All right, two religious professionals pass up a hurt man on the road. But another man, the more unlikely hero of the three, stops to help. Jesus tells this story to illustrate the concept of "neighbor." In short, who are the people we are supposed to love?
Luke 10:29-37 (New Living Translation)
29 "And who is my neighbor?"
30 Jesus replied with a story: "A Jewish man was traveling on a trip from Jerusalem to Jericho, and he was attacked by bandits. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him up, and left him half dead beside the road.
31 "By chance a priest came along. But when he saw the man lying there, he crossed to the other side of the road and passed him by. 32 A Temple assistant walked over and looked at him lying there, but he also passed by on the other side.
33 "Then a despised Samaritan came along, and when he saw the man, he felt compassion for him. 34 Going over to him, the Samaritan soothed his wounds with olive oil and wine and bandaged them. Then he put the man on his own donkey and took him to an inn, where he took care of him. 35 The next day he handed the innkeeper two silver coins, telling him, 'Take care of this man. If his bill runs higher than this, I'll pay you the next time I'm here.'
36 "Now which of these three would you say was a neighbor to the man who was attacked by bandits?" Jesus asked.
37 The man replied, "The one who showed him mercy."
Then Jesus said, "Yes, now go and do the same."
Jesus made a guy that Jews thought of as a lesser person--the Samaritan--the hero of the story. The Samaritan was the man's neighbor, the Samaritan showed the man love. Is there anyone you think of as "lesser"? Elevate them in your life, and show them love today.
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g-ram
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