Second Great Commandment and the Parable of the Good Samaritan
- Recall that when Jesus was asked what is the greatest commandment, he said there were two: First, love God. Second, love your neighbor as yourself. (Matthew 22:36-40, RSV.) We often refer to the latter as the Second Great Commandment.
- Also recall that someone who wanted to duck his responsibilities under the Second Great Commandment asked Jesus, "Who is my neighbor?"
- Jesus responded by telling the parable of the Good Samaritan. In this parable, the Good Samaritan helps a complete stranger injured on the road, whereas the Priest and the Levite ignore the stranger and walk on by without offering any help. (Luke 10:29-37.)
- Jesus teaches in this parable that your neighbor, to whom you should show compassion, may be someone you don't know-a complete stranger.
- At the end of the parable, Jesus says, "Go and do likewise." (Luke 10:37, RSV.) There is no equivocation is Jesus' command for us to show compassion to people we don't know, who are in need.
- Would you agree, in the context of global warming, our "neighbors" are our children in future generations?
Parable of the Last Judgment
- Recall Jesus' parable of the last judgment in which he sits on his throne and separates the righteous to his right and the unrighteous to his left. The righteous on his right are sent to heaven, whereas, the unrighteous on his left are sent to hell. (Mathew 25:31-45.)
- Jesus explains to the people on his right that they are being rewarded because they fed him, gave him drink, and clothed him when he was in need. When they asked him when they did these deeds, he replies: "As you did it to one of the least of these my brethren, you did it to me." (Matthew 25:40, RSV.)
- Would you agree that "brethren" in this parable applies to our children of future generations?
