Luke 10:25-37
Just then a lawyer stood up to test Jesus. "Teacher," he said, "what must I do to inherit eternal life?" He said to him, "What is written in the law? What do you read there?" He answered, "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength, and with all your mind; and your neighbor as yourself." And he said to him, "You have given the right answer; do this, and you will live."
But wanting to justify himself, he asked Jesus, "And who is my neighbor?" Jesus replied, "A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell into the hands of robbers, who stripped him, beat him, and went away, leaving him half dead. Now by chance a priest was going down that road; and when he saw him, he passed by on the other side. So likewise a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. But a Samaritan while traveling came near him; and when he saw him, he was moved with pity. He went to him and bandaged his wounds, having poured oil and wine on them. Then he put him on his own animal, brought him to an inn, and took care of him. The next day he took out two denarii, gave them to the innkeeper, and said, `Take care of him; and when I come back, I will repay you whatever more you spend.' Which of these three, do you think, was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of the robbers?" He said, "The one who showed him mercy." Jesus said to him, "Go and do likewise."
Engagement with Luke 10.25-37
ReplyDeleteIt is uncanny how Jesus listened to people ask questions that pointed away from them selves and then fashioned his answer to make the questioner turn around and look square at them selves. I observe that is what Jesus did with the lawyer in our text. When the lawyer asked, “And who is my neighbor?” he was probably asking if his neighbors were the socially acceptable people, the priests and Levites, righteous people like him self who knew the scriptures, people of Judea. And Jesus told the famous story of the good Samaritan to make his point, a neighbor is the one who shows mercy to another without regard to role, social status, ethnicity, geography or repayment.
I am attracted to Jesus’ image of what mercy looks like: pouring out resources (oil and wine) for the benefit of another, assuming a stranger’s burden (the lawyer walked so the wounded man could be carried on his own animal), being financially generous (two denari was a significant sum). The Samaritan was traveling in Judea where he was considered a foreigner and was treated as unclean by the Judeans. Still he stopped to help the stranger, presumably a Judean. He brought the wounded man to a Judean inn. Each of the Samaritan’s actions violated social convention. Altogether the Samaritan’s actions illumine what it means to be a neighbor, to be merciful.
The text calls me to action. It calls all of us to action. I invite you to join me and respond to Jesus’ admonition, “Go and do likewise.” I have attached a letter that invites you to help me help my neighbor. Please feel free to forward the letter to anyone you know who welcomes the opportunity to be a neighbor, to be merciful. Thank you. Debra
The letter is in the following comment.... thanks for taking the time to read and consider how you too may be a neighbor.
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