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
Today we hear Jesus’ story of a "Challenging Samaritan." Dr. John J. Pilch, author of many books on Middle Eastern culture and the Bible, reminds us that we benefit from understanding the Mediterranean context before we read the stories of the Bible. Jesus' encounters with so many were meant to prod us into new ways of thinking and doing that bring us closer to God's dream for the world. It is the same in this story of the Good Samaritan. Questions posed by someone in Jesus' day were often meant to expose shame and/or honor. The question of the lawyer in today's gospel was no different. In fact it was clear he was "testing" Jesus about the Law of God. But Jesus ends up "testing" him instead about the deeper implications of the Law. While the lawyer could correctly quote Leviticus 19:18 and its charge to love the neighbor as the self, Jesus reveals a deeper reality that moves beyond "quoting Scripture" to the deeper realities of love upon which the Law was founded. How to become a neighbor to anyone in need goes beyond cultural norms and conventional prejudice. That is the purpose of the Law.
Prayer
Move me O Christ into your perspective, your grace and your mercy. Amen.