Today's Passage - Luke 10:29-37

River of Life Christian Church ︳www.rolcc.net/english Luke 10:29-37   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 fell into the hands of 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...'  '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.'   When this expert in law asked the second question, Jesus didn't respond directly, but rather He started telling him the parable of the good Samaritan.  After telling the story, Jesus asked him which one of the three was the true neighbor of the one was beaten.  When the expert in law first asked who was his neighbor, he was simply thinking in a self-centered way.  We often think that whoever I like or has similar cultural background with me is my neighbor, but that's a self-centered response, and thus the outcome will produce more self-centeredness.   A university conducted an experience where they asked each student to donate one dollar, and they may choose to contribute to one of the three causes: Feeding starving children in Africa, helping poor students at the school, and buying a new copier for the department.  The result was that 85% of the students donated their dollar for buying a new copier for their own department, because that is the most personal cause to them.  When we ask "who is my neighbor," we are thinking in very narrow terms.  The Lord is reminding us here: The question is not who is your neighbor, but it should be who is the neighbor of those that need to be cared for?  Lord is asking us today: Who are the neighbors of the single parents, young foreign students, widows and widowers, homosexuals, and those in sin?  We often only know how to condemn someone, but don't understand the merciful heart of Jesus Christ.   When we understand the Lord's command, we will understand that God wants us to have mercy on those who are weak and in sin, and He wants us to bring the love of Christ to them, so that they may be touched and thus turn back to God.  If you understand this, you won't be condemning anyone, but instead you will ask to be filled with more of the Lord's love and to have love flow out from your life.     Pray with Pastor Tong           Dear Lord, I thank you because you are filled with mercy.  May the Lord open my eyes to understand this parable, so that I don't ask the wrong question again.  I don't need to ask "who is my neighbor," but I shall ask "Lord, who is the neighbor of those around me that have needs?"  Let us have a merciful heart to help those in need.  I thank you and I pray in the victorious name of Jesus, amen!