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Connections&
There was a rich man who had a faithful and loyal servant. The servant decided to leave the man's employment to make his own way in the world. The rich man understood and wished the servant well. He wanted to do something for the servant who had been not only a loyal and hard-working servant but a good friend as well, but the man knew his self-effacing employee would refuse any gift. So the night before the servant left his home, the rich man snuck into his quarters and sewed into the hem of his sleeping servant's cloak a beautiful and valuable jewel. The servant then struck out on his own, but had a difficult time. Before long, he had sunk into poverty and was struggling to survive. After many months, reduced to sheer want, he met his old employer. The rich man was shocked at the poor man's plight. The rich man noticed the small wad in the hem of his cloak. The poor man had never realized the priceless jewel he possessed. CONNECTION: The ancient bitterness between the Jews and Samaritans dated back to the eighth century before Christ, when Assyria invaded northern Israel. While the Jews of Jerusalem were expelled from their homeland, many Samaritans survived by collaborating with their occupiers. The two tribes came to despise one another. The Jews banned Samaritans from the temple in Jerusalem, and the Samaritans, in turn, made life miserable for any Jew traveling through their territory on the way to Jerusalem. Because of their deep-seated hostility, the Samaritans were blind to the presence of the Messiah in their very midst. Too often, we let distrust, fear, pride, anger and resentment--real and imagined--blind us to the much greater good in our midst. Like the priceless jewel sewed within the poor man's coat, we possess within our own homes, families and communities the love of God that is ours if only we have the wisdom and insight to seek and embrace it. ¦ |
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