The Good Samaritan

In one story Jesus told, a man was traveling from Jerusalem to Jericho when thieves robbed him, beat him, and left him for dead.

After a priest and a Levite had passed without helping, a Samaritan (a race despised by the Jews of Jesus' time) had compassion on the poor man and brought him to an inn in the next town.

The next morning the Samaritan gave the innkeeper two silver coins and said, "Please take care of the man. If you spend more than this on him, I will repay you when I return." (Luke 10:25-37)

Your neighbor is anyone that needs your love. Jesus says, “Treat others as you want them to treat you.” (Matthew 7:12)

Banquet Guests

One Sabbath day Jesus went to eat dinner in the home of a leader of the Pharisees. He said, “When you put on a luncheon or a banquet, don’t invite your friends, brothers, relatives, and rich neighbors. For they will invite you back, and that will be your only reward. Instead, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, and the blind. Then God will reward you for inviting those who could not repay you.” (Luke 14:1;12-14)

The Last Supper

When it was time for supper, Jesus got up from the table, took off his robe, wrapped a towel around his waist, and poured water into a basin. Then he began to wash the disciples’ feet, drying them with the towel he had around him.

After washing their feet, he put on his robe again and sat down and asked, “Do you understand what I was doing? Since I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you ought to wash each other’s feet. I have given you an example to follow. Do as I have done to you. By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.” (John 13)

Those first Christians turned the world upside down with the love of God. The way they lived convinced others that their faith was real.  The Roman author Tertullian (c.160–c. 225), when speaking of the early church, reported that the pagans would exclaim, “See how they love one another!” Clearly the Christians’ concern and care was visible in their actions, attitudes, and words.

The Final Judgement

“When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the Kingdom prepared for you from the creation of the world. For I was hungry, and you fed me. I was thirsty, and you gave me a drink. I was a stranger, and you invited me into your home. I was naked, and you gave me clothing. I was sick, and you cared for me. I was in prison, and you visited me.’

“Then these righteous ones will reply, ‘Lord, when did we ever see you hungry and feed you? Or thirsty and give you something to drink? Or a stranger and show you hospitality? Or naked and give you clothing? When did we ever see you sick or in prison and visit you?’

“And the King will say, ‘I tell you the truth, when you did it to one of the least of these my brothers and sisters, you were doing it to me!’” – Jesus, Matthew 25:31-40

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Image Credits:

Pages 1-3: Foreground images in public domain; backgrounds designed by brgfx/freepik

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All other images (including cover) by Didier Martin, www.mylittlehouse.org