Nov5

"But he, willing to justify himself, said unto Jesus, And who is my neighbor? And Jesus answering said, A certain man went down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell among thieves, which stripped him of his raiment, and wounded him, and departed, leaving him half dead. And by chance there came down a certain priest that way: and when he saw him, he passed by on the other side. And likewise a Levite, when he was at the place, came and looked on him, and passed by on the other side. But a certain Samaritan, as he journeyed, came where he was: and when he saw him, he had compassion on him, and went to him, and bound up his wounds, pouring in oil and wine, and set him on his own beast, and brought him to an inn, and took care of him. And on the morrow when he departed, he took out two pence, and gave them to the host, and said unto him, Take care of him; and whatsoever thou spendest more, when I come again, I will repay thee. Which now of these three, thinkest thou, was neighbor unto him that fell among the thieves? And he said, He that showed mercy on him. Then said Jesus unto him, Go, and do thou likewise." Luke 10:29-37

The parable of the Good Samaritan tells us a great deal about caring for others. It is often hard for us to generate much care for people we don't know, or people who are to blame for their own mess they made of their lives, but today is no different from Jesus' day ~ we are still called to do "good works" and "love thy neighbor."

Some of us act like the priest, who demonstrates that not everyone who worships God hears His call to help others. Then, of course there is the Levite, who was not motivated to take his turn in service to the man in need at the side of the road. Finally we come upon the Samaritan, a man who himself was a victim of the prejudices of his day. First, he was ready and willing to aide this beaten man; secondly, his was in good standing financially because the innkeeper was trusting him to pay the victim's bill. Blessed be the "loving" good neighbor!

The lesson Jesus taught here is quite clear: Everyone who is in need is our neighbor ~ as Everyone is our neighbor indeed! To feel sorry for someone is just NOT enough. People who bring troubles on themselves is also NOT reason enough for us to hold back ourselves from caring and assisting. God has heard our cries for mercy ~ we too are to hear and heed the cry for mercy of others in need.

Application:
Jesus shows that racial considerations are utterly transcended by God's command to love Him, and therefore to love others as He does, without prejudice or partiality. The Word of God shows us that our nieghbor is anyone of any race, creed or social background who is in need. Wherever we live there are people of this description close by. There is no good reason for us to refuse to help!

May God bless you with a wonderful day as you "go and do likewise" as the Lord guides you.

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Love in Christ,
Sandy