Skip to main content

among thieves

Luke 10:30-32
"30 And Jesus answering said, A certain man went down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell among thieves, which stripped him of his raiment, and wounded him, and departed, leaving him half dead.
31 And by chance there came down a certain priest that way: and when he saw him, he passed by on the other side.
32 And likewise a Levite, when he was at the place, came and looked on him, and passed by on the other side."

We continue our series on Jesus's parables. Yesterday, we explored the Parable of the Pearl of Great Price (Matthew 13:45-46), which packs profound truth into two verses, calling us to reorder life around eternal values—measuring devotion by what we are willing to surrender.

Today we turn to the familiar Parable of the Good Samaritan. Note: Jesus never calls the Samaritan "good"; scholars gave it that title centuries later.

Jesus tells this story in response to a lawyer's (a religious expert) question: "Who is my neighbor?" He describes a man traveling from Jerusalem to Jericho who is attacked by robbers, stripped, beaten, and left half dead.

A priest comes by, sees him, and passes on the other side. Likewise, a Levite (a temple assistant) arrives, looks at the man, and also passes by on the other side.

These religious figures—expected to embody compassion and duty—fail to act. Their inaction sets up a sharp contrast with the next character: a Samaritan, despised by Jews at the time, who will demonstrate true charity.❤️

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Elisha’s example

1 Kings 19:19-21 "19 So he departed thence, and found Elisha the son of Shaphat, who was plowing with twelve yoke of oxen before him, and he with the twelfth: and Elijah passed by him, and cast his mantle upon him. 20 And he left the oxen, and ran after Elijah, and said, Let me, I pray thee, kiss my father and my mother, and then I will follow thee. And he said unto him, Go back again: for what have I done to thee? 21 And he returned back from him, and took a yoke of oxen, and slew them, and boiled their flesh with the instruments of the oxen, and gave unto the people, and they did eat. Then he arose, and went after Elijah, and ministered unto him." In Luke 9:54, after James and John sought to call down fire on a Samaritan village that rejected Jesus, they referenced Elijah, saying, “even as Elias did?” Jesus then taught three lessons about rejection: 1- Discipleship demands sacrifice, embracing hardship and forgoing earthly security. 2- Following Jesus requires immediate, un...

I will make you

Matthew 4:19&20 "19 And He saith unto them, Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men. 20 And they straightway left their nets, and followed Him." In our "Follow Me" series, we study Jesus calling His disciples in the Gospel of Matthew. By the Sea of Galilee, a thriving fishing hub, Jesus saw Simon and Andrew casting nets as humble fishermen. His disciples were ordinary workers, not wealthy or educated elites. Jesus approached them and said, "Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men." Remarkably, they immediately left their jobs to follow Him. This brief exchange conveys a profound truth: Jesus says, "I will make you." Only God can transform us to accomplish His purpose. We should often pray, "Help me, God," seeking Jesus' guidance to follow His plan for our lives.

sheep and goats

Matthew 25:31-33 "31 When the Son of man shall come in His glory, and all the holy angels with Him, then shall He sit upon the throne of His glory: 32 And before Him shall be gathered all nations: and He shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats: 33 And he shall set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on the left." Coming off last week's study of the Last Supper, we begin to understand that we all betray Jesus in small ways and sometimes in very large ways. We should not let this turn us away from GOD. We need to return to Jesus, seeking a deeper and stronger relationship with God, and embrace the grace and forgiveness offered. We need to repent and confess our sins. We want to become better at being obedient to God's teachings we learn about in the pages of the Holy Bible. Today we return to the Gospel of Matthew, seeking to learn more from our Lord and Savior. Chapter 25 contains several parables and teachings of Je...