Pinedale Student Ministries

Today’s passage
Luke 10: 25-37

Experience
The man asked a simple question, “What must I do to inherit eternal life?” And Jesus gave him two answers: Love God and love people. Those answers sound simple, too, don’t they? The man, an expert in biblical law, recognized the worth of loving God, but he, like many of us, was tripped up by the “loving others” part. So the man asked Jesus, “Well, who is my neighbor? Surely you can’t expect me to love everyone.” But Jesus did expect just that, and He expects that of us, as well.

To be a little clearer, Jesus taught by way of another parable. This parable was about a man who was beaten up and left for dead by highway robbers. All hope seemed lost as other people just passed the man by, until a Samaritan stopped and took care of him. The Samaritan man risked his health, his money, and his time to provide for a man he didn’t know. The Samaritan didn’t owe that man anything, but he chose to love him, anyway.

Who is the most unloved, unlovable person you can think of? Are they not just as valuable to God as you and I are? God doesn’t always use the most talented, pretty, or athletic people. Instead, God tends to use people who will step out in faith and courage to do His will. In the parable, the Samaritan invested in the care of the beaten man, and he sacrificed out of love for his neighbor. So what was Jesus saying to the man, and what is He saying to you and me? “Go and do likewise!”