MORNING DEW: 06/01/2019
THEME: THE GOOD SAMARITAN (PART TWO)
TEXT: LUKE 10:25-37
- Just then an expert in the Law stood up to test Jesus. He asked, Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?
- Jesus answered him, What is written in the Law? What do you read there?
- He answered, You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, and with all your mind. And you must love your neighbor as yourself.
- Jesus told him, You have answered correctly. Do this, and you will live.
- But the man wanted to justify himself, so he asked Jesus, And who is my neighbor?
- After careful consideration, Jesus replied, A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho when he fell into the hands of bandits. They stripped him, beat him, and went away, leaving him half dead.
- By chance, a priest was traveling along that road. When he saw the man, he went by on the other side.
- Similarly, a descendant of Levi came to that place. When he saw the man, he also went by on the other side.
- But as he was traveling along, a Samaritan came across the man. When the Samaritan saw him, he was moved with compassion.
- He went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring oil and wine on them. Then he put him on his own animal, brought him to an inn, and took care of him.
- The next day, he took out two denarii and gave them to the innkeeper, saying, Take good care of him. If you spend more than that, I’ll repay you when I come back.
- Of these three men, who do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of the bandits?”
- He said, “The one who showed mercy to him.” Jesus told him, “Go and do what he did.”
A descendant of Levite came around where the attacked man was lying, and he also left without helping him.
The word Levite in Greek is “Leuitēs” which is one of the tribe of Levi, in a narrower sense those were called Levites who, not being of the family of Aaron, for whom alone the priesthood was reserved, served as assistants to the priests. It was their duty to keep the sacred utensils and the temple clean, to provide the sacred loaves, to open and shut the gates of the temple, to sing the sacred hymns in the temple, and to do many other things.
This man knew the Torah very well. He knew the Law, and so he knew that what he did was wrong yet he did it. He knew he should have helped the man but he refused to do so. He knew that breaking one of the Ten Commandments, one is guilty of sin, yet he refused to obey God’s Word.
We do same. We pretend not to see, hear or understand. We intentionally disobey God. We sometimes refuse to obey the voice of the Holy Spirit.
When the Samaritan man got to the scene he could not go like the others. He had compassion on the man. The Samaritans were seen as sinners or uncircumcised. They were not supposed to dine with God’s people, the priests, the Levites or marry their daughters, or enter the temple with them.
This same outcast, they called, had compassion on the man. This so-called sinner had compassion on him.
The Samaritan did something the Law abiders could not do. We can’t sit down as believers for the unbelievers trying to win the souls of others through gifts and good show, they will send them to hell fire. Let’s snatch the perishing from taking the wrong path. Somebody needs just food to be saved. Maybe a trouser, shoes the person needs, and he or she will bow to the Gospel. If we fail others will succeed and the story will be different.
But we have to be wise and vigilant when helping others. Always allow the Holy Spirit leads and directs you since we are living in a wicked world. Your ignorance regarding some things may land you into the arms of the enemy.
Let’s rescue the perishing, the needy and the vulnerable using the resources given to us by God.
MEMORY VERSE
“Then he will say to them, ‘I tell all of you with certainty, since you didn’t do it for one of the least important of these, you didn’t do it for me.” (Matthew 25:45)
Prayer: Give me a heart, Lord, to extend to people who need me, in Jesus’ Name!
Amen!
Rev. John Wundengba
020 9 422 159
