EXTEND MERCY
EXTEND MERCY
And behold, a lawyer stood up to put him to the test, saying, “Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?” He said to him, “What is written in the Law? How do you read it?” And he answered, “You shall 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 your neighbor as yourself.” And he said to him, “You have answered correctly; do this, and you will live.” But he, desiring to justify himself, said to Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?” —Luke 10:25-29
Jesus told the lawyer that if he wanted eternal life then he had to do this— “You shall 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 your neighbor as yourself.” Jesus had told the lawyer that he had answered correctly, but answering correctly or having knowledge alone would not enable eternal life. To have eternal life the lawyer needed to put into practice what it meant to love God and neighbor. Jesus told the parable of the Good Samaritan to illustrate this point.
In the parable:
- A need is seen while going about living life.
- The Samaritan saw the needy man (just as the priest and Levite did), but he had pity/compassion on the man.
- The Samaritan went to the man with the need.
- The Samaritan bound the man’s wounds & treat them with oil and wine (medical mission).
- The Samaritan put him on his own donkey (provided transportation).
- The Samaritan brought him to an inn (housing)
- The Samaritan care for him (home care)
- The Samaritan paid the cost of the housing (financial need)
- The Samaritan would return (follow-up)
- The Samaritan would pay the final bill (faithfulness)
The merciful Samaritan was the neighbor to the man. He not only saw the need, but he helped with the need. The lawyer said that this Samaritan extended mercy to one in need and Jesus told the lawyer to go and also extend mercy to the needy. Works do not save a person. People do not gain eternal life by good works, but good works bear out evidence of one who truly loves God and his neighbor. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x7WEYwZrrs4
Dear Father please help me to help those that You would have me help. May this be so by the power of Your Holy Spirit and in the authority of Your Son Jesus. Oh, may it be so!