Text: Luke 10:25-42, Luke 11:1-13
Event(s): The parable of the good Samaritan, Mary and Martha worship and serve, the model prayer, Keep asking, seeking and knocking
Luke 10:27 “with all your heart…soul….strength….mind” Love for God and others flows out of four areas of our lives:
Our heart, “kardia” Kardia is the seat of one’s personal life (both physical and spiritual). It is the center of one’s personality, the seat of one’s entire mental and moral activity, containing both rational and emotional elements. It is the seat of feelings, desires, joy, pain and love. It is also the center for thought, understanding and will.
Our soul, “psyche” is the soul as distinguished from the body. (The definition is very closely related to that of our heart, but they are distinct.) The soul is the seat of the affections, will, desire emotions, mind, reason and understanding.
Our strength, “ischys” refers to power, literally to strength. It paints a picture of force to overcoming immediate resistance.
And our mind, “dianoia” refers to our understanding. The word suggests insight, meditation, reflection, perception, the gift of apprehension, the faculty of thought.*
Luke 10:29 “who is my neighbor?” Feeling unable to meet this requirement, the lawyer, in an attempt to wrap his arms around what Jesus had just said had to limit the meaning in order to try to reduce it to something that was more attainable to him. However, when God asks us (in this case, commands us) to do something, we must learn how to access His empowering grace as the source for which all things flow. It is only by yielding and access His power that we can walk in the things Jesus did.
Luke 10:28 “do this and you will live.” The attorney had asked what he could “do” to inherit eternal life. Jesus was more interested in teaching him what kind of person he had the potential to “be”.
Luke 10:34 “pouring on oil and wine” The oil soothed his wounds, and the wine disinfected them. But oil is also a symbol of the Spirit, and wine is a symbol of the blood of redemption. He also gave money to supply for the man’s needs. This was no small amount, either. At this time, it would cost about one twelfth of a denarius to live for a day. So the Samaritan provided well over the amount needed to sustain and care for him. His act brought healing, anointing, protection, and provision to the one in need.
Luke 10:40 “Martha was distracted with much serving” It is a good and desirable thing to work and serve with excellence. However, we must take caution that all our efforts and energy spent do not cause us to underemphasize the most important thing of all, and that is spending intimate time with God. The word distracted literally means to be drawn away mentally, or to be over-occupied.
Luke 11:1-4 “The Lord’s Prayer” This is a different occasion on which Jesus shared this “guide” for prayer. The first time was when we shared it in the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 6.
Today’s Takeaway: One of the loudest themes I hear in the parable of the Good Samaritan is that of value. Valuing others and guarding my heart to make sure I don’t create walls of division against other people. If we will earnestly ask ourselves, “Who is my neighbor?” that alone will be very telling as to the condition of our hearts.
Additional (optional) reading: The events in today’s passage are only recorded in the Gospel of Luke, but to go along with today’s reading, I recommend 1 John 4.
*Definition meanings taken from The New Spirit Filled Life Bible, Executive Editor, Dr. Jack Hayford
Linda G Riddle 