READ: Judges 5,6; Psalm 108; Luke 10:25-42
SCRIPTURE: Luke 10: 29 But he (an expert in the law) wanted to justify himself, so he asked Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?”
OBSERVATION: Here we see the underlying question that Jesus answered through the parable of the good Samaritan. The expert of the law knew about who his God was. But as a Jew, he may had struggles to understand the term "neighbor." Since the word "neighbor" does not point out to a particular person, people may think it as an ambiguous word. In those days, even within the Jewish community there were divisions and infights based on their beliefs. So, loving a fellow Jew itself had a lot of connotations.
In this context, Jesus helped an expert in the law in a simple but powerful way to understand "who might be a neighbor?", through the parable of the good Samaritan. The man who was severely beaten by the robbers most likely a Jew, as he was travelling from Jerusalem to Jericho. However, a priest and a Levite who had high reputation among the Jews were not willing to help him. Instead of helping the man, they simply "passed by on the other side." But, a Samaritan - he who was from a community that Jews hated and considered as low - showed mercy to the wounded man. His act of kindness went beyond the social norms of the day. Jesus conveyed a clear message that helped the expert of the law to understand the answer for his question.
The important thing here is not about understanding "who might be our neighbor." Rather, we need to show kindness to our neighbor, like the good Samaritan. Let us remember: this is something that we must do to inherit eternal life.
APPLICATION: Many Christians are ready to do anything for the Lord. However, many of them do not show a similar enthusiasm in loving and helping others. They may have their own reasons for that. Whatsoever, Jesus is the good Samaritan. The message of the good Samaritan story is, I should be a good Samaritan to the people who are in need. Without any partiality and discrimination, I need to show love to others, just as I love myself. Irrespective of religion, race, caste, gender, and color, I should show the love of God to all people. Other than me, all others are my neighbors.
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