by Rebekah Harvey
This past Sunday in the message we were challenged to pray for compassion and love and we read from
Luke 10: 25 “And behold, a certain lawyer stood up and tested Him, saying, “Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?” 26 He said to him, “What is written in the law? What is your reading of it?” 27 So he answered and said, “‘You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, and with all your mind,’ and ‘your neighbor as yourself.’ ” 28 And He said to him, “You have answered rightly; do this and you will live.” 29 But he, wanting to justify himself, said to Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?” 30 Then Jesus answered and said: “A certain man went down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell among thieves, who stripped him of his clothing, wounded him, and departed, leaving him half dead. 31 “Now by chance a certain priest came down that road. And when he saw him, he passed by on the other side. 32 “Likewise a Levite, when he arrived at the place, came and looked, and passed by on the other side. 33 “But a certain Samaritan, as he journeyed, came where he was. And when he saw him, he had compassion. 34 “So he went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine; and he set him on his own animal, brought him to an inn, and took care of him. 35 “On the next day, when he departed, he took out two denarii, gave them to the innkeeper, and said to him, ‘Take care of him; and whatever more you spend, when I come again, I will repay you.’ 36 “So which of these three do you think was neighbor to him who fell among the thieves?” 37 And he said, “He who showed mercy on him.” Then Jesus said to him, “Go and do likewise.”

Thinking about the account of the good Samaritan in the book of Luke, there are several different people that we can learn about and compare ourselves to. I would like to think that I am like the Samaritan who rescued the wounded and injured man that had been beaten and abused and left lying on the side of the road to die. However, if I am being completely truthful I can’t say that I would choose to help others in difficult situations all the time. There are times I would prefer to look and walk away and not get involved.

I can also relate to the lawyer that wanted to justify himself to Jesus. When we trust in our own obedience and careful attention to follow “the rules” we can become deceived into thinking we are good enough on our own. We are told in Titus 3:4 “But–“When God our Savior revealed his kindness and love, 5 he saved us, not because of the righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He washed away our sins, giving us a new birth and new life through the Holy Spirit. 6 He generously poured out the Spirit upon us through Jesus Christ our Savior. 7 Because of his grace he declared us righteous and gave us confidence that we will inherit eternal life.”

It is because of His mercy that we can show mercy to others in our lives that we would rather not. We can show mercy to those that are lost and hurting and pray that we will be used by the Holy Spirit to help them understand their value and God’s desire to have a relationship with them.

James 2:12 “So whatever you say or whatever you do, remember that you will be judged by the law that sets you free. 13 There will be no mercy for those who have not shown mercy to others. But if you have been merciful, God will be merciful when he judges you.”