Luke 10:25-37 TPT Just then a religious scholar stood before Jesus in order to test his doctrines. He posed this question: “Teacher, what requirement must I fulfill if I want to live forever in heaven?” Jesus replied, “What do you read in the Law? How do you understand it?” The religious scholar answered, “It states, ‘You must love the Lord God with all your heart, all your passion, all your energy, and your every thought. And you must love your neighbor as yourself.’ ” Jesus said, “That is correct. Now go and do exactly that and you will live.” Wanting to justify himself, he questioned Jesus further, saying, “What do you mean by ‘my neighbor’?” Jesus replied, “There was once a Jewish man traveling from Jerusalem to Jericho when bandits robbed him along the way. They beat him severely, stripped him naked, and left him half dead.
“Soon, a Jewish priest walking down the same road came upon the wounded man. Seeing him from a distance, the priest crossed to the other side of the road and walked right past him, not turning to help him one bit. “Later, a religious man, a Levite, came walking down the same road and likewise crossed to the other side to pass by the wounded man without stopping to help him.
“Finally, another man, a Samaritan, came upon the bleeding man and was moved with tender compassion for him. He stooped down and gave him first aid, pouring olive oil on his wounds, disinfecting them with wine, and bandaging them to stop the bleeding. Lifting him up, he placed him on his own donkey and brought him to an inn. Then he took him from his donkey and carried him to a room for the night.
The next morning he took his own money from his wallet and gave it to the innkeeper with these words:
‘Take care of him until I come back from my journey. If it costs more than this, I will repay you when I return.’ So, now, tell me, which one of the three men who saw the wounded man proved to be the true neighbor?” The religious scholar responded, “The one who demonstrated kindness and mercy.” Jesus said, “Go and do the same as he.”'
Every word of this story is a glimpse at the heart of Jesus. How he wants us to live and love in a world that is plagued with division and even racism. The parable of the Good Samaritan gives us a two-fold path to living like Jesus.
1. LOVE LIKE JESUS
This parable teaches you to love everyone — even those that culture deems unlovable.
Love is a verb, meaning our compassion should move us toward action.
No one on earth is exempt from the love of God.
There is no one too far from God.
There is no mistake too big for God’s forgiveness.
There is no addiction too strong for God’s mercy.
No affiliation, age, or stage disqualifies someone from God’s love and affection.
There is no race, language, or skin color that’s not represented in the Kingdom.
2. LIVE LIKE JESUS
Jesus calls us to see the world like He does - through the lens of love.
1Corinthians 13:3-7 MSG “If I give everything I own to the poor and even go to the stake to be burned as a martyr, but I don’t love, I’ve gotten nowhere. So, no matter what I say, what I believe, and what I do, I’m bankrupt without love. Love never gives up. Love cares more for others than for self. Love doesn’t want what it doesn’t have. Love doesn’t strut, Doesn’t have a swelled head, Doesn’t force itself on others, Isn’t always “me first,” Doesn’t fly off the handle, Doesn’t keep score of the sins of others, Doesn’t revel when others grovel, Takes pleasure in the flowering of truth, Puts up with anything, Trusts God always, Always looks for the best, Never looks back, But keeps going to the end.”
Jesus led by example, serving and ministering to those in need.
Forgive those who have wronged you and let go of grudges.
God is calling us to live and life on a mission. To help bring Heaven down.
By living like Jesus, we can transform our communities and bring healing to a broken world.
We must be willing to step outside our comfort zones and extend a helping hand to those in need.
This includes breaking down the walls of prejudice and treating every individual with respect and dignity, just as Jesus did.
