A 6-Day Plan on Faith, Hope & LoveНамуна

Love That Crosses the Road

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 denarii and gave 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

Text in bold pertains to the theme of love.

Love That Crosses the Road

An expert in the Jewish law wanted to justify his lack of love toward certain people, so he asked Jesus to clarify who his neighbor was. Jesus responded with a story about a man who had been robbed and beaten and a Samaritan who happened upon him.

A priest and a Levite, both of whom knew Scripture and that God wants us to help one another, avoided the beaten man by passing on the other side of the road. They exhibited no compassion and didn’t care enough to be inconvenienced.

Jesus uses contrasted exaggeration in this story to highlight the kind of love that crosses the road. The person who helped the stranger was a hated Samaritan. And yet he was the one who loved.

The expert in the law asked Jesus who his neighbor was so he could love certain people and dismiss others, but Jesus didn’t answer the question in a way that would give him that option. Instead he asked a question back, “Which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?” (verse 36).

Jesus will enable you to be the kind of neighbor who crosses the road to help those in need.

A Prayer for Today

Lord, help me to become a good neighbor who cares for anyone who comes into my life and has a need. I don’t want to discriminate when it comes to giving love. Instead, when I encounter someone in need, I want to demonstrate love like the Samaritan did. Amen.

A Journaling Prompt

When you read this story, what struck you that you hadn’t noticed before? Place yourself in the story. How would it feel to be the Levite? The robbed man? The Samaritan? What do you learn by placing yourself in their sandals?