“On one occasion an expert in the law stood up to test Jesus. ‘Teacher,’ he asked, ‘what must I do to inherit eternal life?’ ‘What is written in the Law?’ he replied. ‘How do you read it?’ He answered: ‘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, 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' ‘You have answered correctly,’ Jesus replied. ‘Do this and you will live.’ But he wanted to justify himself, so he asked Jesus, ‘And who is my neighbor?’
In reply Jesus said: ‘A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, when he fell into the hands of robbers. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him and went away, leaving him half dead. A priest happened to be going down the same road, and when he saw the man, he passed by on the other side. So too, a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. But a Samaritan, as he traveled, came where the man was; and when he saw him, he took pity on him. He went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he put the man on his own donkey, took him to an inn and took care of him. The next day he took out two silver coins and gave them to the innkeeper. “Look after him,” he said, “and when I return, I will reimburse you for any extra expense you may have.”
‘Which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?’ The expert in the law replied, ‘The one who had mercy on him.’ Jesus told him, ‘Go and do likewise.’” (Luke 10:25-37 NIV)
I first left the soil of the United States shortly after graduating from college. Up to then, my traveling had been limited to a few states and I had been satisfied with staying within the confines of my cultural world. My first trip outside the U.S. was to Eastern Europe to work with missionaries ministering on the other side of what was then known as “the Iron Curtain.”
As a Christian, I had never given any real thought to the lives of people, especially Christians, outside of those I knew in the U.S., or, for that matter, any within the U.S. that lived in an entirely different culture, such as the inner-city or on a reservation. Then I spent time in homes and churches in Communist-dominated Hungary, East Germany, and Czechoslovakia. I met people with names, families, and histories. They spoke different languages, but were not that much different from me, except their struggles and suffering were great and helped put my problems into better perspective. I saw their faithfulness and sense of hope in what seemingly was a hopeless situation.
Since that time, I have traveled much and spent time meeting a lot of people in varying cultures and circumstances, from people in Kenya, Haiti, and South Africa to those living on government reservations in Arizona, and in inner-cities in Pennsylvania and Mississippi. What I realized early on was the smallness of my circle of concern and understanding. It was tightly drawn around me. I cared little about anything other than myself and my own interests and concerns. I was much like the priest and the Levite. I didn’t have any real concern for other people. I was too busy living for myself. Allowing myself to be exposed to other people and cultures opened my eyes and mind to just how big God is and that He is working far beyond my little world. The circle which was so tightly drawn around me has expanded greatly as a result.
Today, think about your circle of concern and understanding. Is it any larger than your own life? You live in a big world, a world that God so loves, and He wants you love it more and more, too. One way for that to happen is to be willing to expand your circle of concern and understanding. Allow the Lord to lead you into experiences with people and cultures new to you. Then, like the Good Samaritan, you will no longer just focus on your own life, but will make room for helping and loving others.
© Jim Musser 2013
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