We all have gone astray
Isaiah 53:6
6 We all, like sheep, have gone astray,
each of us has turned to our own way;
and the Lord has laid on him
the iniquity of us all.
Isaiah 53:6a says we all, like sheep, have ‘gone astray’ and each of us has ‘turned to our own way’.
This happens when we don’t have God’s Word and are ignorant or we know God’s Word and are rebellious. The sinners are spiritually blinded and disobedient.
When the snake deceived the woman (Genesis 3:4-5), she ate the forbidden fruits and gave some to her husband, Adam, to eat (Genesis 3:6). Although they had all other trees to eat from (Genesis 2:16), they ate from the forbidden tree (Genesis 2:17). They made a bad choice. The result was ‘destruction’. They were judged by God and received the death sentence (Genesis 3:16-19). They were expelled from the Eden Garden (Genesis 3:23) and prohibited from the tree of life (Genesis 3:22). In the New Testament, ‘destruction’ was warned in Galatians 6:7-8.
7 Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows. 8 Whoever sows to please their flesh, from the flesh will reap destruction; whoever sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life.
People repeat the mistake of the first man and woman by eating from one forbidden tree instead of all other trees freely available. The result of making such a bad choice is destruction.
Let us learn some of the Law related to love, sex and marriage for example.
Marriage is not sin (1 Corinthians 7:28). The Law does not condemn a man who seduces a virgin not pledged to be married and sleeps with her, but he must pay the bride-price, and she shall be his wife (Exodus 22:16-17, cf. Exodus 22:28-29).
However, the law condemns to death a man who rapes or sleeps with a virgin pledged to be married (Exodus 22:23-27). The law also condemns to death a man who commits adultery with another man’s wife (Leviticus 20:10).
How to avoid making a bad choice? See Psalm 119:9.
9 How can a young person stay on the path of purity?
By living according to your word.
The answer is simple: “By living according to God’s Word.”
God exists, prepares and provides for you. God prepared Eden Garden for Adam! So, it is unwise to break His law to get what your flesh desires. He will provide in His time. Wait for Him! Why would you lose the Eden Garden and the Eternal Life for the forbidden tree?
Despite it, Isaiah 53:6a was how we have been. Jesus came and paid for our sins. He died for our sins, and we don’t want to sin anymore. We want to live according to God’s Word. This is fulfilled by living according to the Spirit that God put inside us (Romans 8:3-4). Through Jesus Christ, the Spirit gave us life and set us free from sin and death (Romans 8:2). Romans 8:1-17 teaches us about the ‘Spirit-led life’. Also, learn The meaning of the resurrection of Jesus Christ.
However, if we live according to the flesh, we will die (Romans 8:13a). We have an obligation—but it is not to the flesh, to live according to the Spirit (Romans 8:12).
Note that the Word is spirit (John 6:63) and living according to the Word is the same as living according to the Spirit. Therefore, studying the Holy Bible is crucial.
References
[1] The Holy Bible: New International Version (Anglicised Edition, 2011). (2011). (Revised and updated edition). London: Hodder & Stoughton.
The True Worship
John 4:19-24
19 ‘Sir,’ the woman said, ‘I can see that you are a prophet. 20 Our ancestors worshipped on this mountain, but you Jews claim that the place where we must worship is in Jerusalem.’
21 ‘Woman,’ Jesus replied, ‘believe me, a time is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem. 22 You Samaritans worship what you do not know; we worship what we do know, for salvation is from the Jews. 23 Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshippers will worship the Father in the Spirit and in truth, for they are the kind of worshippers the Father seeks. 24 God is spirit, and his worshippers must worship in the Spirit and in truth.’
The Samaritan woman wanted to know where to worship (20). In the Old Testament, the one place of worship was commanded (Deuteronomy 12:1-32, esp., Deuteronomy 12:5). Today, let us study true worship Jesus taught.
First, true worship does not depend on the location (21).
Second, true worship requires ‘to know God’ (22).
How we can know God:
- GOD’s WORD: The Holy Bible (The written revelation) is God-breathed (2 Timothy 3:16-17). Note that the Old Testament, especially the Law (the first five books) was given only to the Jews previously. And, the living God led them in their history. So, the Jews know God well.
- GOD’S IMAGE: The requirements of the law are written in their hearts, their conscience bears witness, and their thoughts accuse/defend them (Romans 2:15). We were created in His image (Genesis 1:27).
- GOD’S CREATION: God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made (Romans 1:20).
Third, true worship is in the Spirit and in truth (24).
See v23. God is spirit. He seeks the true worshippers (as opposed to ‘we go to the temple, we seek God.’). God will find you wherever you worship in the Spirit and in truth.
See v24.
24 God is spirit, and his worshippers must worship in the Spirit and in truth.’
In the Spirit (in spirit): in the human spirit moved by the Spirit of God (Romans 8:14, 16, 26) as opposed to external, stiffened, and even carnally fanatical modes of worship [2].
In truth: real, actual (in life) as opposed to symbolic, formal, ritualistic worship [2].
Some other relevant words
Our day-to-day life as a living sacrifice to God: Romans 12:1-2
References
[1] The Holy Bible: New International Version (Anglicised Edition, 2011). (2011). (Revised and updated edition). London: Hodder & Stoughton.
[2] Lange, J. P., & Schaff, P. (2008). A commentary on the Holy Scriptures: John (pp. 161–162). Bellingham, WA: Logos Bible Software.
Lying is an act of hatred
Proverbs 26:28 A lying tongue hates those it hurts, and a flattering mouth works ruin.
Today, let us study one verse from the Proverbs, which is called the Book of Wisdom. It is the middle book of the Old Testament because it is the 20th book among 39 books in the Old Testament.
Based on Proverbs 26:28, if someone lied to you, that person hated you. Without reading this verse, we can hardly figure out the relationship between lying and hatred. But the truth of this verse shines the light on the darkness of our ignorant mind, which we can experience while reading the Proverbs.
Garrett [1] comments on this verse as below.
“Lying is an act of hatred. In one way or another, lies destroy those whom they deceive. Therefore the liar despises not only the truth but his victims as well.”
God is love (1 John 4:16). The word of God is the truth. He wants all people to know the truth (1 Timothy 2:3-4). Therefore, Jesus asked Peter, “Feed my sheep” (John 21:17). Nothing is more important than sharing/teaching the truth to people in the darkness of ignorance and deception.
References
[1] Garrett, D. A. (1993). Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Song of songs (Vol. 14, p. 215). Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers.
Verses on Holiness & Purity
| Luke 1:67–75 | 67 His father Zechariah was filled with the Holy Spirit and prophesied: 68 ‘Praise be to the Lord, the God of Israel, because he has come to his people and redeemed them. 69 He has raised up a horn of salvation for us in the house of his servant David 70 (as he said through his holy prophets of long ago), 71 salvation from our enemies and from the hand of all who hate us— 72 to show mercy to our ancestors and to remember his holy covenant, 73 the oath he swore to our father Abraham: 74 to rescue us from the hand of our enemies, and to enable us to serve him without fear 75 in holiness and righteousness before him all our days. |
| 1 Corinthians 6:9–10 | 9 Or do you not know that wrongdoers will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor men who have sex with men 10 nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. |
| 2 Corinthians 7:1 | Therefore, since we have these promises, dear friends, let us purify ourselves from everything that contaminates body and spirit, perfecting holiness out of reverence for God. |
| 1 Thessalonians 2:10–12 | 10 You are witnesses, and so is God, of how holy, righteous and blameless we were among you who believed. 11 For you know that we dealt with each of you as a father deals with his own children, 12 encouraging, comforting and urging you to live lives worthy of God, who calls you into his kingdom and glory. |
| 1 Thessalonians 4:3–8 | 3 It is God’s will that you should be sanctified: that you should avoid sexual immorality; 4 that each of you should learn to control your own body in a way that is holy and honourable, 5 not in passionate lust like the pagans, who do not know God; 6 and that in this matter no one should wrong or take advantage of a brother or sister. The Lord will punish all those who commit such sins, as we told you and warned you before. 7 For God did not call us to be impure, but to live a holy life. 8 Therefore, anyone who rejects this instruction does not reject a human being but God, the very God who gives you his Holy Spirit. |
| 1 Thessalonians 5:23–24 | 23 May God himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through. May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. 24 The one who calls you is faithful, and he will do it. |
| Hebrews 12:14–17 | 14 Make every effort to live in peace with everyone and to be holy; without holiness no one will see the Lord. 15 See to it that no one falls short of the grace of God and that no bitter root grows up to cause trouble and defile many. 16 See that no one is sexually immoral, or is godless like Esau, who for a single meal sold his inheritance rights as the oldest son. 17 Afterwards, as you know, when he wanted to inherit this blessing, he was rejected. Even though he sought the blessing with tears, he could not change what he had done. |
| James 3:17–18 | 17 But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere. 18 Peacemakers who sow in peace reap a harvest of righteousness. |
| 1 Peter 1:13–16 | 13 Therefore, with minds that are alert and fully sober, set your hope on the grace to be brought to you when Jesus Christ is revealed at his coming. 14 As obedient children, do not conform to the evil desires you had when you lived in ignorance. 15 But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; 16 for it is written: ‘Be holy, because I am holy.’ |
| 2 Peter 3:10–13 | 10 But the day of the Lord will come like a thief. The heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything done in it will be laid bare. 11 Since everything will be destroyed in this way, what kind of people ought you to be? You ought to live holy and godly lives 12 as you look forward to the day of God and speed its coming. That day will bring about the destruction of the heavens by fire, and the elements will melt in the heat. 13 But in keeping with his promise we are looking forward to a new heaven and a new earth, where righteousness dwells. |
| 1 John 3:3–10 | 3 All who have this hope in him purify themselves, just as he is pure. 4 Everyone who sins breaks the law; in fact, sin is lawlessness. 5 But you know that he appeared so that he might take away our sins. And in him is no sin. 6 No one who lives in him keeps on sinning. No one who continues to sin has either seen him or known him. 7 Dear children, do not let anyone lead you astray. The one who does what is right is righteous, just as he is righteous. 8 The one who does what is sinful is of the devil, because the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the devil’s work. 9 No one who is born of God will continue to sin, because God’s seed remains in them; they cannot go on sinning, because they have been born of God. 10 This is how we know who the children of God are and who the children of the devil are: anyone who does not do what is right is not God’s child, nor is anyone who does not love their brother and sister. |
| Revelation 21:8 | But the cowardly, the unbelieving, the vile, the murderers, the sexually immoral, those who practise magic arts, the idolaters and all liars—they will be consigned to the fiery lake of burning sulphur. This is the second death.’ |
| Revelation 21:27 | Nothing impure will ever enter it, nor will anyone who does what is shameful or deceitful, but only those whose names are written in the Lamb’s book of life. |
| Revelation 22:14–15 | 14 ‘Blessed are those who wash their robes, that they may have the right to the tree of life and may go through the gates into the city. 15 Outside are the dogs, those who practise magic arts, the sexually immoral, the murderers, the idolaters and everyone who loves and practises falsehood. |
| Matthew 5:27–30 | 27 ‘You have heard that it was said, “You shall not commit adultery.” 28 But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart. 29 If your right eye causes you to stumble, gouge it out and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to be thrown into hell. 30 And if your right hand causes you to stumble, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to go into hell. |
| Genesis 3:17–19 | 17 To Adam he said, ‘Because you listened to your wife and ate fruit from the tree about which I commanded you, “You must not eat from it,” ‘Cursed is the ground because of you; through painful toil you will eat food from it all the days of your life. 18 It will produce thorns and thistles for you, and you will eat the plants of the field. 19 By the sweat of your brow you will eat your food until you return to the ground, since from it you were taken; for dust you are and to dust you will return.’ |
References
[1] The Holy Bible: New International Version (Anglicised Edition, 2011). (2011). (Revised and updated edition). London: Hodder & Stoughton.
* Logos Bible Software was used to search, compile, and export the above list).
Christ’s Sacrifice for our Sin & Resurrection foretold
Isaiah 53:1-12
The sacrifice of Christ for our sin was foretold in verses 4, 5, 6, 8, 10, 11, and 12 in Isaiah 53, underlined as below. His resurrection was foretold in v10 and v11 marked in bold.
53
1 Who has believed our message
and to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?
2 He grew up before him like a tender shoot,
and like a root out of dry ground.
He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to him,
nothing in his appearance that we should desire him.
3 He was despised and rejected by mankind,
a man of suffering, and familiar with pain.
Like one from whom people hide their faces
he was despised, and we held him in low esteem.
4 Surely he took up our pain
and bore our suffering,
yet we considered him punished by God,
stricken by him, and afflicted.
5 But he was pierced for our transgressions,
he was crushed for our iniquities;
the punishment that brought us peace was on him,
and by his wounds we are healed.
6 We all, like sheep, have gone astray,
each of us has turned to our own way;
and the Lord has laid on him
the iniquity of us all.
7 He was oppressed and afflicted,
yet he did not open his mouth;
he was led like a lamb to the slaughter,
and as a sheep before its shearers is silent,
so he did not open his mouth.
8 By oppression and judgment he was taken away.
Yet who of his generation protested?
For he was cut off from the land of the living;
for the transgression of my people he was punished.
9 He was assigned a grave with the wicked,
and with the rich in his death,
though he had done no violence,
nor was any deceit in his mouth.
10 Yet it was the Lord’s will to crush him and cause him to suffer,
and though the Lord makes his life an offering for sin,
he will see his offspring and prolong his days,
and the will of the Lord will prosper in his hand.
11 After he has suffered,
he will see the light of life and be satisfied;
by his knowledge my righteous servant will justify many,
and he will bear their iniquities.
12 Therefore I will give him a portion among the great,
and he will divide the spoils with the strong,
because he poured out his life unto death,
and was numbered with the transgressors.
For he bore the sin of many,
and made intercession for the transgressors.
References
[1] The Holy Bible: New International Version (Anglicised Edition, 2011). (2011). (Revised and updated edition). London: Hodder & Stoughton.
Our materials for the beginners
Creation or Evolution?
https://comnc.org/links/first-bible-lessons/
John 1:1-18
John 1:1-5: In Him was Life
John 1:6-13: The true light that gives light to everyone
John 1:14: The Word became flesh (Part 1)
John 1:15: The Word became flesh (Part 2)
John 1:16-17: The Word became flesh (Part 3a)
John 1:17b:
| Grace and Truth through Jesus Christ |
| Grace |
| Defining ‘Truth’ |
| The Importance of ‘knowing’ truth |
| The importance of ‘listening to’ Jesus |
What spirit do you have? How to accept Jesus?
John 1:18: No one has ever seen God, but the one and only Son has made Him known
Our Guilt of Uncleanness
https://comnc.org/our-guilt-of-uncleanness-jesus-died-for/ [1]
References
[1] The sin of ‘not teaching the unclean and the clean’
The Beatitudes
Matthew chapter 5, 6, and 7 are called “The Sermon on the Mount”.
The opening part of the Sermon is called “The Beatitudes”. Beatitude comes from the Latin adjective beatus which means happy, fortunate or blissful. The beatitudes are 8 blessings as written in Matthew 5:1-12. Poor in spirit (Matthew 5:3), mourning over our sins (Matthew 5:4), meek (Matthew 5:5), righteous (Matthew 5:6), merciful (Matthew 5:7), pure (Matthew 5:8), peacemakers (Matthew 5:9), and bearing disgrace for Christ (Matthew 5:10-12). Today, let us study the last one.
Matthew 5:10-12
10Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
11“Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. 12Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.
First, persecution is the sign that we are the citizens in the kingdom of heaven.
2 Timothy 3:12, 13 says
12 In fact, everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted, 13 while evildoers and impostors will go from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived.
Second, persecution is the sign that we have great rewards in heaven and the sign that we are the true prophets.
Luke 6:26 tells us about false prophets, who are spoken well of by everyone.
26 Woe to you when everyone speaks well of you,
for that is how their ancestors treated the false prophets.
2 Timothy 4:3 tells us about what people want to hear from false prophets.
3 For the time will come when people will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear.
People speak well of them because false prophets say only what sinful people are pleased to hear.
On the other hand, the true prophets speak God’s word and rebuke people for their sins. When God’s will is contrary to their love toward darkness, some might turn to be persecutors.
Therefore Persecution is the sign for the true prophets. Let us rejoice and be glad when people insult, persecute and falsely say all kinds of evil against us! And let us continue to seek first his kingdom and righteousness in Sydney and Australia and the world.
Paul who received many persecutions while he preached the gospel said in Romans 3:16,
“I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes: first to the Jew, then to the Gentile.”
Amen! The gospel is from God. Even though we face some unbelief and persecutions, we know powerful is the gospel, and great is our reward. Amen.
In Romans 8:18, Paul confesses his faith in surpassing glory after sharing Lord’s suffering.
18 I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us. Amen.
Our future glory surpasses any present sufferings we may have. Even “not worth comparing”!
Therefore let us confess the faith that Moses had, as written in Hebrews 11:26.
26He regarded disgrace for the sake of Christ as of greater value than the treasures of Egypt, because he was looking ahead to his reward.
Moses refused the treasures of Egypt and chose disgrace for Christ instead. By faith, he knew disgrace for Christ is of great value than the treasures of Egypt. Do you bear disgrace for the sake of Christ? Let us look ahead to our reward in heaven by faith! Jesus says to us, “Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven.” (12a) Our reward in heaven is of greater value than any treasures in the world. Amen.
In 2 Timothy 4:7, 8, Paul confessed his faith that there is the crown of righteousness for him.
7 I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. 8 Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day—and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing. Amen!
Jesus said in Revelation 3:11.
11 I am coming soon. Hold on to what you have, so that no one will take your crown.
We have been doing good jobs to let others know Jesus. God knows our labour. And He never forgets what we did for Him. But the devil wants to disqualify us and take the crown away. The devil knows our weaknesses and attacks them through temptation and deception. We are in the spiritual war. Let us not lose the crown that we are qualified for. Amen
Let us pray!
Lord, thank You for Your Word today.
Thank You, Lord, for teaching us 8 blessings in Matthew 5:1-12. Let us live the most blessed life today and every day according to Your Word, Lord. Let us be poor in spirit (Matthew 5:3), mourning over our sins (Matthew 5:4), meek (Matthew 5:5), righteous (Matthew 5:6), merciful (Matthew 5:7), pure (Matthew 5:8), peacemakers (Matthew 5:9), and bearing disgrace for Christ (Matthew 5:10-12).
We regard disgrace for the sake of Christ as of greater value than the treasures of the world, Lord. We rejoice and are glad over persecution because we look ahead to our reward. Help us all continue to fight the good fight, finish the race, keep the faith and receive the crown of righteousness awarded by You on that day.
We pray in the name of Jesus. Amen.
The actual meaning of ‘Love your neighbour.’
Luke 10:25-37
25 On one occasion an expert in the law stood up to test Jesus. ‘Teacher,’ he asked, ‘what must I do to inherit eternal life?’
26 ‘What is written in the Law?’ he replied. ‘How do you read it?’
27 He answered, ‘ “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind”; and, “Love your neighbour as yourself.”’
28 ‘You have answered correctly,’ Jesus replied. ‘Do this and you will live.’
29 But he wanted to justify himself, so he asked Jesus, ‘And who is my neighbour?’
30 In reply Jesus said: ‘A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, when he was attacked by robbers. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him and went away, leaving him half-dead. 31 A priest happened to be going down the same road, and when he saw the man, he passed by on the other side. 32 So too, a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. 33 But a Samaritan, as he travelled, came where the man was; and when he saw him, he took pity on him. 34 He went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he put the man on his own donkey, brought him to an inn and took care of him. 35 The next day he took out two denarii and gave them to the innkeeper. “Look after him,” he said, “and when I return, I will reimburse you for any extra expense you may have.”
36 ‘Which of these three do you think was a neighbour to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?’
37 The expert in the law replied, ‘The one who had mercy on him.’
Jesus told him, ‘Go and do likewise.’ [1]
An expert in the law tested Jesus by asking, ‘What must I do to inherit eternal life?’ (25).
Jesus answered by asking back, ‘What is written in the Law? How do you read it?’ (26). Here we can learn that asking back is the best way to answer those who want to test or trap us.
The expert in the law answered: ‘ “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind”; and, “Love your neighbour as yourself.”’ (27)
Jesus replied, ‘You have answered correctly. Do this and you will live.’ (28)
This revealed that the expert of the law knew the answer. Therefore he didn’t have to ask Jesus for the answer. He wanted to justify himself and asked another question so that Jesus might answer. His question was, ‘ And who is my neighbour?’ (29).
Jesus told him the parable of the good Samaritan. See v30-35.
‘A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, when he was attacked by robbers. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him and went away, leaving him half-dead. 31 A priest happened to be going down the same road, and when he saw the man, he passed by on the other side. 32 So too, a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. 33 But a Samaritan, as he travelled, came where the man was; and when he saw him, he took pity on him. 34 He went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he put the man on his own donkey, brought him to an inn and took care of him. 35 The next day he took out two denarii and gave them to the innkeeper. “Look after him,” he said, “and when I return, I will reimburse you for any extra expense you may have.”’
We could think that the person in need in this parable was ‘my neighbour’. However, Jesus taught ‘my neighbour’ was ‘a Samaritan’. Two among three (a priest, a Levite, a Samaritan) didn’t become a neighbour in the parable. Jesus asked, ‘Which of these three do you think was a neighbour to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?’ (36)
By answering this question, we realise
- Being a neighbour is not determined by a physical distance as a priest, and a Levite didn’t become a neighbour when they came close to the person in need.
- We can be a neighbour to the person in need by ‘deliberately (or actively) becoming a neighbour’.
Then we realise ‘Love your neighbour as yourself.’ has a new meaning.
That is, ‘Love the one actively becoming your neighbour as yourself.’
The expert in the law replied, ‘The one who had mercy on him.’ (37a)
Jesus told him, ‘Go and do likewise.’ (37b)
37a and 37b give us, ‘Actively become a neighbour to a person in need by having mercy on the person.’
In this parable, a priest and a Levite avoided the man victimised by robbers despite their religious responsibility in society. It is ironic, but such irony is repeated throughout the books of the Gospel. Those who were against Jesus and tried to kill Him were also priests and religious leaders. Also, ironically the true neighbour was the Samaritan[2], who other Israelites most despised for their religious standards compromised by the influences such as the Assyrian culture. What did the Samaritan do for the man who met robbers?
The Samaritan
- took pity on him.
- provided him with first aid.
- provided him with transport.
- provided him with hospitality.
- took responsibility for the future cost.
In summary, let us put down our titles. Based on the books of the Gospel, it is obvious that Jesus wants us to put them down. It is not about whether we have the title like ‘Christian’. But it is about the truth, about love, and about being a true neighbour.
[1] The Holy Bible: New International Version (Anglicised Edition, 2011). (2011). (Revised and updated edition, Lk 10:25–37). London: Hodder & Stoughton.
[2] The Samaritan region was invaded by the Assyrians and mixed with them. As a result, Israelites in the region lost their pure blood and were called the Samaritans.
