A religious teacher wanted to test Jesus. “What must I do to have eternal life?” he asked. Jesus answered, “What is written in the Scriptures?”The teacher replied, “The Scriptures say, ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, strength, and mind.’ They also say, ‘Love your neighbours as much as you love yourself.’” Jesus said, “You have given the right answer. If you do this, you will have eternal life.”
But the man wanted to show that he knew what he was talking about. So he asked Jesus, “Who are my neighbours?” In reply Jesus told him the following story:As a man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, robbers attacked him and grabbed everything he had. They beat him up and ran off, leaving him half dead.
A priest from the same town was going down the same road, but when he saw the man, he walked by on the other side. Later a temple helper came by. But when he saw the man who had been beaten up, he also went by on the other side.
A stranger from Samaria then came along that road. When he saw the man, he felt sorry for him and went over to him. He cleaned his wounds and bandaged them. He put him on his own donkey and took him to an inn. He gave the innkeeper two silver coins and said, "Please take care of the man. If you spend more than this on him, I will pay you when I return."
Then Jesus asked, "Which one of these three people was a real neighbour to the man who was beaten up by robbers?"
The teacher answered, "The one who showed pity."
Jesus said, "Go and do the same!"Labels: Stories on harmony |
