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GO AND DO THE SAME (LUKE 10:30-37)

Go and do the same is the theme for our reflection. The theme is Jesus’s answer to the teacher of the law to show mercy just as the good Samaritan had done. We need a deeper reflection of the parable of the good Samaritan to fully appreciate Jesus’s teaching on who a neighbour is.

It is important to note that up to the time of Jesus, there was hostility between the Jews and Samaritans. The Samaritans were considered by the Jews to be half-breeds because of their involvement with pagans in the past, coupled with doctrinal differences. We shall recall that in Jesus’s encounter with the Samaritan woman at the well, the Samaritan woman said to him, “You are a Jew and I am a Samaritan woman. How can you ask me for a drink?” (For Jews do not associate with Samaritans.) John 4:9. For us to have a better appreciation of the parable of the Good Samaritan we must consider the man who was attacked by the robbers to be a Jew since he “… was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho,”(Luke 10:30). Being a Jew it was expected that the Priest and the Levite who were all Jews will attend to him but both ignored and passed by their injured Jewish brother. They ought to have been good neighbours to their own brother but they failed, it took a perceived enemy, the Samaritan to save the life of a Jew. The Samaritan was expected to pass by the injured Jew since they were enemies, “but a Samaritan, as he travelled, came where the man was; and when he saw him, he took pity on him. 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. (Luke 10:33-34)

Dear friend in the Lord, we all share a common humanity therefore we are each other’s neighbour, we must not allow race, gender, ethnicity, class, religion and political ideologies to create hostile divisions or enmity among us, for “God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them.” (Genesis 1:27) Every human being is our neighbour therefore we must show unconditional love and mercy when we come across another human being in need. Again, Jesus commanded us, “love your enemies, and do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return, and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High, for he is kind to the ungrateful and the evil. ³⁶ Be merciful, even as your Father is merciful.” (Luke 6:35-36) We must change our understanding of neighbourliness and like the good Samaritan “Go and do the same” (Luke 10:37).

In summary, we have learnt that everyone around us is our neighbour whether known or unknown, therefore, we must have compassion and mercy on those meet on way as divine assignment from our Lord Jesus Christ. Like the Good Samaritan we have been instructed to “Go and do the same” Shalom.

PRAYER

Loving and merciful Lord, cure us of any divisive traits and barriers and let Your unconditional love dominate our hearts so that we may love and show mercy to all people regardless of our differences. Amen