Jesus had a teacher of the
Law who was trying to trick Him with a question about eternal life. Jesus got
him to answer according to Scripture. We are to love God with all we have and
our neighbors as ourselves. Then came the eternal question: Who is your neighbor?
The answer is everyone, but
sometimes we just can’t get involved. Some of us are too busy, don’t want to
get involved, or just don’t care. People in distress need us to get involved
even if they could be described as “half-dead” in their current circumstances.
We see them around us every day – if we are willing to look.
Let’s pick up the story in Luke 10:29-37 –
But he wanted to justify
himself, so he asked Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?” In reply
Jesus said: “A man was going down from Jerusalem to
Jericho, when he was attacked by robbers. They stripped him of his clothes,
beat him and went away, leaving him half dead. A priest
happened to be going down the same road, and when he saw the man, he passed by
on the other side. So too, a Levite,
when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. But a Samaritan, as he traveled, came where the man
was; and when he saw him, he took pity on him. He
went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he put the
man on his own donkey, brought him to an inn and took care of him. The next day he took out two denarii and
gave them to the innkeeper. ‘Look after him,’ he said, ‘and when I return, I
will reimburse you for any extra expense you may have.’ “Which
of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands
of robbers?” The expert in the law replied, “The one
who had mercy on him.” Jesus told him, “Go and do
likewise.”
The truth is half-dead people
still have possibilities – they can be nursed back to health. We need to show
compassion and love for our neighbors. Amen?
