Daily Devotion for Friday 11th October 2024

St Luke 10: 15 – 37

Just then a lawyer stood up to test Jesus. ‘Teacher,’ he said, ‘what must I do to inherit eternal life?’  He said to him, ‘What is written in the law? What do you read there?’  He answered, ‘You shall 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 your neighbour as yourself.’  And he said to him, ‘You have given the right answer; do this, and you will live.’ But wanting to justify himself, he asked Jesus, ‘And who is my neighbour?’  Jesus replied, ‘A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell into the hands of robbers, who stripped him, beat him, and went away, leaving him half dead. Now by chance a priest was going down that road; and when he saw him, he passed by on the other side.  So likewise a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side.  But a Samaritan while travelling came near him; and when he saw him, he was moved with pity.  He went to him and bandaged his wounds, having poured 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, gave them to the innkeeper, and said, “Take care of him; and when I come back, I will repay you whatever more you spend.”  Which of these three, do you think, was a neighbour to the man who fell into the hands of the robbers?’  He said, ‘The one who showed him mercy.’ Jesus said to him, ‘Go and do likewise.’

Reflection

“And who is my neighbour?” is a question which haunts down the years.  We know that those clinging on to dangerous boats in the Channel are our neighbours, as are the women in Afghanistan denied education, employment, and agency about their own lives.  Neighbours include the women left to bleed out as doctors, in some US states, are too fearful to medically intervene due to new abortion laws.  They include those on death row. 

More, the point of the story is not just that our neighbours are those in need (though they are) but that the neighbour is likely to be someone we are suspicious and afraid of.  For some that might be the imam at the local mosque, for others it might be the politician whose views we despise, for another it might be a fellow Christian with views we find unacceptable.  

Jesus’ parable was difficult and dangerous as the Jews despised the Samaritans.  The parable was designed to broaden both our understanding and our horizons in an age where these are being narrowed.  Bipartisan politics are increasingly difficult in America where moderates have been hounded out of office.  Whilst three of the four UK nations are used to coalition governments we’ve only had one at UK level – and the after effects of that for the junior party might put them off joining another one!  Our world is ever more complex; people yearn for simplistic, yet divisive, answers from strong leaders.  Such clear divisions are attractive in our age but Jesus reminds us that our neighbour is often someone we’d rather not know yet alone love as ourselves.  

And remember, Jesus’ example was not of some distant person his crowd had never heard of, but a near neighbour, an estranged co-religionist, someone close enough to know and hate.  Yet this was one to love and value.

Prayer

When I needed a neighbour, were you there, were you there?
When I needed a neighbour, were you there?

And the creed and the colour and the name won’t matter,
were you there?