No limits

Read > Luke 10:25-37

“You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your strength, and all your mind.” And, “Love your neighbour as yourself” (v. 27).

The other day I spotted a man in a wheelchair rocking back and forth on a street corner. One of his front wheels was stuck in a crack on the curb, and he was struggling to get loose. Moments later, a kind man came along and gave him a push to set him free.

Many of us would refer to the man who offered assistance as a “Good Samaritan.” We borrow the label from a well-known story Jesus told (Luke 10:30-35). The story centres around a man who was robbed and left for dead on a remote road to Jericho (v. 30). His attackers left him badly beaten and in need of major assistance. Amazingly, two separate Jewish travellers completely ignored the man’s plight. Then a Samaritan man came along and went out of his way to help (vv. 33-34).

The point of Jesus’ story is obvious: Be a neighbour to anyone who is in need, even those who are unlike you. It’s a point He stressed in response to questions from a Jewish lawyer who was out to minimise and limit God’s call to love one’s neighbour: “The man wanted to justify his actions, so he asked Jesus, ‘And who is my neighbour?’” (v. 29). But when the hero of the story turned out to be a Samaritan, long considered being a lowlife by the Jewish establishment, it became painfully clear to him that no such limits exist for those who truly love God.

We live in a world where prejudices run deep. But there’s no place for a follower of God to be a choosy kind of neighbour. The story of the Good Samaritan reminds us that a sincere lover of God is merciful and compassionate to all, not just certain people. As Jesus said, “Now go and do the same” (v. 37). – Jeff Olson

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Do not take advantage of foreigners who live among you in your land. Treat them like native-born Israelites, and love them as you love yourself (Leviticus 19:33-34).

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What keeps you from caring for those who are not like you? How did Jesus live out the truths of the Good Samaritan parable?