Luke 10:30-35 Jesus replied and said, “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell among robbers, and they stripped him and beat him, and went away leaving him half dead. (31) “And by chance a priest was going down on that road, and when he saw him, he passed by on the other side. (32) “Likewise a Levite also, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. (33) “But a Samaritan, who was on a journey, came upon him; and when he saw him, he felt compassion, (34) and came to him and bandaged up his wounds, pouring oil and wine on them; and he put him on his own beast, and brought him to an inn and took care of him. (35) “On the next day he took out two denarii and gave them to the innkeeper and said, ‘Take care of him; and whatever more you spend, when I return I will repay you.’
Interestingly, the context of these verses is where a lawyer (one who knew Torah law) TESTS the Messiah about HOW one inherits eternal life.
Luke 10:25-29 And a lawyer stood up and put Him to the test, saying, “Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?” (26) And He said to him, “What is written in the Law? How does it read to you?” (27) And he answered, “YOU SHALL 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 YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF.” (28) And He said to him, “You have answered correctly; DO THIS AND YOU WILL LIVE.” (29) But wishing to justify himself, he said to Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?”
The Messiah skillfully presents the lawyer with a parable (mashal) after this discourse. The parable was meant to reveal to the lawyer what was missing from his heart. In another post, I expounded on how a parable’s purpose is to “rule” or govern our thinking because we are often too close to the trees to perceive the forest. In other words, the function of a proverb or parable is to help us to know, understand, perceive, receive, attain, and increase in knowledge, wisdom, understanding, judgment, and equity. A parable is like a window into truth that opens the shutters so we can see something that is hidden to us.
How do we know if we truly love YHWH? John tells us the same thing Yeshua does in the above verses in plain language:
1Jn. 3:17-18 But whoever has the world’s goods, and sees his brother in need and closes his heart against him, how does the love of God abide in him? (18) Little children, let us not love with word or with tongue, but in deed and truth.
Now... the real reason for this post.
Photo taken Oct. 11th, 2012. This picture was taken before their fifth son was born. Tzadok is the baby in Jeremy’s arms here.
I personally know a young family in great need. We all have trials and tribulations in this life. But most of the time, YHWH is merciful and if there are BIG trials such as job loss, home loss, or grave illness, we only experience one at a time. Last year at this season, my husband had lost his job and it took longer than expected for us to find more work. IT WAS HARD. Our resolve was certainly tested, but in the end YHWH was faithful. That being said, it required us to move away from family and to start completely all over — again (another story). I still don’t quite understand the “whys”, but I also know that my job is to TRUST Him anyway. And there we stand and find our contentment.
Considering what an emotional roller coaster last year was for us, I feel completely UNJUSTIFIED in any of my doubts, self-pity, or struggles. This especially, when late this past spring I learned of the predicament of the precious family I’m about to tell you about.
Imagine for a moment that you lost your housing, couldn’t find work, and if that were not enough —— your young child was discovered to have a brain tumor. That is the circumstance that my dear friends have been living in. My heart of compassion goes out to them. I’m sure that they truly feel as though they have fallen among robbers, been stripped and beaten, and are half dead.
Jeremy and Rachel Legatzke have five beautiful boys. The second to the youngest, Tzadok (2 yrs old), was diagnosed with a brain cyst (craniopharyngioma) in the pituitary gland in June of 2014. This was literally discovered the month after Jeremy had finally completed five years of college to receive his teaching certificate. But sadly, our poor economy has proved to be another test, in that he hasn’t been able to secure a teaching position. Meanwhile, this month had one more surprise for them. The home they had rented for the past 5 years would no longer be available for their use. I can feel each of these blows like a breath-taking punch to the gut. Discovering Tzadok’s condition after these things must’ve been like the final K.O. punch!
Tzadok Legatzke
Jeremy and Rachel have devoted a blog to chronicle their journey called Tzadok’s unexpected journey through Craniopharyngioma. They also have a Facebook page by the same name. I urge you to visit one of their online communities to learn more about this dear family. They are real people in real NEED. The expenses for Tzadok’s treatments are immense. He has already underwent one serious procedure at St. Jude’s in Memphis, TN. On top of the growing medical costs, the family will have to spend a great deal of time away from their home state of Tennessee to be in Jacksonville, FL for the remaining medical treatments. It all seems like a giant, steep mountain, impossible for a man climb.
But we know that ALL things are possible with YHWH! My family is doing what we can to help and will continue to do so. I felt that as a blog owner, it was also my duty to spread this word by all means at my disposal. I know that there are many people that are hurting and are in need. Perhaps, you are even one of the many. If you are, I pray that Yeshua will come and meet your every need!
But for those of you that can, please don’t pass by on the other side of the road. I know the Legatzkes personally. This is no scam. Any denarii (dollars) you donate will go to covering the costs for Tzadok’s wounds to be bandaged with oil and wine and the extended stay at the inn for the rest of the family.
All five Legatzke boys
You can quickly and easily be the Good Samaritan to this young family by clicking the link below. May YHWH bless you 100-fold for your compassion. By the way, PLEASE feel free to spread this message to others!
GRACE in TORAH 