Narrowed Opinion

Luke 10:36-37

All week long I’ve been trying to get you to understand and identify with the “expert” in our passage. There has been a reason for that. If you miss the true audience of Jesus teaching, then you may miss out on the whole lesson at the end. In our closing verses today, we see Jesus again ask the “expert” a question. Just like the beginning of the passage, the “expert” answers the question correctly. This is important because it helps us to see that the whole parable of the Good Samaritan is a part of his conversation between Jesus and the so-called, “expert” in the Law. Jesus simply asks him which one of the men in the story was the neighbor to the injured Jew. Obviously, the “expert” has to identify the Samaritan. Jesus then takes his answer and tells him to “go and do the same”. What Jesus is pointing out to our “expert” is that it is impossible to love every “neighbor” as you would yourself. See, what the “expert” was doing at the time was limiting who he considered his “neighbor” to be (which clearly would NOT have included Samaritans) and there by giving himself control of fulfilling God’s Law and making himself righteous before God. Jesus points out that God Word is not able to be “narrowed” by man’s opinions. God has called us to  love, reach, help, and teach all the people of our day, not just the one’s that we decide are our “neighbors”. 

Prayer:

Father, help me to love all those who You call my neighbor. Amen.

Reflection:

Is there a person or group of people who you have not considered to be your “neighbor”? How can you reach out to them this week?