Go and Do Likewise: The Power of Love and Mercy

“In your opinion,

which one of these three

acted like a neighbor towards

the man attacked by the robbers?”

~ Luke 10: 36

Many of us have heard the Parable of the Good Samaritan over and again, nevertheless in every generation, the words of our Lord Jesus Christ continued to challenge and prompt us to recognize the true essence of God and abide in his mercy, justice and compassion and love as we thrive among one another in this world.

There was a Teacher of the law who came to Jesus Christ trying to both trap the Lord and also justify his piety before man and God. He asked, “What must I do to receive or inherit eternal life?” Jesus answered him, “What do the Scriptures say? How do you interpret them?”

The self-righteous man answered,

(1) “ ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength , and with all your mind’; and

(2) Love your neighbor as you love yourself’”

Perfect! This is the true meaning of the law and Jesus Christ pointed concurred and encourage him to live accordingly. However because he seek to justify himself, he pop up the question,

“Who is my neighbor?”

WHO IS YOUR NEIGHBOR?

Let us take the moment to ask ourselves the same question, “Who is my neighbor?”

Without doubt, it is our lack of the recognition who is our neighbor that has formed the cornerstone of the innumerable conflicts, hatred and mediocrity that humanity has been entangled today!

During the time of Jesus Christ, Palestine culture more or less prohibit the equal yoke or relationship between the Jews and the Samaritans, who are looked down on as infidel or corrupted, denigrated and tarnished as a result of their none strict compliance to the law of Moses. It is a taboo for a Jew to have any kind of relationship with a Samaritan in spite of the fact they have the same ancestral origin in father Abraham. Don’t we also exercise this kind of dichotomy and discrimination in our lives today?

However, Jesus Christ sensing the self-righteousness of the Teacher of the law, simply prescribed an attitudinal change toward discrimination by narrating how it was a Samaritan that took care of a troubled Jew who happens to fall prey to the robbers.

In conclusion, Jesus pop the question to the Teacher of the law

“In your opinion, which one of these three acted like a neighbor towards the man attacked by the robbers?” He answered, “The one who was kind to him.” Jesus replied, “You go, then and do the same.”

CONTEMPORARY RATIONALE

My neighbors are the fellow human beings that I interact with on a daily basis, and must not be those I love or like or desire to win their affection or admiration. Our Lord Jesus Christ is essentially telling us that in order for us to be Christian; we must love the unlovable and support those who are uncommon to us.

If we truly understand what eternal life means and we honestly desire it, then it is not enough to proclaim and keep the laws of God, which in themselves are based on love, but we must extend this love to all mankind.

As a Christian, we must be willing at all times to help people that are different from us whether is on the basis of religion, race or lifestyle orientations and other forms of man made discrimination. In fact without doubt, Jesus Christ is saying:

(1) How can you merit eternal life when as a Christian you hate Muslim and people of other faith?

(2) How can you merit eternal life when as a Christian you can’t look beyond the color of one skin?

(3) How can you merit eternal life when as a Christian you only help those you love?

(4) How can you merit eternal life as a Christian that support killing of innocent people?

(5) How can you merit eternal life when as a Christian you denigrate God’s image and likeness?

It does not make sense therefore for us to love only selected few that pleases our emotions and give us comfort, whereas there are millions of people desperately in need of our love, affections and compassion, forgiveness, blessings and prayers.

Today, we must wake up and accept Jesus Christ challenge to all of us; GO OUT AND DO LIKEWISE.

The hallmark of Christianity is love, justice and mercy and compassion that some in this world may consider foolish or stupid, not so with our God, and it is better for God to approve of you than for man to do the same without God.