Summary: I expect if there is one story in the New Testament that is familiar to most everyone, it is this story from Luke that includes the parable of the Good Samaritan. I have watched many children act out this story in Bible School or as a Sunday School skit. The simplicity of the story allows the children to enter into the story with imagination. While it is a fun story to enact, I wonder how many of us grasp the impact of Jesus' parable. "A lawyer stood up to test Jesus...." At the time Jesus lived there were hundreds of laws governing most every aspect of life. The question posed to Jesus by the lawyer was one many have wondered about: "What must I do to win the prize of eternal life?" Typical of Jesus, he turns the question back on the lawyer. "What is written in the law?" The lawyer knew in theory the foundation of all laws could be traced to the Ten Commandments. In response the lawyer recited the summary of the Law. "You shall 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 your neighbor as yourself." The lawyer was in the position of most of us; he could recite what the law said. He decided to take his question one step further: "And who is my neighbor?" "Who is my neighbor?" This is a central question in the church today and one that is even discussed in the life of our nation. It is a question that surrounds the talk about immigration laws. It is a question related to how we treat each other from the corporate executive to the homeless person. "Who is my neighbor?" raises questions about race and sexual preference. During this election year, it centers on party affiliation and how we respond to those who choose to have a differing opinion. "Who is my neighbor?" touches every aspect of our lives.
