Lent

[Suzi]

I've had partners who have had faith and been scarily pushy with it, I've had others who saw faith as a thing to mock etc. Now I have Marc who has always understood I had a faith, I lost it and have been trying to regain it... He's been actively supportive and it's been really fab. He's grown from being a complete non believer to someone who has an open mind and is happy to come to Church on a Wednesday (I miss that so much) for the small service..

Thank you for talking me through this one Paula.I've never really talked about things like this before, I'm finding it really interesting.

[Paula]

Luke 10:25-37 [25] On one occasion an expert in the law stood up to test Jesus. “Teacher,” he asked, “what must I do to inherit eternal life?” [26] “What is written in the Law?” he replied. “How do you read it?” [27] He answered, “ '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, 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' ” [28] “You have answered correctly,” Jesus replied. “Do this and you will live.” [29] But he wanted to justify himself, so he asked Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?” [30] In reply Jesus said: “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, when he was attacked by robbers. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him and went away, leaving him half dead. [31] A priest happened to be going down the same road, and when he saw the man, he passed by on the other side. [32] So too, a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. [33] But a Samaritan, as he traveled, came where the man was; and when he saw him, he took pity on him. [34] He went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he put the man on his own donkey, brought him to an inn and took care of him. [35] The next day he took out two denarii and gave them to the innkeeper. 'Look after him,' he said, 'and when I return, I will reimburse you for any extra expense you may have.' [36] “Which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?” [37] The expert in the law replied, “The one who had mercy on him.” Jesus told him, “Go and do likewise.”

This is probably the most famous parable in the Bible and once again, returns to the hatred between the Jews and Samaritans. For context, the priest is a Jew, and the Levites are the historical tribe of the Israelites who were responsible for all religious matters. So the priest and Levite had a religious responsibility to help the man, whereas the Samaritan would have known he was a Jew and be expected to walk by.

The expert in the Law was trying to test Jesus and expose him as an uneducated carpenter from Galilee who had no right to be teaching the Law. So ‘what must I do to inherit eternal life?’ Jesus answers with the law given to Moses by God:

Deuteronomy 6:5
[5] Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength.

Leviticus 19:18
[18] “ 'Do not seek revenge or bear a grudge against anyone among your people, but love your neighbor as yourself. I am the Lord.

The lawyer must have been spitting. So he tries again ‘who is my neighbour?’ Jesus doesn’t answer this question but gives him an example. The lawyer has to then answer his own question and cannot give any answer but ‘the one who had mercy’.

This section isn’t just about mercy, it’s also about perceptions and expectations of Jesus. My separate bible reading today talks about how Jesus was seen in his home town of Galilee:

Mark 6:2-3
[2] When the Sabbath came, he began to teach in the synagogue, and many who heard him were amazed. “Where did this man get these things?” they asked. “What's this wisdom that has been given him? What are these remarkable miracles he is performing? [3] Isn't this the carpenter? Isn't this Mary's son and the brother of James, Joseph, Judas and Simon? Aren't his sisters here with us?” And they took offense at him.

Even the people he grew up with, and despite all the signs and wonders he did, didn't want to accept who he is....