Luke 10:29-37

Those of us who have been forgiven so much…we love so much.

Love God above all and your neighbor as much as your family.

Without love we are just noise!!

1 Corinthians 13:1 Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I have become sounding brass or a clanging cymbal. 

Not to rain on anyone's parade, but I can't see God unless there is skin attached. And because of grace, there is no substitute for the presence of one another. So yes. Grace is my hope. Terry Hershey “SabbathMoments “

..the theme of the Bible—is that all the injustices of the world will be turned on their head. Grand reversals are God’s trademark. And he invites you and me to partner with him in this work. Relief will come. Will you be a part of it? Max Lucado

When God created the world, He was wonderfully diverse. God made us in different shapes, sizes and colors. He made us with different talents and different ways of thinking and processing. He gave us different loves and passions and callings. We are all so different, and it is a beautiful thing. However, if we are not careful, we can allow those differences to divide us.

We have an enemy, but it is not each other! Ephesians 6:12 says, " For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.”

We may have a common enemy, but we also share a common Savior! His name is Jesus. And because of Him, we can be "made alive together" (Colossians 2:13). Amazing! We can be different but together with Jesus. First5 

Luke 10:29-37

29 But he, wanting to justify himself, said to Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?”

30 Then Jesus answered and said: “A certain man went down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell among thieves, who stripped him of his clothing, wounded him, and departed, leaving him half dead. 31 Now by chance a certain priest came down that road. And when he saw him, he passed by on the other side. 32 Likewise a Levite, when he arrived at the place, came and looked, and passed by on the other side. 33 But a certain Samaritan, as he journeyed, came where he was. And when he saw him, he had compassion. 34 So he went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine; and he set him on his own animal, brought him to an inn, and took care of him. 35 On the next day, when he departed, he took out two denarii, gave them to the innkeeper, and said to him, ‘Take care of him; and whatever more you spend, when I come again, I will repay you.’ 36 So which of these three do you think was neighbor to him who fell among the thieves?”

37 And he said, “He who showed mercy on him.”

Then Jesus said to him, “Go and do likewise.”

The people of Samaria were of mixed Israelite and foreign descent, so the Jewish people did not accept them as part of the Jewish community. The hostilities between Jews and Samaritans dated all the way back to the late sixth-century bc. The Samaritans worshiped Yahweh and used a version of the Pentateuch as their Scripture, but they worshipped on Mount Gerizim, not in Jerusalem. Thus the Samaritans were despised by Jews for both ethnic and religious reasons; there was mutual hatred by the Samaritans toward Jews.

With a Samaritan playing the positive role—and a priest and Levite in negative roles—Jesus’ parable would have been shocking. It shows the extreme universality of the term “neighbor” and demonstrates the depths of mercy that should be extended to all people. Jesus’ parable prompts the lawyer to consider what it means to be a neighbor to someone rather than how to identify who is to be considered a neighbor. Faithlife Bible.

Luke makes it clear that the lawyer was trying to place himself in the position of satisfying the highest demands of the Law. Who is my neighbor? This question was an attempt to limit the demands of the Law by suggesting that some people are neighbors while others are not. The lawyer was looking for minimal obedience while Jesus was looking for absolute obedience. 

Part of the beauty of the story of the Good Samaritan is the reversal of stereotypes. The priest and Levite traditionally would have been the “good guys.” The Samaritan would have been a “bad guy,” a person who compromised in religious matters. However, the Samaritan knew how to treat his neighbor. The neighbor here was not someone the Samaritan knew or even someone of the same race, just someone in need.

The central issue is not determining who one’s neighbor is, but being a good neighbor to all. NKJ Bible.

Luke 16:15  And He said to them, “You are those who justify yourselves before men, but God knows your hearts. For what is highly esteemed among men is an abomination in the sight of God.