“’The Kingdom Of
God Has Come Near’”
Go! I am sending you out like lambs among wolves. Do not
take a purse or bag or sandals; and do not greet anyone on the road.
“When you enter a house, first say, ‘Peace to this house.’ If
someone who promotes peace is there, your peace will rest on them; if not, it
will return to you. Stay there, eating and drinking whatever they give you, for
the worker deserves his wages. Do not move around from house to house.
“When you enter a town and are welcomed, eat what is offered
to you. Heal the sick who are there and tell them, ‘The kingdom of God has come
near to you.’ But when you enter a town and are not welcomed, go into its
streets and say, ‘Even the dust of your town we wipe from our feet as a warning
to you. Yet be sure of this: The kingdom of God has come near.’ I tell you, it will be more bearable on that day for Sodom than for
that town.
“Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you,
Bethsaida! For if the miracles that were performed in you had been performed in
Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago,
sitting in sackcloth and ashes. But it will be more bearable for Tyre and Sidon at the judgment than for you. And you,
Capernaum, will you be lifted to the heavens? No, you will go down to Hades.
“Whoever listens to you listens to me; whoever rejects you
rejects me; but whoever rejects me rejects him who sent me.”
The seventy-two returned with joy and said, “Lord, even the
demons submit to us in your name.”
He replied, “I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven. I
have given you authority to trample on snakes and scorpions and to overcome all
the power of the enemy; nothing will harm you. However, do not rejoice that the
spirits submit to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven.”
At that time Jesus, full of joy through the Holy Spirit,
said, “I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden
these things from the wise and learned, and revealed them to little children.
Yes, Father, for this is what you were pleased to do.
“All things have been committed to me by my Father. No one
knows who the Son is except the Father, and no one knows who the Father is
except the Son and those to whom the Son chooses to reveal him.”
Then he turned to his disciples and said privately, “Blessed
are the eyes that see what you see. For I tell you that many prophets and kings
wanted to see what you see but did not see it, and to hear what you hear but
did not hear it.”
On one occasion an expert in the law stood up to test Jesus.
“Teacher,” he asked, “what must I do to inherit eternal life?”
“What is written in the Law?” he replied. “How do you read
it?”
He answered, “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart
and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind’; and,
‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’[d]”
“You have answered correctly,” Jesus replied. “Do this and
you will live.”
But he wanted to justify himself, so he asked Jesus, “And
who is my neighbor?”
In reply Jesus said: “A 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. A priest happened to be going
down the same road, and when he saw the man, he passed by on the other side. So
too, a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other
side. But a Samaritan, as he traveled, 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. The next day he took out two denarii and gave them to the
innkeeper. ‘Look after him,’ he said, ‘and when I return, I will reimburse you
for any extra expense you may have.’
“Which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man
who fell into the hands of robbers?”
The expert in the law replied, “The one who had mercy on
him.”
Jesus told him, “Go and do likewise.”
Luke 10:3-37
A teenager named Aldi was working alone on a fishing
hut anchored about 125 kilometers (about 78 miles) off Indonesia’s Sulawesi
Island when heavy winds knocked the hut off its mooring and sent it out to sea.
For forty-nine days, Aldi drifted in the ocean. Every time he spotted a ship,
he turned on his lamp to try and get the sailors’ attention, only to be
disappointed. About ten ships passed the malnourished teen before he was
rescued.
Jesus told a parable to an “expert in the law” (Luke 10:25) about
someone who needed to be rescued. Two men—a priest and a Levite—saw an injured
man as they were traveling. But rather than help him, both “passed by on the
other side” (vv. 31–32). We aren’t told why. Both were
religious men and would have been familiar with God’s law to love their
neighbor (Leviticus
19:17–18). They may have thought it was too dangerous. Or perhaps
they didn’t want to break Jewish laws about touching
dead bodies, making them ceremonially unclean and unable to serve in the
temple. In contrast, a Samaritan—who was despised by the Jews—acted nobly. He
saw the man in need and selflessly took care of him.
Jesus wrapped up His teaching with the command that
His followers should “go and do likewise” (Luke 10:37). May God
give us the willingness to risk reaching out in love to help others.
Who has Jesus put in
your path that needs your help? How can you put your love into action today?
God, open my eyes to the needs around me
and give me Your heart of compassion for others.
Our Daily Bread – June 7, 2020