The Goat

In Jesus’ stories its never good to be a goat. if you are a cubs fan you know all about Murphy the Goat.

Greatest Of All Time:

The Good Samaritan

Luke 10:25–37 ESV

And behold, a lawyer stood up to put him to the test, saying, “Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?” He said to him, “What is written in the Law? How do you read it?” And he answered, “You shall 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 your neighbor as yourself.” And he said to him, “You have answered correctly; do this, and you will live.” But he, desiring to justify himself, said to Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?” Jesus replied, “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and he fell among robbers, who stripped him and beat him and departed, leaving him half dead. Now by chance a priest was going down that road, and when he saw him he passed by on the other side. So likewise a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. But a Samaritan, as he journeyed, came to where he was, and when he saw him, he had compassion. He went to him and bound up his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he set him on his own animal and brought him to an inn and took care of him. And the next day he took out two denarii and gave them to the innkeeper, saying, ‘Take care of him, and whatever more you spend, I will repay you when I come back.’ Which of these three, do you think, proved to be a neighbor to the man who fell among the robbers?” He said, “The one who showed him mercy.” And Jesus said to him, “You go, and do likewise.”

In our Parable of the Good Samaritan Jesus teaches about the importance of loving our neighbor, and caring for those who are hurting. In Matthew 25:31-46 Jesus gives his disciples a similar responsibility for taking care of the down trodden and the poor.

Jesus moves a different direction:

Matthew 18:2–4 ESV

And calling to him a child, he put him in the midst of them and said, “Truly, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.

Matthew 11:2–20:34 Matthew 17:22–27 as the Context for Understanding Matthew 18:1–35

Jesus will, in this discourse, define greatness as lowly, childlike neediness and will invite his disciples, both then and now, to a radically different way of thinking and living in community.

How does the Bible depict children in the ancient context?

Matthew 11:2–20:34 The “Child” in Ancient Context

It is true that children are signs of hope for the future and are gifts from God (Ps 127:3–5). In themselves, however, children are ignorant (Is 38:19), unfit to rule (Is 3:4; Eccl 10:16), cannot choose between good and evil (Is 7:16), are not able to count (Is 10:19), cannot defend themselves (Is 11:6–8), and are readily deceived (Wisdom 12:24). Children

Matthew 11:2–20:34 The “Child” in Ancient Context

To be sure, the picture of children is clearly a central image for Israel in the OT and in the later writings of the Jews who reflected on the Scriptures. The essential point of this image, however, is not that children possess some positive quality. Rather, it is that, like children, the people of Israel were dependent upon God for everything—to supply their needs, to give them their identity, to rescue them, and to protected them from their enemies. That fact that the OT and the literature of Judaism routinely use the image of children as a part of Israel’s identity is no more holding up children as positive role models than it is for sheep to be used in a similar fashion. Both sheep and children are essentially dependent creatures.

Matthew 11:2–20:34 To “Turn and Become like Children” in Matthew 18:3 and Children in Matthew’s Gospel

Most frequently and repeatedly, children in Matthew (whether literal or figurative) are simply dependent upon others for their nurture (7:11; 15:26), their healing (9:2; 17:18), and their protection (2:18!).

English Standard Version Chapter 5

3 “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Can you accept Help?

Its easy to aspire to associate with the Good Samaritan, or the sheep of Matthew 25. It requires the acceptance of total dependency on God’s grace.

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