Loving Our Neighbor

25One day an expert in religious law stood up to test Jesus by asking him this question: “Teacher, what must I do to receive eternal life?”

26Jesus replied, “What does the law of Moses say? How do you read it?”

27The man answered, “‘You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your strength, and all your mind.’ And, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’”

28“Right!” Jesus told him. “Do this and you will live!”

29The man wanted to justify his actions, so he asked Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?”

30Jesus replied with an illustration: “A Jewish man was traveling on a trip from Jerusalem to Jericho, and he was attacked by bandits. They stripped him of his clothes and money, beat him up, and left him half dead beside the road.

31“By chance a Jewish priest came along; but when he saw the man lying there, he crossed to the other side of the road and passed him by. 32A 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 deep pity. 34Kneeling beside him, the Samaritan soothed his wounds with medicine and bandaged them. Then he put the man on his own donkey and took him to an inn, where he took care of him. 35The next day he handed the innkeeper two pieces of silver and told him to take care of the man. ‘If his bill runs higher than that,’ he said, ‘I’ll pay the difference the next time I am here.’

36“Now which of these three would you say was a neighbor to the man who was attacked by bandits?” Jesus asked.

37The man replied, “The one who showed him mercy.”

Then Jesus said, “Yes, now go and do the same.”

How do we show love for our neighbor?

The Samaritan gave his emotions. He allowed himself to feel pity for the man. He empathized with him.

The Samaritan gave his time. He stopped to help the man who needed help. He didn’t allow his busy schedule to keep him from helping someone in need.

The Samaritan gave his transportation. He gave the man his donkey and he walked.

The Samaritan gave his money. He paid the innkeeper to provide for the injured man’s needs.

Closing

36“Now which of these three would you say was a neighbor to the man who was attacked by bandits?” Jesus asked.

37The man replied, “The one who showed him mercy.”

Then Jesus said, “Yes, now go and do the same.”

There comes the time for the student to close the books and ‘do’ what he has been studying. The religious lawyer knew the answers to his questions. Jesus is telling him to put into practice what he knows in his head.