Eyes Wide Open: 41-Day Lenten Devotional Sample

The Journey Begins! On the Road with Jesus

“On one occasion an expert in the law stood up to test Jesus. ‘Teacher,’ he asked, ‘what must I do to inherit eternal life?’‘What is written in the Law?’ he replied. ‘How do you read it?’ He answered, ‘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, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’‘You have answered correctly,’ Jesus replied. ‘Do this and you will live.’But he wanted to justify himself, so he asked Jesus, ‘And who is my neighbor?’In reply Jesus said: ‘A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, when he was attacked by robbers. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him and went away, leaving him half dead. A priest happened to be going down the same road, and when he saw the man, he passed by on the other side. So too, a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. But a Samaritan, as he traveled, came where the man was; and when he saw him, he took pity on him. He went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he put the man on his own donkey, brought him to an inn and took care of him. The next day he took out two denariigave them to the innkeeper. “Look after him,” he said, “and when I return, I will reimburse you for any extra expense you may have.”Which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?’The expert in the law replied, ‘The one who had mercy on him.’Jesus told him, ‘Go and do likewise.’” - Luke 10:25—37

Entering into the season of Lent for me means a journey with Jesus as he moves towards the tomb. That journey started with his determination to go to Jerusalem (Luke 9:51). He passed through Samaria, a land etched with centuries of hostilities, hatred, and bad memories. In the midst of disciples, Samaritans, and a crowd, a lawyer got up to ask a question (Luke 10:25). The lawyer was an expert of the Torah. An interchange developed, and the gospel recorded for us what is known as the story of “The Good Samaritan.”

We imagine it together: an obsequious examiner, the lawyer, dialoguing with Jesus. Jesus returns with a question. We might imagine that the Messiah speaking to the lawyer indicates both a correct answer and an imperative to live out the answer (Luke 10:29). 

Not satisfied with an imperative response from Jesus, the lawyer wanted to go deeper with a self-justifying questing: “Who is my neighbor?” This millennia-old question could have taken days, years, or centuries in which to respond. Jesus told the simple story that we can all imagine together: an innocent Jewish man, on a well-travelled road from Jerusalem to Jericho, and a dubious character that come from Samaria, a Samaritian! And this story was told in Samaria land. We can imagine that all listeners leaned in!

Then, he asked the lawyer, “Who was the neighbor to the one who was robbed?” (Luke 10:36). The lawyer responded with the one who showed mercy (Luke 10:37).

The words of Jesus did not bucketize, categorize, and demonize people; no them and us!  Rather, he united, included, and elevated the Samaritans. The animosities between the Jews and the Samaritans lasted over 600 years. Then, in one short story told, neighborly relationships are redefined, trajectory of the Samaritans reputation rebooted, and the parable is memorialized across cultures for eternity.  

Three words in the passage expressed the beginning of the Messiah’s journey to the tomb: love, compassion, mercy. The question remains: “To whom am I a neighbor?”

The imperative rings and reigns: Go and do the same!

Prayer: Lord, thank you that your heart is with the modern-day “Samaritans” and those on the margins. Help me to follow you in love, compassion, and mercy to care for those near to your heart. Amen.

- Written by Samuel Chiang