NOTES for Luk 10:25-42
25 And, behold, a certain lawyer stood up, and tempted him, saying, Master, what shall I do to inherit eternal life? |
26 He said unto him, What is written in the law? how readest thou? |
27 And he answering said, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy strength, and with all thy mind; and thy neighbour as thyself. |
28 And he said unto him, Thou hast answered right: this do, and thou shalt live. |
29 But he, willing to justify himself, said unto Jesus, And who is my neighbour? |
30 And Jesus answering said, A certain man went down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell among thieves, which stripped him of his raiment, and wounded him, and departed, leaving him half dead. |
31 And by chance there came down a certain priest that way: and when he saw him, he passed by on the other side. |
32 And likewise a Levite, when he was at the place, came and looked on him, and passed by on the other side. |
33 But a certain Samaritan, as he journeyed, came where he was: and when he saw him, he had compassion on him, |
34 And went to him, and bound up his wounds, pouring in oil and wine, and set him on his own beast, and brought him to an inn, and took care of him. |
35 And on the morrow when he departed, he took out two pence, and gave them to the host, and said unto him, Take care of him; and whatsoever thou spendest more, when I come again, I will repay thee. |
36 Which now of these three, thinkest thou, was neighbour unto him that fell among the thieves? |
37 And he said, He that shewed mercy on him. Then said Jesus unto him, Go, and do thou likewise. |
38 Now it came to pass, as they went, that he entered into a certain village: and a certain woman named Martha received him into her house. |
39 And she had a sister called Mary, which also sat at Jesus' feet, and heard his word. |
40 But Martha was cumbered about much serving, and came to him, and said, Lord, dost thou not care that my sister hath left me to serve alone? bid her therefore that she help me. |
41 And Jesus answered and said unto her, Martha, Martha, thou art careful and troubled about many things: |
42 But one thing is needful: and Mary hath chosen that good part, which shall not be taken away from her. |
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These two stories must again overturn our ideas of "what is good and what is bad." Both of these stories are about serving people. Jesus tells a parable, and then, in the house of His acquaintances, He Himself ends up at the heart of the parable. For the first listeners of the parable about the wounded man and the Samaritan, perhaps the most shocking point was the person of the Samaritan: in the view of observant Jews, Samaritans were heretics and half-pagans, yet he turned out to be the nearest and most important person for the unfortunate man whom the priest and the Levite did not pity. But if you are used to the thought that all people are equal before God, or at the very least before the law, does the thought not shock you that the person dearest to us turns out to be not the one who helped us, but the one whom we helped?
If you love helping people, then the story of Martha and Mary is for you. Jesus saw more love in listening to Him than in preparing dinner for Him. But do not many others, for whom personal attention is far more important than even the most self-sacrificing service performed somewhere off to the side, think the same way?
Readings for 5 August 2025
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