Mercy our act of obedience; Who is my neighbour?
In our series on Mercy in Luke’s Gospel, today’s focus is on that well known parable, the Good Samaritan. This story is so well known that the term “Good Samaritan” has found its way into secular usage. There is even a legal definition – “one who voluntarily renders aid to another in distress although under no duty to do so.”
Today is also Neighbour Day, a ‘celebration’ of care for neighbours that has also found its way into our secular calendar. The question asked in today’s Gospel account, which prompts Jesus’ telling of the famous parable, is “Who is my neighbour?” What a great question, and what a great day for us to consider it! Note that this question immediately follows another question, “What must I do to receive eternal life?” And so we address these two questions today, in the context of Mercy. How does mercy fit with what we must do to receive eternal life? It should be our response to God’s mercy shown to us through Jesus, not because we deserved it, but because of his great love for us. As followers of Jesus, we are also to show mercy, without expecting repayment or reward.
Reflection Questions
Read Luke 10:25-37
This parable of the Good Samaritan, enclosed in an account where “an expert in the law” asks Jesus the question, “What must I do to inherit eternal life?”, is only told in Luke’s Gospel. Luke also tells the story of “a certain ruler” (also known as ‘the rich young ruler’) who asks the same question, in chapter 18. Matthew and Mark also tell the story of the ‘rich young ruler’ (Matt 19, and Mark 10).
Note that the common question in every account is – What do I have to do, to get eternal life? What is the key error in this question?
If someone asked you this question (ie What must I do to inherit eternal life?), how would you respond? If you find this difficult to do straight away, how about working on it, writing down your answer, and practising it so that you will be ready to answer someone when you are asked (1 Peter 3:15).
God, in his great love, rich in mercy, reached out to us and saved us, in an act of grace (Romans 5:6-8). If we call ourselves followers of Jesus, we are called to imitate his life; we are called to reach out to ‘our neighbours’. (Agree, or disagree?)
What might such actions look like? To whom should we extend these actions? In other words, ‘Who is my neighbour?’
Read Micah 6:1-8, as well as Amos 5:21-24 and 1 Samuel 15:22.
What do you think these passages are saying about the place of religious practices or rituals and pleasing God? Does it mean that spiritual practices and habits are wrong or unimportant? Explain.
There are many more passages in the Bible on this theme, including some covered in previous weeks in this series on Mercy. You may like to go exploring through the Bible, if you have a Bible with cross references or a concordance. Discuss some of these passages.
What has been for you a key message on Mercy over this term series?