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Luke 10:25-37 (Common English Bible)
25 A legal expert stood up to test Jesus. “Teacher,” he said, “what must I do to gain eternal life?”
26 Jesus replied, “What is written in the Law? How do you interpret it?”
27 He responded, “You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your being, with all your strength, and with all your mind, and love your neighbor as yourself.”
28 Jesus said to him, “You have answered correctly. Do this and you will live.”
29 But the legal expert wanted to prove that he was right, so he said to Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?”
30 Jesus replied, “A man went down from Jerusalem to Jericho. He encountered thieves, who stripped him naked, beat him up, and left him near death. 31 Now it just so happened that a priest was also going down the same road. When he saw the injured man, he crossed over to the other side of the road and went on his way. 32 Likewise, a Levite came by that spot, saw the injured man, and crossed over to the other side of the road and went on his way. 33 A Samaritan, who was on a journey, came to where the man was. But when he saw him, he was moved with compassion. 34 The Samaritan went to him and bandaged his wounds, tending them with oil and wine. Then he placed the wounded man on his own donkey, took him to an inn, and took care of him. 35 The next day, he took two full days’ worth of wages and gave them to the innkeeper. He said, ‘Take care of him, and when I return, I will pay you back for any additional costs.’ 36 What do you think? Which one of these three was a neighbor to the man who encountered thieves?”
37 Then the legal expert said, “The one who demonstrated mercy toward him.”
Jesus told him, “Go and do likewise.”
Summary:
Our worship theme in July is “Can I Live?” We are exploring how God guides us to live in the face of distractions and obstacles before us. We will encounter interruptions, but Jesus helps us stay the course of life.
In the story of the “Good Samaritan,” the traveler “lived” because he received the help that was offered to him. Don’t stay in your ditch, help is on the way! Take the help that God sends you, even if it comes from an unexpected person or place. You can live by taking help for the journey!
Reflection Questions:
- Why is it difficult to receive help sometimes? Is it ever hard to help others?
- How has God helped you before? How do you need God to help you now?
- What do you need help with most right now? Who has God called you to help?