following in the footsteps of Jesus and the Good Samaritan
following in the footsteps of Jesus and the Good Samaritan
To argue on the subject, it is necessary to know a little of what the scriptures say about the Good Samaritan
They were the descendants of Manasseh and Ephraim, sons of Joseph. the Assyrians brought people from their kingdom to populate Samaria and in this way Jews and Assyrians mingle and the Samaritan community is formed. These people were hated, despised by the Jews.
- With the mixture between these two groups, the hatred of the Jews begins to consider the Samaritans impure.
- For maintaining an idolatrous religion
- Because Samaria is a place of refuge for all the Jews of Judea who violate Jewish laws
- The Samaritans rejected the writings of the prophets and all Jewish traditions.
- The Jews considered the lifestyle of the Samaritans detestable because they considered themselves pure before God
Reina-Valera 1960 (RVR1960)
John 8:48) The Jews answered and said to him, "Do we not rightly say that you are a Samaritan and that you have a demon?
Reina-Valera 1960 (RVR1960)
John 4: 9 Then the Samaritan woman said to him, How is it that you, being a Jew, ask me to drink, that I am a Samaritan woman?
Despite the existence of strong social and religious differences between Jews and Samaritans, Jesus, based on love between brothers, opened the way, breaking down every wall of hatred and treatment that differentiated them, showing that for Him, there were no prejudices or reasons to ignore a sheep of his flock, so he also preached to them the gospel of peace, of love, of mercy. The beauty of this behavior of Jesus is that he taught the apostles to follow his example, motivating them to visit villages of the Samaritans and preach the gospel to them. This testimony has been the best example of love to follow for centuries.
Reina-Valera 1960 (RVR1960)
Acts 8:25. And they, having testified and preached the word of the Lord, returned to Jerusalem, and in many populations of the Samaritans announced the gospel
Analyzing the performance of these groups and comparing them with some existing civilizations in the course of time, and even in this century, there is still human rivalry, devoid of mercy, where love is shouted towards God but hating our fellow men for various reasons ( political, economic, social, others) product of ambition and personal interest. However, in the world there are many charitable people who follow in the footsteps of Jesus and the example of the good Samaritan who helped a Jewish man out of mercy, who was assaulted and beaten by thieves, while those who claimed to be pure before God ( priest, Levite) ignored the suffering and abandonment suffered by the Jewish man.
Jesus, tells us that the only way to follow, is what is written in the Gospel, there indicates to us mercy and mercy as virtues that will guide men to the main source of living water that is "ELAMOR"
- We must cultivate love for our neighbor
- Approach those who need it, without distinction (races, social status, religion).
- Show faith through works.
- Do not be insensitive to the pain of others
- Give without expecting to receive.
- Support with act of kindness, considering our economic, human capacity with donations, humanitarian aid to hospitals, home, institutions, churches, that perform altruistic work
- Be able to sacrifice to help a stranger in case of an emergency.
source
REFLECTION:
If we look at the many blessings we receive daily, as a reward for God's mercy for his children, the most correct thing is to return to God the favors received, giving a friendly, kind hand to our brothers who require both spiritual and material help. I know that God will look at us with pleasure and will continue blessing us in abundance in health, food, clothing and goods to live with dignity.
Reina-Valera 1960 (RVR1960)
Proverbs 3: 3-4 Let mercy and truth never depart from you; Tie them to your neck, Write them on the tablet of your heart; And you will find grace and good opinion In the eyes of God and of men