Luke 10-25-37

So, do turn to Luke 10.

Luke 10.

I'm in the middle of a three-week series,

!

About what motivates human beings.

It's a really fascinating paper.

In that paper, he proposed that there were five fundamental human needs

that motivate human behaviour.

He described them as a hierarchy

in which each progressive need must be fulfilled

before a person can move on to fulfil the next need.

A bit like a pyramid.

And his description of the five key needs went like this.

Number one, physiological needs.

Things like food and water and warmth and rest.

That's number one.

Number two, safety needs.

Every human being needs security and safety.

Number three, belonging and love needs.

Intimacy, friends, family.

And number four, esteem needs.

Respect, feeling of accomplishment, recognition.

And number five, self-actualisation needs.

That is achieving one's full potential.

Physiological needs.

Safety.

Belonging and love needs.

Esteem needs.

And self-actualisation needs.

And of course, we could argue, couldn't we,

about the order in which Maslow's put them.

Whether there should be an order at all.

And lots of psychologists, I'm told,

have kind of argued non-stop since about that.

But there's a reason why Maslow's hierarchy is still discussed today.

Because actually, he's on to something.

Most human beings feel at those kind of motivations

in one form or another at some point.

And Maslow summarised a lot of human motivations very well.

And so today, in tonight's passage,

we come to number three on Maslow's scales.

Love and emotional needs.

But I'm most interested in how he describes it

as a basic human need.

Humans need love.

And as Maslow points out,

the desire to be loved

drives a lot of human behaviour.

Now, you know that's true.

And when it comes to love,

I think that is the dominant way

that people in the world think about it.

Love is something that we all need.

Some would argue all you need is love.

Love is something that we're trying to find

and trying to hang on to.

But I hope you realise

that when Christians talk about love,

we're starting at a quite different point,

aren't we?

Christians often talk about love

not so much as something to be found

and clung on to,

but something to give.

In our society,

love is so often framed

as the thing that I want.

There's a need for me to be loved.

But in the kingdom of God,

love is framed as something I share.

There is a need not so much

for me to be loved

as to love.

Now, I know that I've just really

overstated the case.

And I'm not suggesting for a moment

that no one in the world

is looking to give love

and only to receive it.

I know that's not true.

But I do think I'm describing

a real difference

in the fundamental way

people think in our world.

and the way people in the kingdom of God

think about love.

And I hope that difference

will be recognisable to you.

Last week, we spoke about

the kingdom of God and work.

This week, we're talking about

the kingdom of God

and the need for love.

Love, not as psychologists

might understand it,

but love according to God.

And so let's get to our passage.

Come on up, yes.

Come on up.

And I want us to look

just at verses 25 to 37.

And we're going to see the story

of the not-so-good lawyer.

The great thing is about

having an outline

and putting that on the

kind of PowerPoint

is that you can get away

with a bad outline.

And so the passage

that is in front of you,

I want to call the story

of the not-so-good lawyer.

My title is very different

from the ESV's title.

Can you see the ESV's title?

And they call this section,

like pretty much every Bible version

that puts titles in,

the parable of the Good Samaritan.

And there is a parable

within the passage.

But I want to argue

that primarily,

verses 25 to 37,

are a true story.

There's a Samaritan

in the parable,

in the story,

but the main character

of verses 25 to 37

is the lawyer.

And the Samaritan

in the parable,

in the story,

he might be good,

but the lawyer

in this true story,

which this story

is really about,

he thinks he's really good,

but in reality,

not so much.

So I want to argue

my title is better

than the ESV's.

It's a little bit

less catchy, isn't it?

But it is really

about the true story

of the not-so-good lawyer.

And basically,

what you find is

in these verses,

there's a discussion

between the lawyer

and Jesus.

It's a series

of questions

and answers.

It's a dialogue.

And that's how

I want us to look at it.

So in verse 25,

you've got a question

about the way to life.

Verse 25 begins

with a brief introduction

to the lawyer.

He's an expert

in the law.

And of course,

the law that he's

an expert in

is the religious laws

of the Jews.

The legal material

that you've got

in the Old Testament.

And perhaps

some extra bits as well.

If you're trying

to locate this guy,

you're better off

thinking about him

as having an office

in a theological college

rather than

the boardroom

in the city

or a city law firm.

And this expert

in the Jewish law

has a question

for Jesus.

But even that,

it's not a question

like a little

inquisitive child

asks a parent

because they're curious

to learn something.

It's more like

a mischievous teenager

asking the student teacher,

trying to catch them out,

trying to make them

look stupid.

And so Luke tells us

in verse 25

what the lawyer's motive is.

Can you see that?

Verse 25.

He wants to test Jesus.

He hasn't come to Jesus

looking to learn from him.

He was more interested

in showing Jesus up.

And so this is the question

he came up with.

He said,

Teacher,

what must I do

to inherit eternal life?

And I suspect

he already has an answer

to that question

in his own head.

It would be hard

to be an expert

in the Jewish law

and not to have thought

lots about this already.

But he wants to know

what Jesus says.

He's particularly interested

in whether Jesus

will show himself

to be out of step

with the Jewish teachers.

And so Jesus gives him

an answer about life

through love,

doesn't he?

Verses 26 to 28.

And of course,

Jesus is not going

to be trapped so easily.

In verse 26,

he responds to

the lawyer's question

with a question of his own.

Verse 26.

He said to him,

What is written in the law?

How do you read it?

What does the law say?

That's what Jesus asks him.

But I wonder

whether there's a bit

of attitude

in Jesus' tone.

I wonder whether

there's a little bit of,

Well, you're the expert.

You tell me.

And of course,

our lawyer man,

well, he's got

a tightly worded response

in his back pocket already.

He says,

You can inherit

eternal life

through two kinds of love.

Love for God

with all your heart,

soul, strength,

and mind,

and love for your neighbor.

What was Jesus saying next?

Well, we find out

in verse 28.

And Jesus said to him,

You've answered correctly.

Do this and you will live.

And interestingly,

the word correctly there

is the Greek word

from which we get

the word orthodox.

Jesus responds by saying,

It's an orthodox answer.

It's straight down the line.

None of his Jewish

lawyer buddies

would have faulted his answer.

You've proved your orthodoxy.

Of course,

Jesus summarizes the law

in a similar way

in other places,

doesn't he?

But I think we do wonder,

what does Jesus' words

here really mean?

He seems to agree

with the lawyer

that these two kinds of love,

they are the way

to eternal life.

Could that be right?

I think the first thing

we've got to say

is that Jesus can see

into this man's heart,

can't he?

And he knows

he's not here to listen

but to entrap him.

And Jesus is refusing

to be drawn

into the lawyer's game.

But it's also important

to recognize

that Jesus wouldn't say this

if he thought

it was false.

There is, of course,

a sense in which

this is true.

That if a person

were to love God

with all their heart

and with all their soul

and all their strength

and all their mind

and if they were to love

their neighbors

as themselves,

then they would be

the perfect embodiment

of God's law.

They would be without sin.

They would have

no need of forgiveness

and they could be confident

of inheriting eternal life

on that basis.

And so I think Jesus

is affirming that here.

I don't think for a second

that Jesus thought

this man was able to do it.

And nor any other man

for that matter

with one significant exception.

But nevertheless,

in the cut and thrust

of this conversation,

Jesus is happy

at this point

to sign off

on the orthodoxy

of the lawyer's answer.

And so the next question

comes in verse 29

and it's a question

about who to love.

Perhaps Jesus knew

that the lawyer,

he wouldn't be able

to leave it there.

You could see

into the man's heart.

He would have known

that he wasn't just

interested in testing Jesus,

he was also very keen

to justify himself.

So once again

in verse 29,

Luke reveals to us

the lawyer's motives.

And of course,

in this respect,

Jesus hasn't given

the lawyer

any satisfaction at all.

Perhaps what he was

really after from Jesus

was an affirmation

that he stood

to inherit eternal life.

You'll be okay.

And while Jesus

has conceded,

hasn't he,

the orthodoxy

of the guy,

Jesus hasn't even

gone close

to assuring him

that he has

eternal life.

So the lawyer

won't drop it.

Jesus isn't playing

his game,

so he's got another

question.

Verse 29,

but he desiring

to justify himself

said to Jesus,

well, who is my neighbor?

He wants to know,

if I've got to do

the neighbor love

to inherit eternal life,

who do you think

that that includes?

It's a question

about who to love.

It's a question

about where the limits are,

about how far

one has to go

in loving neighbors.

And so Jesus

gives him in verses

30 to 37

an answer

on how to love.

And if Jesus'

previous answer

was predictable,

I think we've got

to admit that

Jesus' next answer

is completely

unexpected.

in response

about the lawyer's

question about

who to love,

Jesus tells a story

as he often did.

It's a story

that's become

one of the most

well-known stories

in the history

of the world.

I don't think

that's an exaggeration.

And of course,

you know it well,

so I'm not going

to retell it to you.

But this is a story

about what love

looks like.

All three

passers-by

see the injured man.

That's clear

in the text.

The priest

and the Levite,

they are the one

in possession

of the law.

We just hear

the lawyer

discussing with Jesus

and we might

therefore have

expected them

to stop

and love their

neighbor.

But they didn't.

But of course,

Jesus shocks

his audience,

doesn't he,

by telling them

that the one

who saw

the injured man

and actually

had pity,

compassion on him

was a Samaritan.

And as you know,

the Jews

and the Samaritans

didn't get on.

So Jesus'

hearers

would not have

expected a Samaritan

passer-by

to help a needy Jew.

But in Jesus'

story,

he's the only one

that does.

And by telling

the story

in the way

that Jesus

does,

he is making

a comment

about the foolish

racial divide

that there is

between the Samaritans

and the Jews

of his day.

He points out

that failing

to help a dying

man because of

the country

he comes from

or because

of who his

grandparents were

is a failure

to love.

Jesus is

waving Samaritan

lives matter

in the face

of the Jews.

And we can't

avoid the fact

that this is a

story about

racism.

Perhaps it is

one of the

Bible's most

potent messages

on this theme.

But it is

much,

much more

than that.

It is much,

much more

than that

because it

is a story

about love.

The priest

and the Levite,

they failed

to love.

The Samaritan

loved.

He had

compassion.

He showed

mercy.

And with

this story,

Jesus shows

that the love

which pleases

God is a

love that

extends to

the unlikely

one.

And when

the lawyer

asks Jesus,

who is my

neighbor,

this is

Jesus'

answer.

It's anyone

who crosses

your path

and needs

your help.

It's anyone

who crosses

your path

and needs

your help.

Let me

pause there.

We live

in an age,

don't we,

where we are

bombarded by

needs,

where we know

more about the

needs on the

other side of

the world

than often we

do on the

other side of

the street.

And we

cannot meet

those needs,

all of them.

And I do

think it's a

really helpful

point that Jesus

gives you.

it's anyone

who crosses

your path

and needs

your help,

regardless of

their race,

regardless of

your religious

convictions,

regardless of

how you might

feel about

them.

Jesus does

answer the

lawyer's

question,

but he also

suggests by

his answer

that there's

a better

question to

ask.

The lawyer

asks the

question about

who to

love,

and Jesus

answers with

a story about

how to

love.

And you

love by

showing compassion

to the

unlikely one.

And you

love by

going out

of your

way to

show mercy,

and that's

what the

Samaritan

did.

He went

above and

beyond what

anyone could

have expected

him to do.

He didn't

just stop and

help the guy

move on.

He didn't

just take the

man to

where you

could get

further help.

He paid for

the man to

be cared for,

and he

promised to

come back

again and

pay if more

was needed.

The

Samaritan's

love was not

just for an

unlikely person,

it was

staggeringly

generous.

And that's

Jesus' point

too,

isn't it?

The

Samaritan

does not

just do

the minimum.

He loves

his neighbor

generously,

with a

large heart.

And then

having finished

the story,

Jesus underlines

the fact that

this is a

story more

about how

to love

than who

to love.

So listen

to his

question in

verse 36.

Which of

these three

do you

think proved

to be a

neighbor to

the man

who fell

among the

robbers?

The lawyer

pompously

asked,

who is my

neighbor?

And Jesus

responds by

suggesting that

he should

think less

about who

his neighbor

is,

and more

about how

to be a

neighbor.

And Jesus

sends him on

his way with

the exhortation,

do as the

Samaritan did.

And once

again,

isn't it

wonderful,

Jesus is

masterful,

he turns

the tables

on someone

who came

to trap

him.

The

cocky

lawyer

goes home

with his

tail between

his legs

because the

one he

came to

test

ends up

testing

him.

And so

who am

I?

That's where

I kind of

want us to

get to

tonight and

spend the

rest of

our time

in

application.

Jesus'

words,

they do

test us,

don't they?

I find that

again and

again as I

come to

the Gospels,

even this

evening.

And as

Jesus speaks,

we find him

searching our

hearts,

and Jesus'

words search

us tonight.

And so I

want to return

to the question

that we

finished with

last week.

Do you

remember?

Who does

Jesus say

that I am?

And what

do the words

of Jesus

reveal about

my identity

as one

of his

followers?

In the

kingdom of

Jesus,

who am

I?

And once

again this

evening,

I think

this passage

gives us

two important

answers.

Who am

I?

I am

someone who

needs to

love.

As a

disciple of

Jesus Christ,

I am

someone who

needs to

love.

Now that's

the usual

application of

this passage.

Who am

I?

I'm a

neighbor.

I'm a

neighbor to

anyone who

God brings

across my

path.

And I'm

a neighbor

to them.

And I

need to

show them

compassion,

to have

mercy,

to love.

And most

importantly,

I love

others out

of my

overflow of

my love

for God.

God.

I'm a

loving

neighbor

because I

first loved

God with

all my

heart and

soul and

strength and

mind.

Who am

I?

I am

more than

just an

orthodox

question

answerer.

I'm not

just someone

who has

the right

answer,

who can

rattle off

what it

means to

be a

Christian.

Who am

I?

I am

someone who

is looking

for the

limits of

my

responsibility

to love.

Who am

I?

I'm someone

who loves

the unlikely

one.

I'm someone

who goes

out of my

way to

show that

love.

I love

without regard

to race,

or religious

conviction,

or gender,

or social

position.

I love

without

allowing how

I feel

about

someone to

determine

whether I

care for

them or

not.

And that's

not easy,

is it?

What does

that mean?

It means

this.

It means I

will love

the person

who doesn't

love me.

It means

the person

who makes

no secret

of the fact

that they

don't like

me very

much.

I love

that person

who's hard

to love.

I love

that person

who's socially

awkward.

I love

that person

who's hard

to finish

a conversation

with.

It was a

bad smell.

It means

I love

the parent

who's been

a great

disappointment

to me.

I love

the child

who doesn't

treat me

well.

I love

the friend

who keeps

letting me

down.

I love

the person

in authority

that I find

very difficult

to respect.

I love

the colleague

and the

acquaintance

who no

one else

loves.

I love

the person

with the

unenviable

job

who everyone

else seems

to ignore.

I love

the stranger

in need

on the side

of the road.

And I love

them all

because I love

the God

who made

me and

them in

his image.

I love

the unlikely

one.

But I'll

also go

out of my

way to

love.

I'll love

generously.

And so I'll

not just

flick the

bag of

change.

I'll buy

him breakfast

instead.

I might

run late

for a meeting

with someone

because I

came across

somebody who

was really

in need

of help.

I might

choose not

to spend

my evening

the way

that I was

really looking

forward to

because I've

got a

friend who

needs me.

I might

stay in a

conversation

way longer

than I'd

like to

because the

person I'm

with still

wants to

talk.

And my

giving to

the needy

and to the

work of the

gospel might

be more

than I feel

I can afford.

I might

invite someone

over for a

meal or

to come on

holiday with

me even

though I

don't find

them the

most relaxing

person to

be around.

I might

text someone

tonight or

call someone

tomorrow who's

going through a

tough time.

And not just

this week but

next week and

the week after

and the week

after that.

I might make a

list of people

that I used to

bump into at

church but I'm

not seeing so

much now.

And slowly get in

touch with each

one of them just

to check in how

they are.

And I might

pray for someone

who isn't a

believer not just

every now and

then but regularly

for years and

decades because I

long to see them

turn to Christ.

I love beyond

the minimum because

I love God

beyond the

minimum.

And because I

want to love him

with all my heart

and soul and

mind and strength.

I'll go out of my

way to love.

And that's what

Jesus says about

me here.

If I'm a

disciple of his

then I'm a

lover.

I'm a lover of

God and I'm a

lover of those he

brings across my

path.

I'm a neighbor.

So I love by

showing compassion

to the unlikely

one.

And I love by

going out of my

way to show

mercy.

I love with

wisdom and I

will love with

thoughtfulness.

I haven't got

limitless time and

I haven't got

limitless resources.

And so it means

each day I will

prayerfully work

out who to love

and how to love

them conscious of

what they need and

conscious of what

God has enabled

me to give.

But each day when

I get out of bed I

remember that I'm

someone who needs

to love.

Recently I was

talking with one

of the staff at

the rugby club and

they were reflecting

on something that

had happened in

their life and the

support they'd

received at a

previous rugby club

not yours.

And they spoke so

warmly of the

support that the

staff had showed.

They said to me

this.

They said this

would never happen

anywhere else.

And as I

heard that that

made me feel

really sad.

Do you catch

her line?

This would never

happen anywhere

else.

And I really

hope that was a

case of kind of

her emotions

leaving her to

overstate it.

I really hope it's

not the case that

she's never

received selfless

care like that

anywhere else in

her life.

I really hope that

she doesn't think

that the kind of

compassion, that

kind of humble

love can only be

found in a rugby

club, heaven

forbid.

Because what

Jesus is talking

about in Matthew

10 is everyday

life of all who

love God.

love God.

Because Jesus'

story in Matthew

10 is not a

story of something

exceptional.

It's the story of

an approach as a

disciple of Jesus

to everyday life,

to every relationship

they're in.

Where else would

you expect to see

selfless love like

that lady experienced

at the rugby club?

Try coming to church

sometime for a start.

Or perhaps just

follow any Christian

around for a day and

you'll see that kind

of love.

Hopefully you'd see it

at every turn, in

every interaction, in

every conversation, in

every relationship,

because this is at the

heart of what it means

to be a disciple.

To love others as we

love God, to be a

neighbour, loving even

the unlikely one, going

out of our way to

love.

That is the everyday

life in Jesus'

kingdom.

Sincere compassion,

tender care,

generous mercy.

Who am I?

I'm someone who

needs to love.

But lastly, I'm

someone in need of

love.

Because what I've

just talked about,

which I know can

feel guilt-inducing,

is not the only

thing Jesus tells us

in this passage

about who we are.

Because, remember,

this isn't primarily

the passage of the

parable of the Good

Samaritan.

It's the story of

the not-so-good

lawyer.

And so this passage

is not just about

being like the

Samaritan, it's

also about making

sure we're not

like the lawyer.

And the Samaritan

may be someone whose

conduct leads Jesus

to say, go and do

likewise.

But you get the

distinct impression

that Jesus doesn't

think this lawyer is

someone to emulate.

and yet lots of

people do.

I'm not saying

there's lots of

people trying to

undermine Jesus,

though there are

some.

I'm not saying

that people's

demeanor before

Jesus is kind of

arrogant like this

man's is,

although there are

some.

But what I'm saying

is there are lots

of people that I

meet, like this

lawyer, who are

looking to justify

themselves.

There are lots of

people in this world

who think they know

what God expects of

them, and they feel

pretty confident that

they're going to at

least get a pass

mark.

There are lots of

people these days who

reckon that they will

enter eternal life on

the basis of what

they've done.

They've tried hard to

be good people, never

hurt a fly.

They've taken note of

the Good Samaritan,

they've tried to

emulate him.

And all their little

sins and all their

little faults, well,

they're not very

newsworthy.

And I would just

suggest that what I'm

describing is pretty

much the majority

view in our country.

Perhaps it describes

some of you listening

tonight, but I need

to tell you that is a

tragic mistake.

It's a really big

mistake.

Because for one

thing, most people

who say that they

keep the commandments

and live well like

this lawyer, fail to

admit that they

really don't love

God.

Certainly not with

all their heart and

mind and soul and

strength.

And as it turns out,

that is the first

commandment.

And if he isn't

everything to you,

you've fallen at the

first hurdle.

But even if you

thought you were

having a really good

crack at both loving

your neighbor and

loving God, you'll

never do it

perfectly.

And if you can't,

then like this

lawyer, you'll never

be able to justify

yourself.

Do you remember

what Jesus said in

verse 21 of Luke

10?

Look at verse 21.

In that same hour,

Jesus rejoiced in the

Holy Spirit and said,

I thank you,

Father, Lord of

heaven and earth,

that you've hidden

these things from

the wise and

understanding and

revealed them to

little children.

Yes, Father, for

such was your

gracious will.

And so we're

meant to read this

next section in the

light of verse 21.

What was the

lawyer's problem?

He thought he was

wise and learned.

He thought his

wisdom and learning

could justify him

before God.

But it's not how

it works.

God hides his

truth from people

like that and

instead he reveals

them to little

children.

Eternal life

depends on God's

initiative and

not ours.

It depends not on

my brilliant living

but on the

brilliant grace of

God in my life.

And people don't

need to justify

themselves.

In fact, they

can't.

They need God to

reach down and

save them.

And the guy

thought he could

make his own

way to heaven.

But the central

message of the

Bible is that no

one does and no

one can.

You cannot

justify yourself

but there is

someone who can

justify you.

You can't

stitch up eternal

life for yourself.

But there is

somebody who can

give it to you.

And it turns out

that what the

lawyer needed

was the very

person he was

talking to.

And it turns out

that we need

him too.

We need his

truth to show

us how far

short we've

fallen short

of loving God

with all we

are and how

far short we've

fallen of loving

our neighbors.

Particularly the

unlikely ones.

And going out

of our way to

love.

And then after

we need Jesus

telling us the

truth about

ourselves we

need him to

do something

about our

failure.

We need him

to justify us

because we

can't justify

ourselves.

And we need

to do exactly

what he would

do not long

after.

He spoke

these words.

We need him

on that hill

outside Jerusalem

looking a lot

like the

traveler on

the side

of the road

in Jesus'

story.

We need him

stripped of

his clothes

beaten with

people scornfully

passing him

by.

We need him

not half dead

but fully

dead.

We need

his sacrifice

for failed

lovers.

His death

for us.

We need him

to love us.

love.

And of

course whilst I

said at the

start today

about the

difference between

the way the

world speaks

of the need

for love

and the way

we do

that's not

the whole

story is

it?

Because before

we stick on

our chest

and declare

that we

don't need

love in the

way that

Maslow's

hierarchy

describes it

before we

lift our

heads and

assure the

world we're

not the

people who

need love

but rather

we're the

people who

give love

before we

end up

sounding a

lot like

that lawyer

Jesus told

this story

to undermine

we better

acknowledge

that Maslow's

got something

right.

We do need

to be loved.

You need

to be loved.

And in fact

without being

loved we are

nothing.

And without

God loving

us we'd

never be able

to love him

or our

neighbours.

And John

would write

we love

because he

first loved

us.

I'm not

going to

stand up

here today

as I

finish this

sermon and

tell you

that Jesus

is a good

Samaritan.

I don't

think he

is.

I'm not

sold on

that

interpretation.

I think

it's primarily

a parable

on how

we're to

love.

Because it's

a parable

about how

to love

it's a

parable

that reflects

back to

us some

pretty important

things about

how God

loves and

how Jesus

loves.

So when

verse 33

says that

Samaritan

saw the man

on the side

of the road

and had pity

on him

Luke uses

a significant

word,

the word

compassion.

It's the

word in

Luke 15

to describe

the compassion

of the father

who welcomed

back the

prodigal son.

Back in

Luke 7

it's the

word

compassion

that Jesus

felt for

a widow

and her

dead son

before he

raised the

boy back

to life.

And right

back in

chapter 1

it's the

word Luke

used to

explain the

kind of

tender

mercy

God has

for the

world he

sent Jesus

to save.

And so

when we

see the

compassion

of the

Samaritan

we are

meant to be

given a

glimpse of

the world

saving,

life restoring,

sinner welcoming,

compassion of God.

And when we

see the

mercy of the

Samaritan

we're meant

to see a

picture of the

mercy of

Jesus.

And when we

see the

Samaritan

loving we're

offered a

reflection of

the love

that we

ourselves

need more

than anything

else in

the world.

And so

we land

again

tonight

where we

landed

last week

with

humility.

Because as

much as

anything else

this is what

it means to

be a

disciple of

Jesus.

It means

humility

before God

and before

his son

our saviour

the Lord

Jesus

Christ.

Who am

I?

Who does

Jesus say

I am?

He says

I'm to be

like the

Samaritan

a neighbour

yes.

I'm

someone who

needs to

love.

But he

also says

I must

not be

like the

self-justifying

lawyer.

Rather I

am and

always will

be someone

in need

of love.

Saving,

justifying,

compassionate,

merciful love.

Remember

chapter 10

and verse 21?

I thank

you Father

Lord of

heaven and

earth that

you have

hidden these

things from

the wise

and understanding

and revealed

them to

little children.

Yes Father

for such

was your

gracious

will.