Presbyterian Mission Agency samaritan Archives

samaritan

Mission with both hands

Posted June 22nd, 2021

God’s mission clearly includes charity: a cup of cold water given in Jesus’ name; the Samaritan’s extraordinary care for the victim of highway robbery; the traditional “alms for the poor” that has characterized the institutional church through the millennia. Charity is clearly biblical and a hallmark of Christian faithfulness. After 35 years of working with Presbyterian congregations engaged in local and global mission, I have found that the overwhelming majority of congregations dedicate nearly 100% of their mission attention and budget to charity work. Buta singular focus on charity can blind us to the larger issues behind the suffering we seek to alleviate. A Congolese proverb says, “It takes two hands to wash”: God’s mission consists of both charity to stop our neighbor’s bleeding and justice to prevent the wound in the first place.

Taking lessons from a Samaritan

Posted October 17th, 2019

In Luke 17:11–19, 10 people with a skin disease are healed, yet only one — a Samaritan — felt compelled to thank Jesus for his healing.