"Himua Man Ang Pareho Sang Ginhimo Niya"

Ebanghelyo subong nga Adlaw (Lucas 10:25-37)

May isa didto ka manunudlo sang Kasuguan nga nagtindog kag nagpamangkot sa pagdakop-dakop kay Jesus, "Manunudlo, ano ang akon dapat himuon agod maangkon ko ang kabuhi nga wala sing katapusan?"

Nagsabat si Jesus sa iya, "Ano bala ang ginasiling sang Kasuguan suno sa imo nabasahan?"

Nagsabat ang tawo, "Higugmaon mo ang Ginoo nga imo Dios sa bug-os mo nga tagipusuon, sa bug-os mo nga kalag, sa tanan mo nga ginahimo, kag sa bug-os mo nga hunahuna. Kag higugmaon mo ang imo kapareho pareho sang paghigugma mo sa imo kaugalingon."

Nagsiling si Jesus sa iya, "Husto gid ang imo sabat. Himua ina agod may kabuhi ka nga wala sing katapusan."

Pero indi gusto sang manunudlo sang Kasuguan nga mahuy-an siya, gani nagpamangkot pa gid siya, "Sin-o bala ang akon kapareho?"

Ginsabat siya ni Jesus paagi sa isa ka istorya, Siling niya, "May isa ka tawo nga nagdulhog pa-Jerico halin sa Jerusalem. Samtang nagalakat siya, hinali lang nga ginbanggaan siya sang mga tulisan. Ginkuha nila ang iya pagkabutang pati ang iya bayo, ginbakol nila siya, kag ginbayaan nga lipong kag daw patay na.

Natabuan man nga may pari nga nagdulhog sa amo nga dalan. Pagkakita niya sang tawo nga nagahamyang, naglikaw siya sa pihak sang dalan kag gin-agihan lang niya siya.

Nag-agi man didto ang isa ka kabulig sang mga pari sa templo.[d] Pagkakita niya sang tawo naglikaw man siya kag nag-agi lang.

Sang ulihi may nakaagi nga Samariahanon. Pagkakita niya sa tawo nga ginbakol naluoy gid siya.

Gani ginpalapitan niya siya kag ginbulong. Ginbutangan niya sang lana kag bino ang iya pilas kag ginbugkusan. Dayon ginpasakay niya siya sa iya ginasakyan nga sapat kag gindala sa isa ka dalayunan. Didto, gin-atipan pa gid niya siya.

Sang madason nga adlaw, ginhatagan niya sing kuwarta ang tag-iya sang dalayunan kag nagsiling, 'Atipanon mo siya, kag kon kulangon pa ang akon ginhatag sa imo dugangan ko lang ini sa akon pagbalik diri.' "

Dayon naghambal si Jesus sa manunudlo sang Kasuguan, "Ti sa imo, sin-o bala sa ila nga tatlo ang nagpakita nga siya ang kapareho sang ginbanggaan sang mga tulisan?"

Nagsiling ang manunudlo sang Kasuguan, "Ang tawo nga nagpakita sang kaluoy sa iya." Nagsiling dayon si Jesus, "Himua man ang pareho sang ginhimo niya."

***

Meditation:

If God is all-loving and compassionate, then why is there so much suffering and evil in this world? Many agnostics refuse to believe in God because of this seemingly imponderable problem. If God is love then evil and suffering must be eliminated in all its forms. What is God's answer to this human dilemma? Jesus' parable about a highway robbery gives us a helpful hint. Jesus told this dramatic story in response to a devout Jew who wanted to understand how to apply God's great commandment of love to his everyday life circumstances. In so many words this religious-minded Jew said: "I want to love God as best as I can and I want to love my neighbor as well. But how do I know that I am fulfilling my duty to love my neighbor as myself?" Jesus must have smiled when he heard this man challenge him to explain one's duty towards their neighbor. For the Jewish believer the law of love was plain and simple: "treat your neighbor as you would treat yourself." The real issue for this believer was the correct definition of who is "my neighbor".  He understood "neighbor" to mean one's fellow Jew who belonged to the same covenant which God made with the people of Israel. Up to a certain point, Jesus agreed with this sincere expert but, at the same time, he challenged him to see that God's view of neighbor went far beyond his narrow definition. 

Jesus told a parable to show how wide God's love and mercy is towards every fellow human being. Jesus's story of a brutal highway robbery was all too familiar to his audience. The road from Jerusalem to Jericho went through a narrow winding valley surrounded by steep rocky cliffs. Many wealthy Jews from Jerusalem had winter homes in Jerico. This narrow highway was dangerous and notorious for its robbers who could easily ambush their victim and escape into the hills. No one in his right mind would think of traveling through this dangerous highway alone. It was far safer to travel with others for protection and defense. 

So why did the religious leaders refuse to give any help when they saw a half-dead victim lying by the roadside? Didn't they recognize that this victim was their neighbor? And why did a Samaritan, an outsider who was despised by the Jews, treat this victim with special care at his own expense as he would care for his own family? Who was the real neighbor who showed brotherly compassion and mercy? Jesus makes the supposed villain, the despised Samaritan, the merciful one as an example for the status conscious Jews. Why didn't the priest and Levite stop to help? The priest probably didn't want to risk the possibility of ritual impurity. His piety got in the way of charity. The Levite approached close to the victim, but stopped short of actually helping him. Perhaps he feared that bandits were using a decoy to ambush him. The Levite put personal safety ahead of saving his neighbor. 

What does Jesus' story tell us about true love for one's neighbor? First, we must be willing to help even if others brought trouble on themselves through their own fault or negligence. Second, our love and concern to help others in need must be practical. Good intentions and showing pity, or emphathizing with others, are not enough. And lastly, our love for others must be as wide and as inclusive as God's love. God excludes no one from his care and concern. God's love is unconditional. So we must be ready to do good to others for their sake, just as God is good to us. Jesus not only taught God's way of love, but he showed how far God was willing to go to share in our suffering and to restore us to wholeness of life and happiness. Jesus overcame sin, suffering, and death through his victory on the cross. His death brought us freedom from slavery to sin and the promise of everlasting life with God. He willingly shared in our suffering to bring us to the source of true healing and freedom from sin and oppression. True compassion not only identifies and emphathizes with the one who is in pain, but takes that pain on oneself in order to bring freedom and restoration. Jesus truly identified with our plight, and he took the burden of our sinful condition upon himself. He showed us the depths of God's love and compassion, by sharing in our suffering and by offering his life as an atoning sacrifice for our sins upon the cross. His suffering is redemptive because it brings us healing and restoration and the fulness of eternal life. God offers us true freedom from every form of oppression, sin, and suffering. And that way is through the cross of Jesus Christ. Are you ready to embrace the cross of Christ, to suffer for his sake, and to lay down your life out of love for your neighbor? 

"Lord Jesus, may your love always be the foundation of my life. Free me from every fear and selfish-concern that I may freely give myself in loving service to others, even to the point of laying my life down for their sake."