January 31, 2009
DAY 14
Posted by KI Contributor
Scripture: Luke 10:25-37
Good Samaritan, Being a Neighbor to the Needy
From the passage, we know that this lawyer had a good command of the Law, able to summarize the essence of the whole Law into two commandments, just as Jesus did in Matthew 22. However, his motivation to justify himself led him to a wrong question: “And who is my neighbor?” His contemporaries must have vigorously engaged themselves in this question, since their tradition said to love their neighbor but to hate their enemy (Matt. 5:43). It was important for them to draw clear boundaries when it came to loving their neighbors. But Jesus came saying that they should love their enemies (Matt. 5:44). So He established a categorically different question through this parable: “What must I do to be a neighbor to the one in need?”
It is quite certain that the priest and the Levite in this parable were regularly involved in organized ministry of giving to the poor and helping the marginalized in society (Matt. 6:1-2). The only trouble with them was that they were doing this to gain praise from men. So when they came upon a person in need (when no one was looking), they had no reason to help. Furthermore, they had reasons to justify their behavior. A priest was not to touch a dead person. Who knew if this man was dead or not? Why risk becoming unclean? Besides, the robbers might still be around to cause more harm.
But the Samaritan in this story, by contrast, was moved by compassion when he saw a needy person, most likely a Jew. This Samaritan also had cultural and ethnic reasons to refuse help to him. But his thoughts didn’t go there. He was willing to be inconvenienced by this interruption, as he was going about his daily business, and to go out of his way to do whatever was necessary to be a neighbor to the needy.
Father, I want to cultivate a heart of compassion, to develop eyes to see those in need, and to train my hands and feet to move in action to help them.
PRAYER FOCUS: Teenage Mothers
In America about 1 million girls (15-19 years old) become pregnant each year; 1 in every 10 births worldwide is to a mother who herself is still a child. Pray that they will be embraced and nurtured back to the Father through the loving arms and compassion of His Church.
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