Ministries of Mercy, The Call to the Jericho Road

By Timothy Keller

Reviewed by John Jackson

For anyone who has ever felt that Christians care only about a few hot button issues (abortion, gay marriage, and prayer in schools) Ministries of Mercy, by Timothy Keller, offers an expanded view of the Church’s role in society, as the primary means of compassion to the poor and needy.

The first half of the book is Mr. Keller’s commentary on the “Good Samaritan,” parable. (Luke 10:30) Keller says the parable emphasizes how deep our sense of mercy ought to be towards the needy. As a Jew laid bleeding and dying on the Jericho Road, (which Keller says was the ancient equivalent of being in a dark alley of a big city, at night) his countrymen, a priest and a Levite walked right past him. A Samaritan however, a mortal enemy of the Jew by nationality, offered immediate medical care, transported him to shelter, and offered a practically blank check to an innkeeper to provide for the Jew until he felt better, or the Samaritan returned. If the Samaritan can offer loving care to an enemy, Keller asks, how much more so can Christians?

Originally published in 1989, with a second edition in 1997, many of the percentages Keller sites are now out of date. (The recession of the last few years has made poverty in America much worse now than it was then.) These numbers however, are not really the point.

“Though we will wade through lots of numbers and statistics in the process,” Keller says, “our goal is to look our neighbors in the faces, rather than walking in a wide circle around them.”

In the second half, Keller switches gears, to work out a plan of attack for Christians on poverty. He compares this to gardening.

First, Keller says, we are to “fertilize.” This involves motivating the congregation, developing a servant heart, and finding a few “friends of mercy.”

“You will see that God leads certain people to catch the vision for the ministry of compassion,” says Keller, “identify them, and get together for more action oriented reflection and prayer.”

Once a group has been assembled that shares in the vision, they can “dig up the garden.”

This involves finding a few specific needs that the group can address.

“Each person on the committee could become a resource person for the budding ministry,” Keller says, “for example, one member could become an ‘expert’ at finding people emergency shelter…one person could become skilled in financial counseling.”

After the ministry has been “fertilized,” and “dug up,” the garden must be “planted.”

“Now we ‘plant the garden’ by starting both ‘top down’ and ‘bottom up’ ministries…,” Keller says. “The first way (‘top down’) occurs when the leadership develops and establishes a program…The second way (‘grass roots’ or ‘bottom up’) occurs when an individual or group approaches the leadership with the idea for a ministry.”

“Planting,” Keller says, involves first taking a keen assessment of the needs in the community not being met. Then, Christians must be found with both a desire and the ability to help meet those needs. Keller says that Christians must make sure though there are not already enough, or even too many people ministering in a particular area. Then, he says, they must redirect their efforts elsewhere.

Finally, after the garden has been “fertilized,” “dug up,” and “planted,” Keller says, it must be “watered”, so that it may continue to flourish.

“Our growth will be stunted if we do not continually ‘water’ the church,” Keller says, “so that our seed can grow and the fruit can ripen.”

Ministries of Mercy provides a well needed impetus for Christians to love their less fortunate neighbors, as well as a detailed action plan for ways the Church can show them true Christian compassion. Keller also considers many of the opportunities for ministry available in this generation, including disabled veterans, refugees, alcoholics, mentally disabled, migrant workers, homeless, and school dropouts, just to name a few. Ministries of Mercy can be a bit dry at times, as one feels overwhelmed with facts and figures. Still, Keller succeeds in making the reader feel more connected to his neighbors, and more awakened to all of the possibilities for service.