Luke 10:25-37 (NRSV)
Read Luke 10:25-37 on biblegateway.com
Verse 25Just then a lawyer stood up to test Jesus. "Teacher," he said, "what must I do to inherit eternal life?" Verse 26He said to him, "What is written in the law? What do you read there?" Verse 27He answered, "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength, and with all your mind; and your neighbor as yourself." Verse 28And he said to him, "You have given the right answer; do this, and you will live." Verse 29But wanting to justify himself, he asked Jesus, "And who is my neighbor?" Verse 30Jesus replied, "A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell into the hands of robbers, who stripped him, beat him, and went away, leaving him half dead. Verse 31Now by chance a priest was going down that road; and when he saw him, he passed by on the other side. Verse 32So likewise a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. Verse 33But a Samaritan while traveling came near him; and when he saw him, he was moved with pity. Verse 34He went to him and bandaged his wounds, having poured oil and wine on them. Then he put him on his own animal, brought him to an inn, and took care of him. Verse 35The next day he took out two denarii, gave them to the innkeeper, and said, 'Take care of him; and when I come back, I will repay you whatever more you spend.' Verse 36Which of these three, do you think, was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of the robbers?" Verse 37He said, "The one who showed him mercy." Jesus said to him, "Go and do likewise."
Devotion
“Now by chance a priest was going down that road…” Today I’m thinking about “that road,” the one littered with injustice, violence, tragedy; the road many of us will travel today.
As I write this, a man has just come in requesting money for a new battery for his car. Newly divorced, he’s living in his car across the street from the White Castle and can’t quite make it to the end of the month. Oh, and then there’s you-know-her-name who for the past eight years has been seeking an asylum hearing, trying to find work, parenting her grandchildren, and whose daughter just last night tried to take her own life. That road; it’s a hard one. “Oh pastor, my landlord is evicting me. Have you got $265 for my legal fees?” a vulnerable adult, struggling with mental health issues asks. Ah, the ditches and roads of life!
Prayer
Gracious God, give us the eyes of the Samaritan today, give us hearts which can still be moved, moved with passion and kindness, moved to take action. Give us your Holy bandages, your healing oil and wine. If we be the one left by the side of the road, send us that merciful neighbor—today! Amen.