Day 13 | Luke 10:25-37
And behold, a lawyer stood up to put him to the test, saying, “Teacher, what shall we do to inherit eternal life?” He said to him, “What is written in the Law? How do you read it?” And 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 answered correctly, do this, and you will live.”
But he, desiring to justify himself, said to Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?” Jesus replied, “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and he fell among robbers, who stripped him and beat him and departed, 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, as he journeyed, came to where he was and when he saw him, he had compassion. He went to him and bound up his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he set him on his own animal and brought him to an inn and took care of him. And the next day he took out two denarii and gave them to the innkeeper, saying, ‘Take care of him, and whatever more you spend, I will repay you when I come back.’ Which of these three do you think, proved to be the neighbor to the man who fell among the robbers?” He said, “The one who showed him mercy.” And Jesus said to him, “You go, and do likewise.” Luke 10: 25-37 (ESV)
For Reflection:
This story is one we’ve heard time and time again. The Parable of the Good Samaritan; where the righteous men who were expected to care for the sick and poor because of their societal roles passed by the broken man lying bruised and bleeding on the side of the road, while a Samaritan man put his own agenda aside and at great cost of both money and time to himself, overlooked societal norms in order to care for and help the man that society said he had every right to ignore and move past. The Samaritans in Jesus’ time were a people group, descendants of ancient Israelites who had intermarried with foreigners, leaving the Jews to view them as “half-breeds”. The man who the Samaritan stopped to help was Jewish and would have been raised to feel prejudiced towards the Samaritan people. The story of the Samaritan stopping to help his “enemy” is a clear picture of Jesus’ new kingdom where His desire is for all people to live in unity in Him and to love others as ourselves. Jesus came to challenge societal norms and remove stigmas; people were no longer to be considered “clean” or “unclean”… no more “chosen” or “half-breed”; instead He chose all people to be His “neighbor”. And us, being followers of Christ, are also called to love as He did. If Christ considered all people as His neighbor, what would it look like for us to view and treat every person around us as our “neighbor”?
I think about the world we live in today. The varying socioeconomic statuses surrounding me. My own socioeconomic status… that of friends… of neighbors… of others. The reality of my existence is that I have the comfort of a roof over my head with the surety that there will be food on the table when I want it and a fireplace to keep me warm. I think about the homeless person I saw sitting huddled with their meager belongings outside the grocery store struggling to stay warm and unsure of when their next meal would be. About the couple living on a fixed income, keeping the heat as low as they can bear to ensure the oil lasts until they can afford the next delivery. About the single mother working two jobs so their child can have a warm coat and shoes and be fed so they can experience life with a little less hardship than is reality. I wonder again; who is my neighbor? According to Jesus, everyone is my neighbor. The person who wants for nothing as well as the person who has nothing. The healthy and the sick. The believer and the unbeliever. The seen and the overlooked. They are all my neighbors.
I think of the question following the parable,” ‘Which of these three, do you think, proved to be the neighbor to the man who fell among the robbers?’ He said, ‘The one who showed him mercy.’” Do I know how to be the “neighbor” to those around me? Show mercy to all who enter my path? Not just the ones who are like me and I find easy to serve or who are convenient for me to help in the moment… but everyone? I hear Jesus’ words echoing through my mind, “You go, and do likewise.”
Let us Pray:
Dear God, help me to truly learn to recognize and see those around me. You are a neighbor to all… help me to also be a neighbor to others… especially when it’s hard and I feel like it’s an inconvenience or I don’t have the time or just don’t want to. Reframe my mindset and allow me to recognize all people as your people. Amen.
Questions:
What might it look like to be the “neighbor” to those around me?
When have I ever been in need of a neighbor and been able to experience the love of God through others?