A neighbor went for a long walk

         I absolutely love, love, love this succinct edition of what is required for salvation by Jesus himself. As if railing against the hypocritical religious elite was not enough, Jesus spells out salvation without the happy horse shit man conjures up.          

         Jesus: my hero!

         You might say that only a lawyer could come up with further questions, like Bill Clinton asking what the definition of "is" is. We can be so devious in defense of our actions.  Be that as it may, The Lawyer asks his question: ‘And who is my neighbour?’ 

         Dare I say if you substitute Honduras for Jerusalem and United States for Jericho you have a rather indicting answer to who is my neighbor. Certainly these immigrants or aliens are all our brothers and sisters. The entirety of Judeo-Christian scripture speaks to fare and loving treatment of aliens, our brothers and sisters from foreign lands. To mistreat any of these people is contrary to scripture and places the darkest shadow over ones claim to being a Christian of any sort. 

       Once again the social outcast of the set, the Samaritan, is the one who lives more to the values and love of God than the Priest or the Levite. Compassion, love, a willingness to use one's gifts ($$) to help a neighbor in time of need, all these the Samaritan exhibits. He certainly would get a nod from us over the Priest or the Levite if he had not been so loving and generous.

       Jesus here in this passage gives us the unadulterated lo-down on salvation and how we should act. It speaks to our hypocrisies, our failures and gets to the nitty-gritty of how we should live and how we can achieve salvation.  It is not by letting someone else press the elevator button for us on the Sabbath, it is not by dipping our fingers in holy water, abstaining from meat or denying the essence of who we are as God created us. It certainly is not by our judgments of others. We cannot say that the traveler from Jerusalem to Jericho was well dressed and therefore invited being robbed and beaten.

      Read the passage carefully, know what Jesus is saying and expects of us, of you.

Luke 10:25-37

 Just then a lawyer stood up to test Jesus. ‘Teacher,’ he said, ‘what must I do to inherit eternal life?’ He said to him, ‘What is written in the law? What do you read there?’ 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 neighbour as yourself.’ And he said to him, ‘You have given the right answer; do this, and you will live.’

 But wanting to justify himself, he asked Jesus, ‘And who is my neighbour?’ Jesus replied, ‘A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell into the hands of robbers, who stripped him, beat him, and went away, 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 while travelling came near him; and when he saw him, he was moved with pity. He went to him and bandaged his wounds, having poured oil and wine on them. Then he put him on his own animal, brought him to an inn, and took care of him. The next day he took out two denarii, gave them to the innkeeper, and said, “Take care of him; and when I come back, I will repay you whatever more you spend.” Which of these three, do you think, was a neighbour to the man who fell into the hands of the robbers?’ He said, ‘The one who showed him mercy.’ Jesus said to him, ‘Go and do likewise.’