[Anglican Devotional 5 September 2021] Topic: Who Is My Neighbour?
TOPIC: Who Is My Neighbour?
READ: Luke 10:25-37 (NKJV)
And behold, a certain lawyer stood up and tested Him, saying, “Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?”
He said to him, “What is written in the law? What is your reading [of it?”]
So he answered and said, ” ‘You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, and with all your mind,’ and ‘your neighbor as yourself.’ “
And He said to him, “You have answered rightly; do this and you will live.”
But he, wanting to justify himself, said to Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?”
Then Jesus answered and said: “A certain [man] went down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell among thieves, who stripped him of his clothing, wounded [him,] and departed, leaving [him] half dead.
“Now by chance a certain priest came down that road. And when he saw him, he passed by on the other side.
“Likewise a Levite, when he arrived at the place, came and looked, 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.
“So he went to [him] and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine; and he set him on his own animal, brought him to an inn, and took care of him.
“On the next day, when he departed, he took out two denarii, gave [them] to the innkeeper, and said to him, ‘Take care of him; and whatever more you spend, when I come again, I will repay you.’
“So which of these three do you think was neighbor to him who fell among the thieves?”
And he said, “He who showed mercy on him.” Then Jesus said to him, “Go and do likewise.”
THE MESSAGE:
“Who is my neighbour?” is the question asked by an expert in law as a result of Jesus’ response to his initial question, “what must I do to inherit eternal life?” (verse 25). In reply to that question, Jesus had asked him what the law stated (verse 26), which he answered appropriately as an expert in the law. Then he added, “Who is my neighbour?”
In answering his question, Jesus introduced the well-known parable of “The Good Samaritan” – the story of a man attacked by robbers and left half dead. The Priest and Levite passed by the man without compassion they saw the challenge as a problem that needed to be avoided. The Samaritan saw the wounded man as a human being in need of care and support. The parable shows us key principles about loving our neighbours who may not be known to us or always grateful to our gesture.
Our neighbour is anyone of any race, creed or social background who is in need of our help. Love means acting to meet a person’s need, hence, we must develop empathy for our environment and offer help to those around us. Their well-being is our happiness and peace.
PRAYER: Almighty and most merciful God, forgive my attitude of negligence over those around me in Jesus’ Name. Amen.
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