11. THE GOOD NEIGHBOR
(Luke 10: 25-37)
One day as Jesus, the great Teacher, was speaking, a lawyer, who really wanted to know, said, “Who is my neighbor?” and Jesus told him this beautiful story:
Once a man was journeying over a rough and lonely road. A band of robbers sprang upon him, struck him down, stole his money and clothes and left him bleeding and half dead on the road. A temple-priest happened to pass that way, and when he saw the wounded man lying there he said to himself, “No one can see what I do on this lonely road.” So he crossed over to the other side, looked at the beautiful scenery, and passed on to the temple to prayer and sacrifice, leaving the poor man uncared for, dying in the road.
A temple-singer also passed that way. When he saw the wounded man lying there he went up to him, looked carefully at his sad condition, and said to himself, “Poor man, I would help him if I were not so busy.” So he passed on to his singing in the temple, leaving the poor man uncared for, dying in the road.
Shortly afterward a Samaritan, a man who was not a Jew, came along the road. He saw the wounded man bleeding and dying, uncared for in the road, and felt sorry for him. He saw that he was a Jew and not one of his own people, but that made no difference. He went up to him, raised the suffering man, and gently poured soothing oil into his wounds, and gave him strengthening wine. Then he helped him upon his mule and walked by its side, while the man rode until they came to a small hotel, where he spent the night taking good care of him. The next morning he said to the hotel-keeper: “Take care of him until he is well. Here is some money, and if you spend more I will repay you when I come this way again.”
Jesus said to the lawyer, “Which of these three was a neighbor to the wounded man?” The lawyer said, “The man that showed mercy on him!” Jesus said: “Go, and do you be as good a neighbor to all whom you have the power to aid and to help.”
12. THE STORM-KING
(Mark 4: 35-41)