MAY 16

Luke 10:36-37
Memorise Matthew 23:23
"...law, judgment mercy and faith: these ought ye to have done..."

Remember that our Lord Jesus told this parable to answer the question, “who is my neighbour?” Now at the end of the parable, Jesus asks the same question back at the lawyer. He, having understood the parable, answered Jesus rightly by saying, “he that showed mercy on him”. To this response, Jesus then added this wise piece of advice: “Go, and do thou likewise”. These verses really give us the punchline of the whole parable, and are the key words and phrases that we should be looking for that give us the main point of the parable.

As we examine this verse closer, do you notice that the lawyer refused to even pronounce the word “Samaritan”? But he had no choice but to admit that he should not confine the idea of neighbour to only his fellow Jews! Indeed, there is no limit to who our “neighbour” is – we ought to love all men.

This is tough – to consider your “enemy” (Samaritans and Gentiles) as your neighbour! You can see how tough it is when you read the Book of Acts! Remember the story of how Peter went to see Cornelius? Even though the Bible had promised that the gospel would be preached to the Gentiles, Peter was still very reluctant to break the Jewish dietary laws, and God had to give him a vision to turn him around! But poor Peter, he still found it very hard to break the traditions that he grew up in. Years later, when he went to Antioch, he was afraid of offending some of the Jews from Jerusalem. What did he do? “He withdrew and separated himself, fearing them which were of the circumcision” (Galatians 2:12) – and he was publicly reprimanded by Paul – Paul wasn’t being rude, but he loved God and the gospel, and the gospel was at stake!

So who are our neighbours? We should stop asking such questions, and open our hearts to everybody – just like our loving God. And even as Jesus commanded to “Go, and do thou likewise”, we must realise that love is not mere emotion, but must be practiced and put into action.

Thought: Don't major on minors!
Prayer: Lord, open my eyes and ears to know what is important, and what is peripheral.