A Struggle In The Snow
Copyright 1999 / Leslie A Turvey
I saw Jesus struggling through the snow, and
never stopped to help him.
Not literally, of course. But the bible says I'm guilty.
It was an old woman I saw, and although the snow only an inch deep, it was enough
to make the going difficult as she dragged her cart full of groceries toward home. She
could use a ride, I thought, as I passed her in my car.
We are not rational people, but rationalizing people. As I drove by I
rationalized, It's not a very safe place to stop. Then I thought, She
doesn't know me, so wouldn't likely accept a ride anyway. As the distance between us
increased my rationalizing mind said, If I go back she'll likely be almost home. Then, of
course, I've got important things to do, and I'm already behind time. So on I drove.
I was through with the old woman, but God wasn't through with me. He reminded me of
the good Samaritan story. You know it well: a man was mugged on the Jericho road, and left
half dead.
A priest came by, took a look, then continued his journey on the other side of the
road. Then a Levite looked on the man, and went on his way.
I can hear the priest rationalizing, He's not from my synagogue.
Besides, it's getting close to sabbath, and I've got to get home before
the sun sets.
Then the Levite: Poor devil. He's so far gone that anything I do won't
help. He'll die anyway.
Yeah. God made sure I recognized myself in the priest and Levite.
But God still wasn't finished with me. Oh, no. He had another lesson for me. It's
found in Matthew 25, beginning at verse 35. Jesus related a parable of a King saying,
"I was hungry, and you gave me meat. I was thirsty, and you gave me drink. I was a
stranger, and you took me in. Naked, and you clothed me. I was sick, and you visited me. I
was in prison, and you came to me."
The righteous people in the parable asked when they had done these
things, and the King answered, "Inasmuch as you have done it to one of the least of
these my brethren, you have done it to me."
I would prefer the parable to end there, but it doesn't. The King said
to the unrighteous people, "I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat. I was
thirsty and you didn't give me anything to drink. I was a stranger and you left me out in
the cold. I was naked, and you didn't even give me an old coat to wear. I was sick, and
even imprisoned, and you didn't care enough to visit me."
Then the unrighteous people asked when they didn't do these things. And the King
answered, "Inasmuch as you didn't do it to one of the least of these, you did it not
to me."
I was able to rationalize away the old woman's predicament. But I could not
rationalize away the fact she was one of the people I didn't help. And in not helping her,
there was no rationalizing that I did not stop to help Jesus Christ struggling through the
snow.
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