Devotional Messages

DEVOTIONAL MESSAGE

Luke 10:33 – But a Samaritan, while traveling, came near him; and when he saw him, he was moved with pity.  (NRSV)

I am guessing it doesn’t take more than that one verse for you to know what story is found in the middle of chapter 10 in Luke’s gospel, even if you couldn’t have cited chapter and verse for it.  The parable of the “Good Samaritan” is central to our understanding of Christian love.  This is partially because it is the story that Jesus told to explain what it means to love our neighbors.  That commandment is a core Christian value, but like the lawyer who probed for more, we may find it a bit abstract and benefit from a “real life” example.  So Jesus gave us one.

But I think we also understand that this story is central to understanding Christian love because of the way it pushes us.  Loving our loved ones is natural, something almost anyone does without trying too hard.  But loving strangers, especially strangers from other cultural groups, is something that requires intentional effort.  When that care for strangers involves personal risk or sacrifice, as in this story, it becomes even more challenging.  We embrace this story precisely because it reminds us of the high standards for the love the gospel asks of us.  We want our faith to call us to something higher than our natural state.

When society is as divided and anxious as it is these days, our calling to love our neighbors becomes much more important.  Our calling to recognize our neighbors – those in need of mercy – is a vital antidote to the alienation that is threatening the very fabric of our communities.  Part of practicing our faith, part of following Jesus, is preparing ourselves to be ready to respond when a neighbor is right in front of in need of care.  The moment may involve risk; the moment may interrupt our day or require resources we were not planning to spend that way.  But Jesus asks us to meet the moment.  And so we keep telling each other this story, and aspiring to listen to Jesus when he tells us to “Go and do likewise.”