One day when I arrived to pick up my car in the parking lot of a hypermarket, a woman approached me, her appearance was frightening, as she was completely dirty with the appearance of not having taken a bath for many days, therefore with a strong odor, dirty and torn clothes, carrying a bag also very dirty, I don't remember what the conversation was about, but something happened that marked my life.
She called out to me, we talked a little and as I left she thanked me for having given her attention, because according to her every time she approached someone and called out, people turned their backs and didn't even want to know what she had to say.
This fact marked my life because how many times had I done the same thing, turned my back on people with that appearance, and in fact she didn't want money but rather someone who would give her attention.
I draw the attention of friends and brothers to reflect on our Christian life, how many times God gives us the opportunity to speak of the salvation that we obtained freely, but we end up choosing the right type of person, according to our vision, to be able to speak, while Jesus affirmed that those who are well do not need a doctor, but rather those who are sick (Mateus 9:12).
The Bible tells us (Lucas 10:25 to 37), that a teacher of the law wanting to test Jesus, asks what he needs to do to inherit eternal life?
Jesus asks him what is written in the law? And how do you read it?, his answer was: “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength and with all your understanding, and your neighbor as yourself”.
Jesus then told him to do that and he would live, but wanting to justify himself he asks Jesus: “who is my neighbor?”, and Jesus tells him the story of the good Samaritan (Lucas 10:30 to 37).
Brothers what we see here is that many times we seek to justify our failures and many times we do not seek to keep Jesus' words, and only by keeping His words will we be saved.
This account of the good Samaritan makes us think that this fact could have happened to any one of us. Who has never witnessed a traffic accident and went to see what happened? but since you didn't know the victim, you turned your back and left.
Loving your neighbor in the same way that we love ourselves is something that many times we do not give proper attention, but it is very serious, how many people we know who don't like the boss? The friend? The neighbor? And worse many times some brothers that we consider annoying?
While the word of God affirms that without peace and without sanctification no one will see God (Hebreus 12:14), how can someone not like a brother? Since the Bible says that if we say we love God, but we cannot love our brother we are liars. (1 João 4:20).
The text of Lucas 10 is much deeper than what we often cite, because three characters were mentioned: Priest, Levite and the Samaritan.
The question is: What did the priest do? What did the Levite do? And what did the Samaritan represent?
According to the word of God the priest was responsible for sanctifying his life, to offer sacrifice for the sins of the people, he lived in the temple teaching the people about the law, while the Levite was responsible for taking care of the temple, worship and instruments and the Samaritan?
The enemy, that is, he was hated because when the people of Israel were conquered by the Assyrians, strange peoples with strange cults and strange gods were placed in Samaria (II Reis 17).
Although the priest taught the people the law, he himself when returning home perhaps very tired, in a hurry and missing his family, stops to take a quick look and realizes that it was just a stranger, simply turns his back and goes on his way.
How many workers in God's house have not done the same thing?
Teaching God's people to love brothers and enemies, exhorting about sanctification, but many times they cannot love brothers, the city, the neighborhood where they live and the people around them.
The Levite was a religious person, doing some activity in the temple, who knows a singer? Or musician? Or someone responsible for the temple?
You could be this person who praises God with instruments, or maybe you sing in the choir, or in the prayer circle, youth group, children or adolescents?
How many times has God already placed someone in your path, needing only to hear a kind word, or receive a hug, but because you were in a hurry we complained, murmured and lost the opportunity to speak of the love of our God, who even being sinners loved us and died on the cross of Calvary to offer each of us the right to be called children of God.
Telling someone that we love them is easy, demonstrating love is harder, God did that for us, that even without deserving it, at the hour of death, after being spat upon, insulted, wounded and carrying that cross, said the following words: “Father, forgive them; for they do not know what they do” (Lucas 23:34).
Are you capable of forgiving someone who offended you, without cause?
Perhaps there is someone you don't like because they are petty, or because they caused you some harm?
In the parable Jesus mentioned that who showed mercy was the Samaritan, someone who served other gods, was no longer part of the people of Israel because several peoples were mixed, will we also let people without Jesus exercise love in our place?
Who knows someone to justify can ask, but who is my neighbor?
This answer is very simple to answer, look at your side now, and discover who is near you, when you go out on the street look see who is at your side, the same way in church, at work, at school and everywhere you are, there will always be someone nearby, and this person is who you should love in the same way that you love yourself, especially those of the household of faith, does this seem difficult?
But it is what Jesus requires of each of us “go and do likewise”, that is, let each one love your neighbor.
May God bless everyone in the name of the Lord Jesus.
Pastor Izaias Lopes do Carmos - Church that is in Ribeirão Preto working in the Work of Restoration.