Call to Gather, Pray, and Worship God
3 John 1:14b
I hope to see you soon, and we will talk face to face. Peace to you. The friends here send their greetings. Greet the friends there by name.
~ Apostle John
Pondering Point
Our theme for the week can be a disquieting one – loving those who hate us or mistreat us. It may dredge up feelings of rejection, betrayal, or disappointment. John’s blessing of “Peace to you” is easy among friends, harder among those who rub us the wrong way, hardest among those who hope to see us falter or fail or die.
But don’t let your enemies or struggles define you. Let your Father and Savior Jesus define you and strengthen you against enemies.
Parable of
The Good Samaritan
Pondering Point
This parable is ideal for a week about loving one’s enemies. Jesus tells a story that includes a Samaritan, one of a people viewed as enemies by Jews of the day – and often treated spitefully. In this parable, it is a Samaritan (rather than Jewish compatriots) who plays the role of loving neighbor to a Jewish man who is in need. But not only does the Samaritan man stop to help this enemy in need, he then goes out of his way to make sure the injured Jewish man has his upcoming needs met during recovery as well.
Within the context of this story is a basic lesson about loving your neighbor: It’s not about who is your neighbor, but to whom are you a neighbor. If someone is in your life, on your radar, part of your world, they are to be loved by you in the name of Jesus.
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 neighbor 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 neighbor?”
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 traveled, 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 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 neighbor 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.”