The Gospel of Luke

This devotional is written by George Eldridge. George is a first year Drama student at University. He joined St Mary's in September 2018 when he moved to London and is a member of the student group.

Luke 10: 25-37

The parable of the good Samaritan
25 On one occasion an expert in the law stood up to test Jesus. ‘Teacher,' he asked, ‘what must I do to inherit eternal life?'

26 ‘What is written in the Law?' he replied. ‘How do you read it?'

27 He answered, ‘"Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind"; and, "Love your neighbour as yourself."'

28 ‘You have answered correctly,' Jesus replied. ‘Do this and you will live.'

29 But he wanted to justify himself, so he asked Jesus, ‘And who is my neighbour?'

30 In reply Jesus said: ‘A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, when he was attacked by robbers. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him and went away, leaving him half-dead. 31 A priest happened to be going down the same road, and when he saw the man, he passed by on the other side. 32 So too, a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. 33 But a Samaritan, as he travelled, came where the man was; and when he saw him, he took pity on him. 34 He went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he put the man on his own donkey, brought him to an inn and took care of him. 35 The next day he took out two denarii[c] and gave them to the innkeeper. "Look after him," he said, "and when I return, I will reimburse you for any extra expense you may have."

36 ‘Which of these three do you think was a neighbour to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?'

37 The expert in the law replied, ‘The one who had mercy on him.'

Jesus told him, ‘Go and do likewise.'

Reflection

It is important to read into Jesus' parables and learn from the messages behind them. The core message within this passage is "Love your neighbour as yourself" and this is a value that we try our hardest to adhere to, but it is sometimes a struggle!

It is essential to think about not only taking care and looking after the people close to you, such as checking on your friend in case they have had a rough day/week but also helping people that you wouldn't necessarily feel obliged to. Last summer I worked on a summer camp for 15-17 year-olds and in that camp our aim for each day was random acts of kindness and would reflect on what we had done in the evenings. Reflecting on what you have done to help someone in your day and motivating yourself to help more people is important. Don't get me wrong, I am not a perfect person, but I found that having this as a main focus for your day creates a largely positive atmosphere.

How can you show more love to your neighbour? It can be anything from helping someone up the stairs with heavy luggage, giving a homeless person some food or even just giving someone a smile who looks upset. You don't know what a small act of kindness can do for someone's day. And this will be something that brings you closer with God. I often find myself praying for guidance on ways that I can help more people and find that God will always have a plan. The guidance of God and upholding the values that Jesus set out for us creates a positive atmosphere for everyone to live in.

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