between Jericho and Jerusalem, image by nour tayeh, on unsplash
Jericho Roads
At the end of the rock-strewn road,
fell the walls surrounding Jericho.
Spared from destruction,
were a harlot’s people,
the family of Rahab,
Israel’s unlikely ally,
and unlikely ancestor
of peasants and kings
and the King of kings,
who came to save us all,
when our own walls fall
at the ends of our roads.
As Jesus walked the road,
leaving rebuilt Jericho,
a man who was blind
begged for mercy and sight.
Jesus healed his eyes
with love and kindness,
transforming
a beggar’s begging
into following
and praising.
In a parable Jesus told
of a lone sojourner
on that dusty road,
beaten and robbed,
left for dead,
but instead,
his life was saved,
not by religious men
coming from Jerusalem,
but by a despised Samaritan,
who showed mercy and love
where others provided none.
And for a stranger’s plight
he sacrificed to make things right.
Unlikely salvation
from unlikely sources
in unlikely places
for unlikely faces
may be found
on Jericho roads.
*
Tweeting the Truth in Love
We should be “speaking the truth in love,”*
posted Paul in Ephesians 4:15,
to speak and act out truth while filled
with self-sacrificial, unconditional love.
Not too-tough truth without compassion.
Not laissez-faire love without correction.
Certainly not rude comments
left on social media,
hidden from responsibility
by anonymity.
Certainly not tweeting lies with contempt,
insulting others with childish nicknames,
repeating falsehoods already debunked,
or disseminating self-serving distortions.
Paul didn’t excuse behavior so deplorable.
Why do so now?
*Note: Literally “truthing in love” in the Greek, incorporating both speech and actions.
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Mark D. Stucky has degrees in religious studies, pastoral ministry, and communications.
He has been a technical and freelance writer
for three decades. During his day job, he has documented diverse technical products, from satellite communications to building automation systems. In free time, he has written articles, stories, and poems on a variety of (usually
spiritual) topics. He has received over three
dozen writing and publication awards. For more writings, see cinemaspirit.info.