Sunday 10 July 2022 is the Fifth Sunday after Pentecost and the main Bible text for today is the parable of the Good Samaritan (Luke 10:25-37).
This is a well-known story. Some have described it as containing the essence of Christianity. Many diffferent interpretations are possible but Rev. Geoff McKee argues that context is everything and, by reading the passage in context, we can understand that the Gospel is not about following rules, as such, “it is life delivered through the mercy of God reflected in human kindness.”
Main Scripture for today
Luke 10:25-37 (from The Message translation of the Bible)
Defining “Neighbour”
25 Just then a religion scholar stood up with a question to test Jesus. “Teacher, what do I need to do to get eternal life?”
26 He answered, “What’s written in God’s Law? How do you interpret it?”
27 He said, “That you love the Lord your God with all your passion and prayer and muscle and intelligence—and that you love your neighbour as well as you do yourself.”
28 “Good answer!” said Jesus. “Do it and you’ll live.”
29 Looking for a loophole, he asked, “And just how would you define ‘neighbour’?”
30-32 Jesus answered by telling a story. “There was once a man travelling from Jerusalem to Jericho. On the way he was attacked by robbers. They took his clothes, beat him up, and went off leaving him half-dead. Luckily, a priest was on his way down the same road, but when he saw him he angled across to the other side. Then a Levite religious man showed up; he also avoided the injured man.
33-35 “A Samaritan travelling the road came on him. When he saw the man’s condition, his heart went out to him. He gave him first aid, disinfecting and bandaging his wounds. Then he lifted him onto his donkey, led him to an inn, and made him comfortable. In the morning he took out two silver coins and gave them to the innkeeper, saying, ‘Take good care of him. If it costs any more, put it on my bill—I’ll pay you on my way back.’
36 “What do you think? Which of the three became a neighbour to the man attacked by robbers?”
37 “The one who treated him kindly,” the religion scholar responded.
Jesus said, “Go and do the same.”
Video of today’s service
“Please tell me it will all be okay in the end”?
Lots of people ask the question … these days and those who don’t ask, maybe sometimes wish they could ask! We want to hear a resounding ‘YES!’ to the question, but maybe we fear we won’t. Please tell me it will all be okay in the end.
Yes it will, but you are required to be moved to action.
rev. geoff mckee
