An Unexpected Love
My family recently went through a large move. As we looked for a new home, we ended up living with my in-laws for three-and-a-half months! Whenever this topic came up for discussion during that time, nearly everyone made the same face – the one where they raise their eyebrows and make a small grimace – as they asked in a very delicate manner, “And how is THAT going?!”
I always quickly responded by saying how grateful I was to get along with my mother-in-law and how it had actually been an amazing experience for my family amidst the season of transition.
Now… I recognize this response was surprising to most people, as many do not have the same “unexpected love” and close relationship with their in-laws as I do with mine. I am very grateful!
This repeated conversation reminded me of an example in Scripture where “unexpected love” was shown. Yeshua (Jesus) told the parable of the Good Samaritan in Luke 10:25–37. In this lesson, He shared that a Jewish man, while traveling from Jerusalem to Jericho, was attacked and left for dead on the road. A Jewish priest as well as a Levite saw him and passed by on the other side of the road, ignoring the severely injured man.
This man’s future did not look good. This road was frequently traveled, but it seemed that if his own people – the Jewish passerbys – were not willing to help him, no one would.
Then a Samaritan traveling on the road saw the Jewish man. Samaritans were not accepted in the Jewish community; their ancestors were Jewish, but had intermarried with foreigners, keeping a form of worship Jews viewed as mixed and impure. Samaritans also rejected Jerusalem’s temple in favor of Mount Gerizim and used their own Torah tradition, which gave the Jewish people another reason to view them as outsiders to the Jewish community.
This Samaritan, who shouldn’t have been interested in helping someone who did not accept or like his people, cared for this hurting Jewish man on the side of the road. He brought him to a place where he could receive medical help and even paid his bills. The Samaritan’s selflessness was a beautiful example that Yeshua gave of unexpected love.
Let me ask you this: when you think about “loving your neighbor,” does that seem like an impossible task? In this day and age, it seems ever so common for people hold polar opposite views from one another. We have no problem pointing out differences between what we and our “neighbor” might believe! Yet, the parable of the Good Samartian does not command us to accept everyone’s views; it compels us to live out love despite differences.
I was very challenged by this point when recently a fellow follower of Yeshua and friend of mine said to me, “I am praying for Israel, but I am also praying that people in Hamas will repent and come to know the Lord.”
What?! Her statement shocked me. Up to that point, it had not really crossed my mind to pray for the salvation of these people who live out hate – especially those living with the purpose of wiping me and my Jewish people off the face of the earth.
But God is bigger than that. Second Peter 3:9 reminds us that God is patient with us, “not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.”
So, it is because of God’s grace and goodness to me (though I do not deserve it!) that I can pray for others who are so incredibly lost in their sin and hate, all the while praying for God to be glorified. In this way, I, too, can live out an “unexpected love” toward others.
Written by Hannah, Life in Messiah Staff
Is it harder to love someone who disagrees with you morally, politically, or spiritually? Why?
How does remembering God’s grace toward us change how we view others? How can we guard our hearts from becoming hardened toward those we see as enemies?
Who would God have you pray for or show love to today?