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The Good Samaritan · Bible in a Year with Jack Graham

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  Speaker 1: Let us pray. And he said, He that showed mercy
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  Speaker 1: on him, then said Jesus unto him, Go, and do
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  Speaker 1: thou likewise. Luke 10.37 Open the eyes of my heart,
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  Speaker 1: so that I will be able to come to the
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  Speaker 1: aid of my brother and sister in Christ. Break off
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  Speaker 1: all prejudices and cultural stigmas that may be attached to
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  Speaker 1: my mind, both knowingly and unknowingly. Give me the strength, Lord,
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  Speaker 1: to break through cultural boundaries like Jesus, to show the
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  Speaker 1: love and kindness you have and think towards them. Like
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  Speaker 1: the story of the Good Samaritan, I will not wait
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  Speaker 1: for convenience to be a resource and outlet of hope.
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  Speaker 1: I also thank you in advance for providing all the
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  Speaker 1: provision needed to adequately serve those in need. You've commanded
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  Speaker 1: me to love my neighbor as I love myself. Therefore,
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  Speaker 1: first increase the love I have for myself so that
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  Speaker 1: I can increase the love for those all around me.
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  Speaker 1: I declare that others are valuable because I'm valuable. I
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  Speaker 1: declare that they have worth because I have worth. I
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  Speaker 1: declare that they are called to greatness because you have
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  Speaker 1: called me to greatness, God. With these truths as anchors
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  Speaker 1: to my soul, I will help build the lives of
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  Speaker 1: those around me, because you are building my life within me.
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  Speaker 1: In Jesus' name, amen. Listening to these daily prayers strengthens
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  Speaker 1: your relationship with God. Continue hearing from the Lord by
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  Speaker 1: listening to today's Bible in a Year. Brought to you
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  Speaker 1: by BibleInAYear.com.
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  Speaker 2: The Good Samaritan. In our last story, Jesus gave an
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  Speaker 2: intense illustration about the true meaning of forgiveness and mercy
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  Speaker 2: through a servant and his master. Now Jesus unpacks the
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  Speaker 2: meaning behind being a good neighbor through an unexpected hero,
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  Speaker 2: inspired by the Gospels.
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  Speaker 3: Hello, I'm Jack Graham with today's episode of the Bible
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  Speaker 3: in a Year podcast. But before we begin, I want
• 2:32
  Speaker 3: to let you know about a unique e-book That's yours
• 2:36
  Speaker 3: to download absolutely free today. It's called Breaking Free from Stress.
• 2:42
  Speaker 3: And my prayer is that it will help you conquer
• 2:44
  Speaker 3: the daily tasks and pressures and burdens that bring stress
• 2:47
  Speaker 3: in your life. Download your free copy of Breaking Free
• 2:51
  Speaker 3: from Stress today by visiting jackgram.org slash stress. That's jackgram.org
• 2:58
  Speaker 3: slash stress. The last time we were together, we heard Jesus'
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  Speaker 3: teaching on how great our debt is to God and
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  Speaker 3: why His forgiveness of our sins should motivate us to
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  Speaker 3: forgive others. It's an important lesson on showing mercy and
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  Speaker 3: giving forgiveness as a response to God's incredible, immense grace
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  Speaker 3: toward us. Today we'll hear another parable from Jesus. A
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  Speaker 3: parable is described as an earthly story with a heavenly meaning.
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  Speaker 3: So Jesus, this time, is illustrating what it means to
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  Speaker 3: love our neighbor and who is our neighbor. His teaching
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  Speaker 3: sets the highest of standards for loving as God loves.
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  Speaker 3: So let's listen now to the reading of his word.
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  Speaker 2: Jesus was walking in the outer regions of the city.
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  Speaker 2: It was a bright spring day, and Jesus was mingling
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  Speaker 2: with a few of the villages. A lawyer came from
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  Speaker 2: the crowd and sat beside Jesus. The young man was
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  Speaker 2: cocky and held himself with unearned confidence. Jesus smiled at
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  Speaker 2: the young man and greeted him. Paying little attention to pleasantries,
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  Speaker 2: the lawyer spoke, saying, Teacher, how shall I inherit eternal life?
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  Speaker 2: Jesus looked forward towards the children playing beside the road.
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  Speaker 2: He saw their parents close behind them laughing. Jesus looked
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  Speaker 2: back at the lawyer and replied, What is written in
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  Speaker 2: the law? Have you read it? You shall love the
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  Speaker 2: Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength.
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  Speaker 2: You shall love your neighbor as yourself, the young man replied.
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  Speaker 2: Very good, Jesus answered. Do these things and you shall
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  Speaker 2: live into eternity. As Jesus sat up to walk towards
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  Speaker 2: the people, the lawyer stopped him. Yes, but who is
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  Speaker 2: considered my neighbor? the lawyer asked in jest. He asked
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  Speaker 2: these things to figure out who he needed to love
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  Speaker 2: and who he could ignore. Jesus turned back to the
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  Speaker 2: man and walked back. He sat on the bench beside
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  Speaker 2: him and told him a story. As he began, a
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  Speaker 2: whole crowd of people gathered around to listen. A man
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  Speaker 2: was traveling from Jerusalem to Jericho. As he walked the countryside,
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  Speaker 2: a band of robbers ambushed him out of nowhere. They
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  Speaker 2: struck his face and his ribs. As the man fell
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  Speaker 2: to his knees, another robber kicked him in the jaw.
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  Speaker 2: The man's head slammed onto the ground, and an onslaught
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  Speaker 2: of kicks barraged him endlessly. The robbers tore off his
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  Speaker 2: clothes and took everything he owned. Once they were through
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  Speaker 2: shaming him, they tossed him off the edge of the
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  Speaker 2: road into a ditch full of stones and weeds. The
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  Speaker 2: man lay there half dead. He had lost all feeling
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  Speaker 2: in his legs, and his face was so swollen he
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  Speaker 2: could barely see. His cracked ribs scraped against his lungs
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  Speaker 2: as he struggled for every breath. The man truly believed
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  Speaker 2: he would die there, until he saw a priest walking
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  Speaker 2: by the road. The priest was holding a few scrolls,
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  Speaker 2: strolling along the pathways. The man groaned and tried to
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  Speaker 2: shout out to the priest for help. The priest looked
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  Speaker 2: around and saw the naked man, bloodied on the floor.
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  Speaker 2: Repulsed by the sight, the priest walked to the other
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  Speaker 2: side of the road and continued on his way. The
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  Speaker 2: day rolled on and the air was growing more frigid
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  Speaker 2: by the minute. The beaten and bloodied man shivered among
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  Speaker 2: the stones, unable to even lift his head. On the
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  Speaker 2: corner of his eye, he saw a Levite. He was
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  Speaker 2: wearing his elegant robes of different colors and hummed to
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  Speaker 2: a tune sung in the synagogues. When the Levites saw
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  Speaker 2: the man quivering by the wayside, he cringed and shuffled
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  Speaker 2: over to the other side of the road, pretending not
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  Speaker 2: to see him. The priest and a Levite had rejected him.
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  Speaker 2: The man was certain he would die within minutes. Night
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  Speaker 2: was approaching and the earth was basking in the last
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  Speaker 2: moments of sunlight. The cold wind blew through the canyons
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  Speaker 2: by the road. At this point, the man was completely unconscious.
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  Speaker 2: A Samaritan, one of the people reviled by Israel, was
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  Speaker 2: passing by the road. He hoped to find an inn
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  Speaker 2: by nightfall, so he was in a rush. That was
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  Speaker 2: until he saw the man on the side of the road.
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  Speaker 2: The Samaritan climbed down the rocks to the man. When
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  Speaker 2: he saw that he was still alive, he carried him
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  Speaker 2: on his back up the hill. The Samaritan stumbled a
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  Speaker 2: few times, scraping his knees on the jagged rocks. But
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  Speaker 2: he kept going. He strapped the man to his donkey
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  Speaker 2: and walked him into town. There he found an inn
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  Speaker 2: intended to his wounds. He bound up his broken bones
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  Speaker 2: and sewed up his torn flesh. For a whole night
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  Speaker 2: and day he tended to the man's every need. Once
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  Speaker 2: the man was beginning to heal, the Samaritan paid the
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  Speaker 2: innkeeper enough money to take care of the man for
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  Speaker 2: a few more weeks. Then he turned to check up
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  Speaker 2: on him. Jesus finished his story. The lawyer was doing
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  Speaker 2: his best to hide his teary eyes. Jesus turned to
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  Speaker 2: him with a tender smile. Tell me. Which of the
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  Speaker 2: three was a better neighbor, the priest, the Levite, or
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  Speaker 2: the Samaritan? The lawyer wiped his eyes and took a
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  Speaker 2: deep breath. I suppose it was the one who showed mercy,
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  Speaker 2: he answered. Jesus patted the man on the back and said,
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  Speaker 2: You go and do likewise. And with that, Jesus stood
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  Speaker 2: to his feet to tend to the crowd. His story
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  Speaker 2: revealed deep truths that had been hidden by dogma and racism.
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  Speaker 2: The Samaritans were considered undesirable and wretched people by the Jews.
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  Speaker 2: It treated them like dogs more than humans. On the
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  Speaker 2: other hand, priests and Levites were revered and admired. Jesus
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  Speaker 2: told the story of the Good Samaritan to show that goodness, mercy,
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  Speaker 2: and kindness can come from unexpected places. It showed Jesus' heart,
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  Speaker 2: that he was not concerned with cultural boundaries, but human kindness.
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  Speaker 3: In the parable that Jesus tells, this story begins with
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  Speaker 3: an expert in Jewish religious law questioning the Lord. He
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  Speaker 3: was not simply asking a question, but really testing Jesus.
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  Speaker 3: This was not uncommon in that time, as students would
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  Speaker 3: ask questions to teachers in a public forum like this.
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  Speaker 3: But while his actions weren't necessarily wrong, clearly his motives were.
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  Speaker 3: This man is a self-righteous lawyer, and he's attempting to
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  Speaker 3: trap Jesus, as the religious leaders have been trying to
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  Speaker 3: do now for some time. Jesus is very controversial. So
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  Speaker 3: he asked Jesus what was required for him to inherit
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  Speaker 3: eternal life. Jesus then turned the question back on the lawyer,
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  Speaker 3: pointing to the Torah, the law of the Jews, and
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  Speaker 3: asked the man how he reads it. The man, of course,
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  Speaker 3: knows all the right answers. He's a lawyer who is well-prepared,
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  Speaker 3: so he responds with the twofold commandment to love God
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  Speaker 3: with heart, soul, mind, and strength, and then to love
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  Speaker 3: your neighbor as yourself. It was a textbook answer, and
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  Speaker 3: the man knew it. Jesus congratulated him on his right
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  Speaker 3: answer and told the man to go and do those
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  Speaker 3: things as if it were easy, and he would inherit
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  Speaker 3: eternal life. Of course, Jesus knew that the law itself
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  Speaker 3: could not give this man or any man eternal life. Rather,
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  Speaker 3: it served to point us to the need for the Savior.
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  Speaker 3: The law points us to the Lord himself. This man
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  Speaker 3: wasn't satisfied with the Lord's answer. He didn't want to
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  Speaker 3: be just right. He wanted to justify himself. So he
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  Speaker 3: asked Jesus, who is my neighbor? Who is my neighbor?
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  Speaker 3: That is a very important question, isn't it? And we
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  Speaker 3: need to know the answer to that question as well.
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  Speaker 3: And so Jesus tells us this story. Rather than give
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  Speaker 3: us a list of the people that we should love,
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  Speaker 3: Jesus told this story, which is very familiar. A man
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  Speaker 3: was traveling on a dangerous road alone. It was a
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  Speaker 3: path known to harbor thieves who would attack travelers and
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  Speaker 3: rob them and so on. Yet the man foolishly put
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  Speaker 3: himself in a vulnerable position, and sure enough, he was attacked.
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  Speaker 3: He was robbed, beaten, and left for dead. Can you
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  Speaker 3: picture some of those listening to this story thinking, well,
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  Speaker 3: that serves him right. What was he thinking going there,
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  Speaker 3: doing that? So the man is laying there, helpless and dying.
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  Speaker 3: Then a priest appeared on the road. This was a
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  Speaker 3: godly and righteous man by most anyone's standards. Surely he
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  Speaker 3: would help, but rather than help, the priest crossed the
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  Speaker 3: road and walked by as far as he could away
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  Speaker 3: from the dying, dirty, bleeding man. Next came a Levite.
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  Speaker 3: This man knew what worship was. He helped priests in
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  Speaker 3: the temple and led the people in songs of praise.
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  Speaker 3: If anyone should know the heart of God, it should
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  Speaker 3: have been this man. But he too crossed the road
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  Speaker 3: and walked on the other side, way out of reach,
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  Speaker 3: ignoring the man whose life was draining from his body.
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  Speaker 3: By now, the crowd listening to Jesus must have been perplexed.
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  Speaker 3: Or maybe they were even waiting for Jesus to tell
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  Speaker 3: them that, like these two godly men so-called, that they
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  Speaker 3: also could walk by on the other side of the
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  Speaker 3: road and not pay attention to people's needs. But, of course,
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  Speaker 3: that's not what they heard. Jesus then introduces another traveler,
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  Speaker 3: a Samaritan. Now, the Samaritan was the least likely hero.
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  Speaker 3: They were despised by Jews. What good could come from Samaria?
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  Speaker 3: But this Samaritan man saw the broken man, the bleeding man,
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  Speaker 3: and he had mercy on him. He stopped and cared
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  Speaker 3: for the stranger. He saw him and had compassion upon him.
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  Speaker 3: He attended to his immediate needs, but he didn't stop
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  Speaker 3: just there. He loaded the man onto his animal and
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  Speaker 3: took him to a nearby inn where he paid for
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  Speaker 3: the man to be lodged, fed, and cared for, promising
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  Speaker 3: to return and settle any remaining debt. It was an
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  Speaker 3: outpouring of generosity that would have shocked everyone listening. We
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  Speaker 3: then hear the exchange between Jesus and the lawyer in
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  Speaker 3: Luke 10, 36 and 37. Which of these three do
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  Speaker 3: you think proved to be a neighbor to the man
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  Speaker 3: who fell among the robbers? He said, the one who
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  Speaker 3: showed him mercy. And Jesus said to him, you go
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  Speaker 3: and do likewise. You go and do the same. Here's
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  Speaker 3: what we learn in this story. Every person in need
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  Speaker 3: is our neighbor. It goes beyond the physical and cultural
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  Speaker 3: and political or even religious boundaries that we may cherish.
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  Speaker 3: When we love God with all of our heart, mind, soul,
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  Speaker 3: and strength, then we will love others the way God
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  Speaker 3: loves others, and we have the power of His Spirit
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  Speaker 3: to help us do this. It's a sacrificial love that
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  Speaker 3: we're incapable of on our own, And one that Jesus
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  Speaker 3: would demonstrate to the whole world by dying on the
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  Speaker 3: cross to pay the debt for our sin, to die
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  Speaker 3: for us because we were dying in our sins, to
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  Speaker 3: give us hope and to receive life. This is the love,
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  Speaker 3: the agape love, the compassion that Jesus has for every
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  Speaker 3: one of us. Now, in Christ, we should show that
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  Speaker 3: same love to others. And in the name and in
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  Speaker 3: the power of God, meet needs all around us. Dear God,
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  Speaker 3: thank you for showing us what love really is and
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  Speaker 3: how we are to love our neighbors and that anyone
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  Speaker 3: who has a need is our neighbor. Help us to
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  Speaker 3: love people as you love people without limitations. Thank you
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  Speaker 3: for sending Jesus, your son, to rescue us when we
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  Speaker 3: were dying and helpless, that you lifted us because you
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  Speaker 3: loved us. In Jesus' name, amen. Thank you for listening
• 14:34
  Speaker 3: to today's Bible in a Year podcast. Before we go,
• 14:38
  Speaker 3: I want to let you know about a unique e-book
• 14:40
  Speaker 3: that's yours to download absolutely free today. It's called Breaking
• 14:45
  Speaker 3: Free from Stress. And my prayer is that it will
• 14:48
  Speaker 3: help you conquer the daily tasks and pressures and burdens
• 14:51
  Speaker 3: that bring stress into your life. Download your free copy
• 14:55
  Speaker 3: of Breaking Free from Stress today by visiting jackgram.org slash stress.
• 15:02
  Speaker 3: That's jackgram.org slash stress.