Our Master, Jesus, lived nearly 2,000 years before the invention of the automobile, the laptop computer, the internet, and television.
Despite this, there is much Jesus can teach us today about how we should conduct our lives in the modern world - IF we have the courage and faith to listen and follow his teachings.
Driving a car in today's world can be a traumatic experience. Everyone is seemingly in a rush to get somewhere, and are solely focused on that goal alone. Many drivers become overly aggressive in their quest to "be first" - to the next light or to their home or office. Perhaps that's how we feel, too, sometimes when we're on the road.
But Jesus teaches us a different way to conduct our lives than the rest of the world. If we take his teachings seriously, as if they were meant for us today (and we always should) then we will find ways in which his ancient an eternal words apply to us these many years after he first spoke.
Let's look one by one at some core teachings of Jesus that can be applied to our daily commute.
As Jesus summarized the Law as "Love your neighbor as yourself," (along with Love God with all our hearts, mind, strength and soul - Matt. 22:39) all of our lessons relating to driving can be summed up in this way, too.
When driving, the cars around you are our neighbors. They literally, if momentarily, reside around us and next to us. In every way possible, we should treat them as neighbors in need of our love - and as Jesus Followers, ones who are entitled to it.
"In everything, do to others what you would have them do to you." (Matt. 7:12) This well known, "Do unto others" teaching of Jesus applies to all aspects of our life. When we spend so many hours of our lives in our vehicles and on the road, surely we need to be considering how others would wish to be treated.
Would we wish to be cut off, yelled at, aggressively tailgated, or otherwise poorly treated? If not, why would we inflict such a thing on others?
We can also see this behavior in Jesus' teaching to "turn the other cheek." We are called to let rude behavior go, not return rudeness for rudeness.
In the same way, he says, "Deny yourself" (Matt. 16:24) When we are in a rush, but we see someone struggling to get into traffic, it is the more loving way to take a moment to let them in ahead of you than to block their way, just as the last dozen cars may have done.
And just as in the Parable of the Good Samaritan, when we see someone in the side of the road who's in need, and we can safely stop and help, we ought to take that opportunity to show kindness towards our neighbors on the road who are in need.
Jesus instructs his disciples to "be at peace with one another." (Mark 9:50) - We can also take the lesson that we should seek to make peace with one another on the road, especially when war seemingly is about to break out at any moment. "Blessed are the peacemakers" he says in the Sermon on the Mount (Matt. 5:9.) If, by allowing someone to barge ahead of us without gesturing, honking and yelling at them, we can make peace, shouldn't we take that opportunity to show God's love to others?
And what happens when we do all this - when we practice intentional, continual kindness on the road?
This kindness is noticed, and other drivers may be moved to analyze their own actions and conscience, and even consider passing along that kindness in their own commute.
Since we spend so much time in our vehicles on the road with others, we can see that this is a very real place to take up Jesus' call to spread the Kingdom of God here on the earth, letting kindness and love exist here, "as it is in Heaven." (Matt. 6:10.)
What a great opportunity we have every day to demonstrate how God wishes us to live than to show others how his chosen Son and our moral example, Jesus, taught us to act - both on the road in throughout our daily lives.
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