Helping those who cannot help themselves

Luke 6:35-36 - …he is kind toward the unthankful and evil. Therefore be merciful, even as your Father is also merciful.In our English Bibles, sometimes verses that express compassion will mention mercy or kindness; sometimes compassion is equated with forgiveness. However it is expressed, we are commanded by Yeshua to be like God in regard to his mercy and compassion.God’s compassion has been evident in choosing to take care of Israel as caring for an abandoned baby. His compassion is evident in forgiving them when they were consistently unthankful and disobedient to him. His compassion is evident in restoring Israel to the land he had promised them even after their captivity for disobedience.If we are to be merciful and compassionate like our Father, we need to recognize that the examples he sets for us are teaching us that compassion is all about reaching out to and helping those who are unable to help themselves.Yeshua also exhibited this same type of compassion, just like his Father, helping those who could not help themselves. Most importantly, in a representative fashion Yeshua took up the sins of the rebellious upon himself.Romans 5:6-8 - For while we were still helpless, at the right time Messiah died for the ungodly. (For rarely will anyone die for a righteous person, though for a good person perhaps someone might possibly dare to die.) But God demonstrates his own love for us, in that while we were still sinners, Messiah died for us.In the most famous parable of Yeshua regarding the good Samaritan, the illustration is placed before us of the depth of compassion shown to be evident in someone caring for the needs of another, an anonymous individual who had no ability to help themself after being assaulted and left for dead. I can think of no greater example of helplessness than this. We are encouraged to follow the example of the Samaritan in the parable in the summation of the lesson by Yeshua.Luke 10:36-37 - Which of these three do you think became a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of the robbers?" The expert in religious law said, "The one who showed mercy to him." So Yeshua said to him, "Go and do the same."This is the end-goal of the command for us to be merciful and compassionate with others. It has less to do with our obedience and more to do with genuinely desiring to help those who cannot help themselves. When we lay down our own lives (our personal ambitions and plans) for the sake of others, we are then acting in a godly fashion that God expects of his children. To exhibit the characteristics of God by helping the helpless is not only an honor and privilege he affords us, but we also then become the avenues through which God can work in practical ways in their lives.-----If you enjoyed this week's podcast, be sure to visit coreofthebible.org to read daily articles on these topics and to find out more about the message of the Bible reduced to its simplest form in the Ten Commandments and the Sermon on the Mount.Have questions about today's topic, or comments or insights you would like to share? Feel free to email me at [email protected] for your interest in listening today! All music in today's episode: Brittle Rille by Kevin MacLeodLink: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/3460-brittle-rilleLicense: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license MORE INFO:Visit the blog articles and full podcast archive at: coreofthebible.orgEmail questions or comments to Steve at: [email protected] MUSIC:All music in today's episode: "Brittle Rille" by Kevin MacLeodLink: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/3460-brittle-rilleLicense: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license