This is at least the third time I am reading this book, it's one of my favorites, yet I doubt that most people have heard of it. Most of the book is modern-day (or at least within the last 60 years or so) retellings of Jesus' parables. Because we don't have the same cultural understanding as the original hearers of the parables, we don't always get how radical the teachings were. Take for example, the parable of the "Good Samaritan." In our cultural context today, this is a common phrase, we have made it a part of our culture. However, the Jews of Jesus' day would never think of a Samaritan as good. To them, the Samaritans were the bad guys.
So, Harold Fickett, the author, put this in a more modern day, American context for us, where Korean-American husband and wife shopkeepers are robbed and attacked by some gang members. Then, a skinhead, a Jewish person and an African-American come to their aid, dial 911 and go with them to the hospital while working together to do so. Not so common, right? Not so expected, and that's the point. To just do what is expected of us, is not what Christ calls us to, He calls us to do the unexpected, to go above and beyond. To love people in such a way that it can't be missed, whether we agree with them or not.
No comments:
Post a Comment