Yesterday in church the lesson was about Jesus' journey to Jerusalem. We have been working through the book of Luke on Sunday mornings and Albert (our preacher) emphasized that Jesus was very focused on entering capital of the Jewish world. Phrases like "he had his eyes on Jerusalem" or "while he was going up to Jerusalem" (my paraphrasing) occur fairly often in the text.
Yet for being as focused as he was on the destination, Jesus chose an interesting route to get there: he chose to go through Samaria. I would not hesitate to make the claim that every person with a familiarity of Jesus' teaching has heard the story of the Good Samaritan. What makes that story so poignant? Samaritans were looked on with disdain by the Jewish community, a feeling that Jesus challenged by placing one as the hero of the story. In this atmosphere, he also chooses to travel in a round-about way to Jerusalem through Samaria, teaching the people there and healing a blind beggar.
As I sat in the pew I couldn't keep my mind from wandering: I had to write a grocery list and compose a To-Do list, think about what I was doing for lunch, when I was going to get all my homework done, if I was... It just kept going on and on! I am a notorious "schemer," planning trips, events, and daily schedules like clockwork. But at the same time I feel as though I'm missing out on the important things of the present. I wouldn't really know how wonderful life's roses smell, since I only notice them as they brush my leg as I march past, eyes on the next mountaintop.
I can learn a lot from the telling of Jesus' walk to Jerusalem. The journey should not be fulfilled in the destination, but in the enjoyment of the path and the stops along the way sharing the joy of the trip with others.
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