Mercy

I got to thinking about my first job, way back in 9th or 10th grade. A guy at church named Jake Ratzlaff was the foreman at a ranch just south of Oxnard. Now, you have to understand that in California, sometimes a ranch has nothing to do with cattle. This ranch majored in lemons and lima beans if I remember right. Anyway, needed someone to ride around in the lemon orchards spraying weeds, and he hired me and another kid to do the job.

Looking back, I doubt that he really needed us... he was just giving a couple of kids a chance to earn a few bucks. That job lasted several weeks. Then, for the next few summers he hired several guys from church to work in the bean fields, mostly hoeing weens out of the beans. Those are days to remember... walking the rows... transistor radio tuned to the local pop station strapped to my belt... packing a big lunch and lots to drink....... but I digress.

Jake didn't have to give any of us jobs. Oh, we tried to do the best we could, but his regular farm hands could work circles around us. He was just a guy who saw beyond himself... saw some teenage boys whom he could help shape... and he showed us a little mercy. I never really thought of it as "mercy" until recently, but that's what it was... mercy... seeing the need... feeling compassion... taking action.

I really think that if Jake had been on that road to Jericho in Jesus' parable, he would have taken care of the wounded man just like the Samaritan did... from what I remember about Jake, he may have gotten there first.