“One day an expert in religious law stood up to test Jesus by asking him this question: “Teacher, what should I do to inherit eternal life?” Jesus replied, “What does the law of Moses say? How do you read it?” The man answered, “‘You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your strength, and all your mind.’ And, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’” “Right!” Jesus told him. “Do this and you will live!” The man wanted to justify his actions, so he asked Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?” Jesus replied with a story: “A Jewish man was traveling from Jerusalem down to Jericho, and he was attacked by bandits. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him up, and left him half dead beside the road. “By chance a priest came along. But when he saw the man lying there, he crossed to the other side of the road and passed him by. A Temple assistant walked over and looked at him lying there, but he also passed by on the other side. “Then a despised Samaritan came along, and when he saw the man, he felt compassion for him. Going over to him, the Samaritan soothed his wounds with olive oil and wine and bandaged them. Then he put the man on his own donkey and took him to an inn, where he took care of him. The next day he handed the innkeeper two silver coins, telling him, ‘Take care of this man. If his bill runs higher than this, I’ll pay you the next time I’m here.’ “Now which of these three would you say was a neighbor to the man who was attacked by bandits?” Jesus asked. The man replied, “The one who showed him mercy.” Then Jesus said, “Yes, now go and do the same.” As Jesus and the disciples continued on their way to Jerusalem, they came to a certain village where a woman named Martha welcomed him into her home. Her sister, Mary, sat at the Lord’s feet, listening to what he taught. But Martha was distracted by the big dinner she was preparing. She came to Jesus and said, “Lord, doesn’t it seem unfair to you that my sister just sits here while I do all the work? Tell her to come and help me.” But the Lord said to her, “My dear Martha, you are worried and upset over all these details! There is only one thing worth being concerned about. Mary has discovered it, and it will not be taken away from her.””
Luke 10:25-42 NLT
Showing Christ’s love includes taking care of people’s physical needs, but nothing is more important than knowing Jesus. It is vital that we do both. The two stories in these verses illustrate this point.
Jesus told the parable of the Good Samaritan in response to a question from a scribe, an expert in religious law. He wanted to know what it meant to love a neighbor (and to justify himself). The story shows that our neighbors are not just our friend and those like us but everyone—even our enemies. At the time, Jews and Samaritans were enemies (notice how the scribe won’t even say the word “Samaritan” in verse 37). It is not enough to know the Bible; we need to live the Bible. To inherit eternal life we need to obey the greatest commandments—love God and love neighbor as yourself. This love includes action, and it includes loving our enemies.
Practical action is important, but it is not more important than Jesus. Martha and Mary both loved Jesus, but Martha was mad that her sister Mary wasn’t helping with the food (which women were supposed to do) and she was sitting at Jesus’ feet like a disciple (which women weren’t supposed to do). Jesus affirmed Mary and challenged Martha to see the most important thing. We can’t just take care of people’s physical needs; we need to point them to Jesus—He is the source of true hope, joy, and life. We need to put Jesus first in our own lives, even as we serve the needs of others.
Do you have both the study of God and practical action in your life? One will probably come easier to you, but make sure you have both as part of your walk of faith. How can you make sure your evangelism includes sharing Jesus and taking care of needs?
