[Jesus said] And behold, a lawyer stood up to put him to
the test, saying, “Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?” He said
to him, “What is written in the Law? How do you read it?” And he answered, “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.” And
he said to him, “You have answered correctly; do this, and you will live.” But
he, desiring to justify himself, said to Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?” Jesus
replied, “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and he fell among
robbers, who stripped him and beat him and departed, leaving him half dead. Now
by chance a priest was going down that road, and when he saw him he passed by
on the other side. So likewise a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him,
passed by on the other side. But a Samaritan, as he journeyed, came to where he
was, and when he saw him, he had compassion. He went to him and bound up his
wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he set him on his own animal and brought
him to an inn and took care of him. And the next day he took out two denarii
and gave them to the innkeeper, saying, ‘Take care of him, and whatever more
you spend, I will repay you when I come back.’ Which of these three, do you
think, proved to be a neighbor to the man who fell among the robbers?” He said,
“The one who showed him mercy.” And Jesus said to him, “You go, and do
likewise.” (Luke 10:25–37 ESV)
The lawyer then tries a different
approach. He never wanted to have an answer from Jesus. His actions were
designed to trick Jesus into an error and thus discredit Himself. So, he asks a
second question, “And, who is our neighbor?” I must confess I’ve tried that a
time or two by saying something like “I can love them, but I don’t have to like
them.” Actually, you do.
The Apostle Paul said, "Be wise in
the way you act toward outsiders; make the most of every opportunity" (cf.
Colossians 4:5). God often presents us with opportunities to minister, but we
often let them slip by because we're not wise enough to see them for what they
are. God often places good works before us in the form of opportunities to
share our faith with people who are outside the faith. But we need to be wise
and willing enough to make the most of those opportunities. I’ve discovered
that a lot of the time these opportunities come from experiences with people I
wouldn’t ordinarily “like.” You know… these are the people that we simply
cannot agree with on most anything. Yet, those people are created by God. He loves
all His creation. Who are we to decide who should and shouldn’t hear and
receive the grace of God through our works?
As this year draws to a close and we
enter a new year, we need to remember that each new day brings opportunities to
serve the Lord and express our faith to others, sometimes in strange and
different situations.
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