Tuesday, March 10
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THE JERICHO ROAD
In the parable of the Good Samaritan, Jesus tells of a man traveling from Jerusalem to Jericho. I've been on that road, and I
can tell you that it is downhill all the way. The distance between Jerusalem and Jericho is 17 miles... and the drop in elevation
is 3900 feet. It was (and is) an easy walk downhill, but a dangerous road. Robbers would hide in the rocky crags. No one
traveled it alone if they could help it. But this man did. Also the Jericho Road was the route from worship (at the temple in
Jerusalem) to the world. Jericho was a place of trade, of commerce...of daily existence.
You may have never traveled
to the Holy Land, but I can tell you this: the Jericho Road runs right through your life. You go to Jerusalem-church-and then
you go home to Jericho. For some it may even be close to a 17 mile drive. But in that 17 miles (or whatever the distance is) you
and I can become as blind as the priest and as hardened as the Levite. We can go past people who are hurting and never look
twice. We can close our eyes to the pain and suffering and lost-ness and heartache of our world while we hum our favorite
hymn. And many times, we do just that because the Jericho road can break your heart. It can tug at your heart until you feel
compassion...and then what? It might require that we love our neighbor. You see, a right relationship with Jesus Christ should
overflow to those around us, especially on the Jericho Road.
Memory Verse
LUKE 10:33
But a certain Samaritan, who was on a journey, came upon him; and when he saw him, he felt compassion.
Read Through The Bible
Joshua 12-13; Proverbs 7