We live in a small village. Before the advent of the Coronavirus and in this age of the internet and social media we were rarely in touch with our neighbours except to say, ‘Hello’. Many of them were working. We knew, in theory, that we could ask them for help but, thankfully, we had no reason to ask.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
We are the oldies in our group of houses. I hadn\u2019t realised\nthis until now but our neighbours had. As soon as we were told we must stay at\nhome we have got to know our neighbours so much better. They are falling over\nthemselves in their eagerness to help us! We have no worries about whether\nwe\u2019ll have enough food. They ask us what we need every time they go shopping. We have all started to chat and share our news,\nkeeping a safe distance away, of course! We can help our younger neighbours by\naccepting their help and by showing interest in their news and listening to\ntheir concerns.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I am reminded of the story Jesus told when he was asked \u201cWho is my neighbour? (Luke 10:25:37)<\/p>\n\n\n\n
25 <\/sup><\/strong>On one occasion an expert in the law stood up to test Jesus.\n\u2018Teacher,\u2019 he asked, \u2018what must I do to inherit eternal life?\u2019<\/p>\n\n\n\n 26 <\/sup><\/strong>\u2018What is\nwritten in the Law?\u2019 he replied. \u2018How do you\nread it?\u2019 <\/p>\n\n\n\n 27 <\/sup><\/strong>He answered, \u2018\u201cLove the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind\u201d; and, \u201cLove your neighbour as yourself.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n (NOTE: The man who asked Jesus was a lawyer. As a Jew,\nhe had been taught all about the Law that God gave to Moses many years before.\nMost of us know about the 10 Commandments in the Old Testament (Exodus <\/em>20:1-17)This man had\nrealised that they could be summarised in 2 commands, 1. to love God with all\nour being and 2. To love our neighbour as much as we love ourselves.) <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n But, he asks, \u201cWho is my neighbour?\u201d. So Jesus tells the parable. The meaning is very clear. We must all be willing to help anyone, no matter who they are. \u2018You have answered correctly,\u2019 Jesus replied. \u2018Do this and you will live.\u2019<\/p>\n\n\n\n 29 <\/sup><\/strong>But he\nwanted to justify himself, so he asked Jesus, \u2018And who is my neighbour?\u2019<\/p>\n\n\n\n 30 <\/sup><\/strong>In reply Jesus said: \u2018A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, when he was attacked by robbers. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him and went away, leaving him half-dead. 31 <\/sup><\/strong>A priest happened to be going down the same road, and when he saw the man, he passed by on the other side. 32 <\/sup><\/strong>So too, a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. 33 <\/sup><\/strong>But a Samaritan, as he travelled, came where the man was; and when he saw him, he took pity on him. 34 <\/sup><\/strong>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. 35 <\/sup><\/strong>The next day he took out two denarii and gave them to the innkeeper. \u201cLook after him,\u201d he said, \u201cand when I return, I will reimburse you for any extra expense you may have.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n 36 <\/sup><\/strong>\u2018Which of\nthese three do you think was a neighbour to the man who fell into the hands of\nrobbers?\u2019<\/p>\n\n\n\n 37 <\/sup><\/strong>The expert\nin the law replied, \u2018The one who had mercy on him.\u2019<\/p>\n\n\n\n Jesus told him, \u2018Go and do\nlikewise\u2019<\/p>\n\n\n\n (NOTE: To understand this parable it is\nimportant to know that the Jews and the Samaritans had nothing in common and\nnothing to do with each other. Jesus was teaching the lawyer and all who were\nlistening that they should help anyone in need. We must also learn the lesson\nof compassion. If we see anyone in need and distress our hearts should be moved\nto do as much as we can to help. We shouldn\u2019t make distinctions because of\nrace, belief or because we don\u2019t like them. The Samaritan didn\u2019t pass by on the\nother side. He attended to the man\u2019s wounds and cared for him. He paid the\ninnkeeper to look after him.)<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n The meaning is very clear. We must all be willing to help\nanyone, no matter who they are. It is a lesson for\nthe times we live in. Jesus and his Father ask us to be kind and to help everyone\nwhen and wherever we can. If everyone followed this simple law our world would\nbe a wonderful place. The Bible tells us that day will <\/em>come. Jesus will\nreturn to set up his Father\u2019s Kingdom on earth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Quotes NIV<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"