Tag Archives: Samaritan

Just help! (Luke 10:30-37) October 29, 2016

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Today’s Podcast

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Today’s Bible reading plan:

Read it in a year – Acts 11-12

see the whole year’s plan [here](http://www.bible-reading.com/bible-plan.pdf)

Today’s Devotional

Luke 10:30-37
Jesus: This fellow was traveling down from Jerusalem to Jericho when some robbers mugged him. They took his clothes, beat him to a pulp, and left him naked and bleeding and in critical condition. By chance, a priest was going down that same road, and when he saw the wounded man, he crossed over to the other side and passed by. Then a Levite who was on his way to assist in the temple also came and saw the victim lying there, and he too kept his distance. Then a despised Samaritan journeyed by. When he saw the fellow, he felt compassion for him. The Samaritan went over to him, stopped the bleeding, applied some first aid, and put the poor fellow on his donkey. He brought the man to an inn and cared for him through the night.
The next day, the Samaritan took out some money—two days’ wages to be exact—and paid the innkeeper, saying, “Please take care of this fellow, and if this isn’t enough, I’ll repay you next time I pass through.”
Which of these three proved himself a neighbor to the man who had been mugged by the robbers?
Scholar: The one who showed mercy to him.
Jesus: Well then, go and behave like that Samaritan.

What do Jesus’ words mean for us today?

We don’t have to hear the story of the good Samaritan to know there are a lot of people like the priest and Levite in our world today. Think about all the stories you hear today about people being beaten, raped, or killed in the streets of our cities. And what do people do? They used to close their doors and windows and pretend nothing was going on. Police would canvas the neighborhood to see if anyone heard or saw anything and the answers were pretty much alike.

“No, officer. I had the TV on pretty loud, I guess. I didn’t hear anything. Did something happen out there? This is usually a pretty quiet neighborhood. I can’t believe someone would get hurt around here.”

“No, officer. I guess I’m a pretty heavy sleeper. You could drop and bomb next to me and I wouldn’t wake up. Sorry I can’t help you.”

That’s what we used to do when someone needed help. What do we do now? Pull out our cell phone and take video. Maybe we can get it on the news or send it to our friends and make it go viral. But help the person?

“No way am I getting involved in that. I might have to go to court or something. That might tie up my time for hours. I can’t do that. Besides, it might just be a family squabble. I’ll just take my video and maybe get rich on it or at least have something to text my friends about on Facebook when I get to work today. That will make the day go a little faster since I’m sure I’ll get to answer a lot of Facebook comments instead of dealing with all that office paperwork anyway.”

Yeah, we’ve become the priest and the Levite. We ignore people in trouble that need our help. We don’t even help the people on the corner that ask for assistance. They are their because they want to be, not because they have to be, right? It’s their own fault. Why don’t they just get a job instead of panhandling. Besides if I try to help them, they’ll just go spend anything I give them on booze so I’m really helping by not helping, right?

Yep, we have some great arguments with ourselves to keep from doing the right thing for people. I’m not saying we should give money to every homeless person on the street. I believe it is better to teach a person to fish than to give them a fish and that gets hard when we live in a society that loves to focus on giving material things instead of getting our hands dirty really helping people solve the real issues in their lives.

Is it hard? Absolutely. Does it take time and effort? More than you can imagine. Just look at what the Samaritan did. It would have taken him 30 seconds to pass by the bruised and broken man. The Bible doesn’t tell us how long he spent with the man, but I’ve tended to some folks who were broken up pretty badly and helped get them ready for transport to a hospital for better care. Just to get them ready to transport so they don’t receive further injuries while moving means you have to assess the injuries and see what must be fixed immediately to keep them from dying. You have to make sure they have a clear airway. You have to stop the bleeding. You must gently stabilize broken bones. You must find a way to move them since they can’t move under their own power. And that movement has to be such that they don’t sustain more injuries. The Samaritan did all those things knowing the bandits who did this might still be in the area. Then took the man to an inn, cared for him through the night, and paid the bill for the innkeeper to care for him until he was well enough to leave.

Was the Samaritan just looking for something to do? I don’t think so. I expect there were people at the end of his journey worried that night when he didn’t show up. I expect he lost some business that day because he helped someone in need.

Was it worth it? Ask Jesus?

The Voice Bible Copyright © 2012 Thomas Nelson, Inc. The Voice™ translation © 2012 Ecclesia Bible Society All rights reserved.
In accordance with the requirements for FTC full disclosure, I may have affiliate relationships with some or all of the producers of the items mentioned in this post who may provide a small commission to me when purchased through this site.

Who is your neighbor? (Luke 10:21-37), September 27, 2015

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Today’s Podcast

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Today’s Scriptures

Today’s Bible reading plans include:

Ready – Luke 10:21-37

Set – Haggai 2; Luke 10

Go! – Haggai 1-2; Psalms 129; Luke 10

Luke 10:21-37
21 Then Jesus Himself became elated. The Holy Spirit was on Him, and He began to pray with joy.
Jesus Thank You, Father, Lord of heaven and earth. Thank You for hiding Your mysteries from the wise and intellectual, instead revealing them to little children. Your ways are truly gracious. 22 My Father has given Me everything. No one knows the full identity of the Son except the Father, and nobody knows the full identity of the Father except the Son, and the Son fully reveals the Father to whomever He wishes. 23 (then almost in a whisper to the disciples) How blessed are your eyes to see what you see! 24 Many prophets and kings dreamed of seeing what you see, but they never got a glimpse. They dreamed of hearing what you hear, but they never heard it.
25 Just then a scholar of the Hebrew Scriptures tried to trap Jesus.
Scholar: Teacher, what must I do to experience the eternal life?
Jesus (answering with a question): 26 What is written in the Hebrew Scriptures? How do you interpret their answer to your question?
Scholar: 27 You shall love—“love the Eternal One your God with everything you have: all your heart, all your soul, all your strength, and all your mind”—and “love your neighbor as yourself.”
Jesus: 28 Perfect. Your answer is correct. Follow these commands and you will live.
29 The scholar was frustrated by this response because he was hoping to make himself appear smarter than Jesus.
Scholar: Ah, but who is my neighbor?
Jesus: 30 This fellow was traveling down from Jerusalem to Jericho when some robbers mugged him. They took his clothes, beat him to a pulp, and left him naked and bleeding and in critical condition. 31 By chance, a priest was going down that same road, and when he saw the wounded man, he crossed over to the other side and passed by. 32 Then a Levite who was on his way to assist in the temple also came and saw the victim lying there, and he too kept his distance. 33 Then a despised Samaritan journeyed by. When he saw the fellow, he felt compassion for him. 34 The Samaritan went over to him, stopped the bleeding, applied some first aid, and put the poor fellow on his donkey. He brought the man to an inn and cared for him through the night.
35 The next day, the Samaritan took out some money—two days’ wages to be exact—and paid the innkeeper, saying, “Please take care of this fellow, and if this isn’t enough, I’ll repay you next time I pass through.”
36 Which of these three proved himself a neighbor to the man who had been mugged by the robbers?
Scholar: 37 The one who showed mercy to him.
Jesus: Well then, go and behave like that Samaritan.

Today’s Devotional

From today’s background scripture God might say:

As you try to get through the message of Good Samaritan, it probably doesn’t register very well with you today. You’ve heard the story many times and you’ve heard how Jews had a deep dislike for the Samaritans. You’ve heard about the failure of the priest and the Levite, two individuals who should have gone to the aid of the injured man. But you probably don’t get the whole picture because you didn’t live in the culture of the day.

Put your emotions into the story. Suppose the characters are updated a little. Let’s make the priest a well known pastor, the Levite a Christian Sunday School teacher, and the Samaritan an ISIS soldier, does that make a difference in how you understand the story? Now, who is the injured man’s neighbor? That’s what the scholar heard from his visceral emotions. He felt about the Samitans as you probably feel about those who behead the children of Christians in Syria.

So how could any of those among ISIS do any good? How could you think well of any of them? They are still My creation. They still have a living, eternal soul that I died to save. I still long for them to learn of Me and find My grace and the truth of My salvation. They are special to Me just as you are special to Me. I wove together every bone and sinew of their bodies just as I did yours. Have they been led astray by Satan’s lies? Yes. Can they be saved? Yes! Will they be saved? As readily as anyone who calls on My name for the forgiveness of their sins and believes in Me as the Son of God.

I hold no prejudices against any nation, race, gender, creed, or color. I died for all humanity. But I let you choose whether or not to believe in Me. Can you get over your prejudices? Think again about the story of the pastor, the Christian, and the ISIS soldier. Who is your neighbor? Who do you lift in prayer? How can you show Christ to those who seem unloveable? I died for them. What will you do?

The Voice Bible Copyright © 2012 Thomas Nelson, Inc. The Voice™ translation © 2012 Ecclesia Bible Society All rights reserved.
In accordance with the requirements for FTC full disclosure, I may have affiliate relationships with some or all of the producers of the items mentioned in this post who may provide a small commission to me when purchased through this site.

Don’t get your role confused (John 4:1-42), August 2, 2015

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Today’s Podcast


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Today’s Scriptures

Today’s Bible reading plans include:

Ready – John 4:1-42

Set – 2 Chronicles 33; John 4

Go! – 2 King 21; 2 Chronicles 33; John 4

John 4:1-42
1 The picture was becoming clear to the Pharisees that Jesus had gained a following much larger than that of John the Baptist, the wandering prophet. Now He could see that the Pharisees were beginning to plot against Him. 2 This was because His disciples were busy ritually cleansing many new disciples through baptism, 3 He chose to leave Judea where most Pharisees lived and return to a safer location in Galilee. 4 This was a trip that would take them through Samaria.
5-8 In a small Samaritan town known as Sychar, Jesus and His entourage stopped to rest at the historic well that Jacob gave his son Joseph. It was about noon when Jesus found a spot to sit close to the well while the disciples ventured off to find provisions. From His vantage, He watched as a Samaritan woman approached to draw some water. Unexpectedly He spoke to her.
Jesus: Would you draw water, and give Me a drink?
Woman: 9 I cannot believe that You, a Jew, would associate with me, a Samaritan woman; much less ask me to give You a drink.
Jews, you see, have no dealings with Samaritans.
Jesus: 10 You don’t know the gift of God or who is asking you for a drink of this water from Jacob’s well. Because if you did, you would have asked Him for something greater; and He would have given you the living water.
Woman: 11 Sir, You sit by this deep well a thirsty man without a bucket in sight. Where does this living water come from? 12 Are You claiming superiority to our father Jacob who labored long and hard to dig and maintain this well so that he could share clean water with his sons, grandchildren, and cattle?
Jesus: 13 Drink this water, and your thirst is quenched only for a moment. You must return to this well again and again. 14 I offer water that will become a wellspring within you that gives life throughout eternity. You will never be thirsty again.
Woman: 15 Please, Sir, give me some of this water, so I’ll never be thirsty and never again have to make the trip to this well.
Jesus: 16 Then bring your husband to Me.
Woman: 17-18 I do not have a husband.
Jesus: Technically you are telling the truth. But you have had five husbands and are currently living with a man you are not married to.
Woman: 19 Sir, it is obvious to me that You are a prophet. 20 Our fathers worshiped here on this mountain, but Your people say that Jerusalem is the only place for all to worship. Which is it?
Jesus: 21-24 Woman, I tell you that neither is so. Believe this: a new day is coming—in fact, it’s already here—when the importance will not be placed on the time and place of worship but on the truthful hearts of worshipers. You worship what you don’t know while we worship what we do know, for God’s salvation is coming through the Jews. The Father is spirit, and He is seeking followers whose worship is sourced in truth and deeply spiritual as well. Regardless of whether you are in Jerusalem or on this mountain, if you do not seek the Father, then you do not worship.
Woman: 25 These mysteries will be made clear by He who is promised, the Anointed One.
Jesus: 26 The Anointed is speaking to you. I am the One you have been looking for.
27 The disciples returned to Him and gathered around Him in amazement that He would openly break their customs by speaking to this woman, but none of them would ask Him what He was looking for or why He was speaking with her. 28 The woman went back to the town, leaving her water pot behind. She stopped men and women on the streets and told them about what had happened.
Woman: 29 I met a stranger who knew everything about me. Come and see for yourselves; can He be the Anointed One?
30 A crowd came out of the city and approached Jesus. 31 During all of this, the disciples were urging Jesus to eat the food they gathered.
Jesus: 32 I have food to eat that you know nothing about.
Disciples (to one another): 33 Is it possible someone else has brought Him food while we were away?
Jesus: 34 I receive My nourishment by serving the will of the Father who sent Me and completing His work. 35 You have heard others say, “Be patient; we have four more months to wait until the crops are ready for the harvest.” I say, take a closer look and you will see that the fields are ripe and ready for the harvest. 36 The harvester is collecting his pay, harvesting fruit ripe for eternal life. So even now, he and the sower are celebrating their fortune. 37 The saying may be old, but it is true: “One person sows, and another reaps.” 38 I sent you to harvest where you have not labored; someone else took the time to plant and cultivate, and you feast on the fruit of their labor.
39 Meanwhile, because one woman shared with her neighbors how Jesus exposed her past and present, the village of Sychar was transformed—many Samaritans heard and believed. 40 The Samaritans approached Jesus and repeatedly invited Him to stay with them, so He lingered there for two days on their account. 41 With the words that came from His mouth, there were many more believing Samaritans. 42 They began their faith journey because of the testimony of the woman beside the well; but when they heard for themselves, they were convinced the One they were hearing was and is God’s Anointed, the Liberating King, sent to rescue the entire world.

Today’s Devotional

From today’s background scripture God might say:

The encounter between Me and the Samaritan woman at the well in Sychar tells of the universality of My salvation. It shows the grace I freely give to all people. It breaks down the ethnic barriers between peoples, races, and cultures. But that not what I want you to take away from the story today.

I want you to hear the very last part of John’s recollection of the events today. “They [the Samaritans in Sychar] began their faith journey because of the testimony of the woman beside the well; but when they heard for themselves, they were convinced the One they were hearing was and is God’s Anointed, the Liberating King, sent to rescue the entire world.”

I want to remind you of the important role you play in building My kingdom and the limitation you have as well. Like the Samaritan woman, your responsibility is to witness your experience with Me. She told everyone she saw what I told her at the well. She shared what she knew of Me. She didn’t save them. She couldn’t. It wasn’t in her power to do so. Her job, her task, her responsibility began and ended with sharing with others what I did for her at the well.

I do the rest. Some believed in Me. Some didn’t. Some were convinced. Some remained skeptical and are lost forever. Her job and yours is to witness what I’ve done for you. That’s it. I will take care of the rest. Don’t get the roles confused.

The Voice Bible Copyright © 2012 Thomas Nelson, Inc. The Voice™ translation © 2012 Ecclesia Bible Society All rights reserved.
In accordance with the requirements for FTC full disclosure, I may have affiliate relationships with some or all of the producers of the items mentioned in this post who may provide a small commission to me when purchased through this site.