Not My Job!

It was a challenging weekend in our home. Our 6 children had been treating one another poorly and I knew when I woke up that Monday morning that we would need an extended Bible time to work on some character issues.

It was a very chilly morning for May and I was preparing to get into the shower when I heard my dog . He was outside crying and barking to tell us that he was cold and wanted to come in. I peeked my head out of the bathroom and asked my 6 year old to send a message to the older girls that the dog needed to be let in (I was sure they heard him, too). After a few minutes I could still hear him crying and barking, as a matter of fact, I was sure the neighbors could also hear him. So by now I was irritated and had to actually leave the bathroom to find out why my girls had not obeyed me. I discovered that both of my girls were fixing themselves something to eat in the kitchen and they had decided to let him in after they had eaten breakfast. To that I firmly told one of them to GO LET THE DOG IN! As my daughter walked by me she said, “not my job”. Well, I have to admit that the hair on the back of my neck stood on end!! I immediately retreated to the bathroom to send up an S.O.S. to God. I was frantically trying to think of any parable that might fit this situation, but to no avail. Then, God brought to my mind the parable of the Good Samaritan.

A short while later we all sat down for our family devotions. I opened my Bible to Luke chapter 10 and read the parable like this: (Scripture taken from International Standard Version, words in parentheses are my own).

Luke 10:25 - 37
Just then an expert in the law stood up to test Jesus. He asked, "Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?" Jesus answered him, "What is written in the law? What do you read there?" He answered, "You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, and with all your mind. And you must love your neighbor as yourself." Jesus told him, "You have answered correctly. Do this, and you will live." But the man wanted to justify himself, so he asked Jesus, "And who is my neighbor?" After careful consideration, Jesus replied, "A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho when he fell into the hands of bandits. They stripped him, beat him, and went away, leaving him half dead. By chance, a priest was traveling along that road. When he saw the man, he went by on the other side. (and said, “not my job”.) Similarly, a Levite came to that place. When he saw the man, he also went by on the other side. (Saying, “not my job”.) But as he was traveling along, a amaritan came across the man. When the Samaritan saw him, he was moved with compassion. He went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring oil and wine on them. Then he put him on his own animal, brought him to an inn, and took care of him. The next day he took out two denarii and gave them to the innkeeper, saying, 'Take good care of him. If you spend more than that, I'll repay you when I come back.'"Of these three men, who do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of the bandits?" He said, "The one who showed mercy to him." Jesus told him, "Go and do what he did."

I stopped and asked the kids to tell me whose job it was to help the injured man. They unanimously said that all three should have stopped to help him. We then talked about how Jesus, the king of the Universe, had washed the disciples’ feet. Jesus had come to serve, not to be served and we should likewise serve others. By the end they had agreed that there was no job that was beneath them. We had true repentance and were able to turn the day around! Praise God for the power of His Word.