In The Word
Read: Luke 10:25-42
25 And behold, a lawyer stood up and put Him to the test, saying, “Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?” 26 And He said to him, “What is written in the Law? How does it read to you?” 27 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.” 28 And He said to him, “You have answered correctly; do this and you will live.” 29 But wanting to justify himself, he said to Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?”
The Good Samaritan
30 Jesus replied and said, “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and he encountered robbers, and they stripped him and beat him, and went away leaving him half dead. 31 And by coincidence a priest was going down on that road, and when he saw him, he passed by on the other side. 32 Likewise a Levite also, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. 33 But a Samaritan who was on a journey came upon him; and when he saw him, he felt compassion, 34 and came to him and bandaged up his wounds, pouring oil and wine on them; and he put him on his own animal, and brought him to an inn and took care of him. 35 On the next day he took out two denarii and gave them to the innkeeper and said, ‘Take care of him; and whatever more you spend, when I return, I will repay you.’ 36 Which of these three do you think proved to be a neighbor to the man who fell into the robbers’ hands?”37 And he said, “The one who showed compassion to him.” Then Jesus said to him, “Go and do the same.”
Martha and Mary
38 Now as they were traveling along, He entered a village; and a woman named Martha welcomed Him into her home. 39 And she had a sister called Mary, who was also seated at the Lord’s feet, and was listening to His word. 40 But Martha was distracted with all her preparations; and she came up to Him and said, “Lord, do You not care that my sister has left me to do the serving by myself? Then tell her to help me.” 41 But the Lord answered and said to her, “Martha, Martha, you are worried and distracted by many things; 42 but only one thing is necessary; for Mary has chosen the good part, which shall not be taken away from her.”
New American Standard Bible (NASB) Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation
Walking In The Word
In today’s reading, we see two accounts that are very familiar to most believers. At first glimpse of these two accounts, it would appear that they do not complement one another; however, when you take a closer look, you realize they are synonymous in teaching. Jesus was very strategic in delivering the life-changing message of truth in a way that all could read and comprehend.
The first part of our reading reveals Yeshua teaching about how to treat our neighbors. He used a parable about a man beaten, robbed, and left for dead on the side of the road. First, a priest passed by him and did not aid him. Then, a Levite saw him and went to the other side. Finally, a Samaritan man saw him, had compassion, and helped the man that was in distress. You see, there is a message in the stopping. Where the priest and the Levite did not choose the right thing by stopping and helping, the Samaritan man did.
In the second part of the reading, we have Jesus visiting Martha and her sister Mary. They both valued the company of the Messiah, but they expressed it differently. While Martha, distracted by her preparations, engaged in the chores of the house, Mary choose to sit at Jesus’ feet and listen to His Word.
Both of these texts draw a comparison of “good thing” vs. “right thing.” Martha, along with the priest and the Levite, fell into the same trap. They all were doing good things, but they missed out on the right thing. Ask Holy Spirit today to guide you to do the right thing today.