 28, 2026 The Rev. Dr. Jacqui Lewis explains how Jesus told the parable of the Good Samaritan (Luke 10:29\u201337) to illustrate God\u2019s desire that no one be left alone in their hour of need. Rabbi Jesus is talking to a religious leader\u2014a lawyer\u2014about what it means to be faithful. Together, they review the [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[1],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/co2mannatoday.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27378"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/co2mannatoday.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/co2mannatoday.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/co2mannatoday.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/co2mannatoday.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=27378"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"https:\/\/co2mannatoday.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27378\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":27387,"href":"https:\/\/co2mannatoday.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27378\/revisions\/27387"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/co2mannatoday.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=27378"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/co2mannatoday.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=27378"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/co2mannatoday.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=27378"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}