MAY 13

Luke 10:36
Memorise 1 Corinthians 10:11
"...they are written for our admonition..."

Why did Jesus tell the parable of the Good Samaritan? It is obviously in answer to the lawyer’s question, “And who is my neighbor?” Now (after finishing the parable), Jesus asked him, “Which now of these three, thinkest thou, was neighbour unto him that fell among the thieves?”

So the main point is obviously the “definition” of “neighbour”.

The Jews during Jesus’ time were very proud people. Even though they had been living under the subjugation of foreigners for many hundreds of years, they still thought that they were superior to all other races, whether Greeks, Romans or Samaritans. They particularly detested and looked down upon the Samaritans, for the Samaritans had been born as a result of intermarriages between the Jews and the heathen nations who inhabited the land. They were looked down upon by the Jews as being unclean. This is blatant racism!

So, our Lord Jesus was teaching the lawyer, “Forget your petty Jewish laws, forget your prejudices – this is against all that God has taught concerning love! You should consider everybody as your neighbor i.e. you should love and help everybody, regardless of race or religion”. It must have been a shocking statement to the proud lawyer!

This reminds me of the passage in Matthew 18:21-22, when Peter asked Jesus, “how oft shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? till seven times?” Peter is so much like us – we try to shirk God’s command and limit its scope! But God wants us to abandon ourselves to His love and His mercy, and stop bargaining with Him! That’s the only way to live a life “more abundant and free”!

Indeed we ought to stop bargaining with God. Learn to have “the mind of Christ” – read Philippians 2:1-16 (“Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus”). Only then will we be able to love our neighbours as ourselves. 

Thought: "If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed." (John 8:36)
Prayer: Be Thou my vision, O Lord of my heart.