This coming Sunday [June 8, 2008] I am planning on speaking on Luke 10:25-37, the parable of the Good Samaritan. Its one of the readings this week from the SOAP Bible Reading plan (June 4). Feel free to share your thoughts on what the MAIN point of this passage is, or on questions that you might have. By myself I often miss things, but when others help me look at a passage, the Lord speaks in stereo!
- One of my questions from this passage has to do with Jesus’ answer to the religious expert. Does not His answer about keeping the Law go against what the good news message is? If someone were to ask us today, ‘what must I do to inherit eternal life’, would the right answer be, ‘do what the Law says’? How do we fit this teaching with the message of salvation by grace alone?
- Another thought is more an application – who are the Samaritans of our day? Who are the people that we hate or avoid or look down on, who are doing a better job of obeying God than we are? Its very striking that Jesus frames this story to intentionally shame/provoke this religious leader. Are there cults or non-Christian groups, or non-religious people who are shaming us by how they show the love of God commanded by the Law?
Thanks for helping me with my sermon!!!
Perhaps a little declutter would be a good thing – do I really need so much in my home to live …
But then what is the greater need here? Who is helping who?
When I help someone with a physical need, I can still walk away not really making a difference in that persons life on an ongoing basis (I have merely given them a fish) and generally it has not really made an impact in my character development either, it generally just feeds my ego.
Instead, I need to be open and available to spending the time fishing with them until they learn how to fish on their own. That takes availability, that takes a priority to clearing time on the busy schedule.
Perhaps it is not just a home de-cluttering I have to do, it is a scheduling de-cluttering I have to do.
What does it mean to love my neighbor as myself?
Does it mean I should make sure others have the same as me?
If I have hundreds of books and others have none or only a few should I give them my books?
Do we give away one of our two cars?
If I get to eat many kinds of foods and others hardly get one meal a day do I eat less and miss meals to help them?
What dos this mean in a practical way?