Jesus said, “Which of these three, do you think, was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?” The expert in the law replied, “The one who had mercy on him.” Jesus told him, “Go and do likewise.”

Have you ever crossed the street to avoid someone? Or ducked into another aisle in the grocery store, hoping they didn’t see you? Maybe it was someone you knew but felt you didn’t have the time or energy to face. Or maybe it was someone you didn’t know, but you made a judgement based on their behavior or appearance.

Regardless, something about that person made you uncomfortable, so you looked away, or moved in another direction.

What about the opposite? Has anyone ever crossed the street or looked the other way to avoid you?

We tend to avoid engaging with people who might pull us out of our comfort zone.

In the parable, Jesus tells to demonstrate what he means when he says, “Love your neighbor as yourself.” He chooses to identify the protagonist as a person who was used to being avoided.

As a Samaritan living on the fringes, he had likely watched people cross the street to avoid him on many occasions. And now, here was his chance to do the same. After all, even the religious leaders crossed over and walked on by. This robbed, beaten and injured man was not their problem. It was a reasonable thing to do.

Who would have blamed the Samaritan if he had crossed the street and kept on walking too?

What would it take to stop and offer help to someone knowing that if another the situation were reversed, they would have crossed the street to avoid you?

This is the grace Jesus offers each of us, and it is the grace he calls us to offer our neighbors.

It is what he means when he says, “Go and do likewise.”

Brother Jesus, teach us how to be good neighbors, that the deep woundedness of this world might be healed. In Your Holy name we pray. Amen.

Grace for All is a daily devotional podcast produced by the members of the congregation of First United Methodist Church in Maryville, Tennessee. With these devotionals, we want to remind listeners on a daily basis of the love and grace that God extends to all human beings, no matter their location, status, or condition in life.

If you would like to respond to these devotionals in any way, we would enjoy hearing from you. Our email address is: podcasts@1stchurch.org.

First United Methodist Church is a lively, spirit-filled congregation whose goal is to spread the message of love and grace into our community and throughout the world. We are located on the web at https://1stchurch.org/.

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Thank you for joining us for Grace for All. This month, we are repeating some of our most loved episodes. We hope they will inspire and encourage you on your faith journey. Welcome.