Listen, you leaders of Jacob, you rulers of Israel … Who eat my people's flesh, strip off their skin and break their bones in pieces; who chop them up like meat for the pan, like flesh for the pot? – Micah 3:3

Today's Scripture Reading (April 30, 2026): Micah 3

One of the most radical teachings in the Christian faith originates in Jesus's Parable of the Good Samaritan. We know it, but its message seldom reaches the core of who we are. Does Jesus really expect us to love those who, in every other way, stand against us? The surprising answer is yes, a point that Jesus makes clear in his "Sermon on the Mount," which I believe is at the pinnacle of the Bible's teaching.

You have heard that it was said, 'Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.' But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be children of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that? And if you greet only your own people, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that? Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect (Matthew 5:43-48).

The Parable of the Good Samaritan puts this teaching in story form. It tells of a Samaritan, who was a natural enemy of the Jews, coming to the aid of an injured Jewish man, even when the leaders of the injured man's own society had passed him by. It would be like a present-day Iranian Jihadist pausing to help a hurt American citizen, or maybe a downed American pilot. It is love so tangible that it is almost unthinkable.

Jesus's comment that we love those who love us or support our own people is an example of how our world works. Political leaders often defend their nations, sometimes at the expense of foreigners. It is what we expect from our national leaders, provincial or state officials, and even civic leaders. We have elected you to fight for us and our regional needs.

But the situation Micah speaks about in Israel takes this "normality" a step further. These are leaders who are pursuing personal goals at the expense of their own people. They are getting rich while the people are dying. It is a situation that Micah can't imagine. It is as if the political leadership of the nation has turned to the cannibalism of their own people. They remove the skin and break the bones in the same way a cook would prepare an animal for the pot, so that a meal could be prepared. It isn't just a lack of love for an enemy or a foreigner; it is a lack of concern for those the leader should love automatically.

This lack of concern for those they should love is something Micah couldn't imagine. Who would do that?  

Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: Micah 4