Living in the Image of God M06S01
This study begins a series on understanding God’s intentions for “what the Lord has given us.” We will learn through the series that every gift of God comes with three attributes: full ownership, total control, and a mandated communal purpose. We begin with a discussion of Christ teaching on the individual responsibility regarding a neighbor’s call for assistance, whereby God transmits a call to compassion via a human channel to a human recipient. He informs the recipient regarding circumstances of a person needing goods or service that they cannot provide for themselves. The call recipient is to use what God has given him or her to provide assistance to the needy. God charges the recipient to recognize the need and needy; care about the needy; commit to doing what you can; and, motivated only by care, persevere in seeking to alleviate the need. We discuss the Parable of Good Samaritan to understand the individual responsibility to recognize and respond to a neighbor’s call for assistance.
This study begins a series focused on understanding God’s intentions for “what the Lord has given us.” We will understand through the series that God’s gift to every person comes with three attributes. The first attribute is full ownership: that is, every person has full ownership of what God has given him or her. The second is full control: that is, every person has full authority to determine when, where, and how to use what God has given to him or her. The third is a mandated communal purpose: that is, every gift of God comes with a mandate to understand the value and purpose of the gift regarding the needs of others and needs of the community; and use the understanding to determine when, where, and how to use “what the Lord has given you.”
A gift of God could come to a person as an increase in his or her physical or mental resources. The purpose of the study series is to understand that God calls every person to recognize and honor the communal purpose of what God has given to him or her. We will provide the study in ten sessions: one session every month in February through November of 2025.
In this session of the series, we discuss Christ teaching on the individual responsibility regarding a neighbor’s call for assistance, through the Parable of Good Samaritan. Are you my neighbor? This question announces God’s call for a person to recognize circumstances of another person needing assistance from others. God calls every person to recognize a neighbor’s call for assistance and respond positively. Christ provides a deliberate teaching to prepare every person to recognize a neighbor’s call for assistance and respond effectively using “what the Lord has given us.” We describe the Parable of Good Samaritan in detail to understand the teaching.
Jesus Interaction with Scripture Expert
Christ encounter with a scripture expert provides opportunity for the Parable of Good Samaritan. The expert asked Jesus what a person must do to inherit eternal life [Luke 10:25] “On one occasion an expert in the law stood up to test Jesus. ‘Teacher,’ he asked, ‘what must I do to inherit eternal life?’” Jesus directed him to answer from the Scriptures [Luke 10:26]: “What is written in the Law?” he replied. “How do you read it?” The expert replied by quoting from the Scripture: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind’; and, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself’” [Luke 10:27]. Jesus accepted the answer provided by the expert [Luke 10:28]: “‘You have answered correctly,’ Jesus replied. ‘Do this and you will live.’”
Thus, Jesus confirms the Scripture regarding what a person must do to inherit eternal life. However, the answer led to a question: “who is my neighbor?” Jesus told the Parable of Good Samaritan to explain “who is my neighbor?”
Jesus accepted the response provided by the expert and stated that “living” according to the response is sufficient to inherit eternal life: “Do this and you will live:” That is, have a positive personal relationship with God and a positive human relationship with others. The second part means understanding “who is my neighbor” and living according to the understanding.
Parable of Good Samaritan
Jesus provides the Parable of Good Samaritan to answer the following questions. Who is my neighbor? What is the meaning of “Love your neighbor as yourself?” “In reply Jesus said: ‘A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, when he was attacked by robbers. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him and went away, leaving him half dead’” [Luke 10:30].
Circumstances of Robber Victim
The robber victim was a real person. He was a man but could have been a woman. He was lying by the roadside half dead: unconscious and unable to do anything for himself. He was naked: Jesus said that the victim was “stripped of his clothes.” He sustained great physical injury from beating by robbers.
The robber victim needed kindness, clothing, and physical healing. He could not help himself.
We can recognize a need and needy based on the circumstances of the robber victim. The Need consists of kindness, clothing, and physical healing for the robber victim. The robber victim is the Needy.
Interactions with Robber Victim
Next, let us understand the interactions with the robber victim. Starting with the priest and a Levite: Each recognized the need and needy, but looked the other way. They each dodged the responsibility. They each declined a call for assistance by the robber victim.
In contrast, the Samaritan recognized the need and needy; cared about the needy; committed to doing something and persevered. That is, the Samaritan recognized a call for assistance and accepted responsibility.
Neighbor’s Call for Assistance
The parable describes how to recognize a call for assistance. A person has called you to be his or her neighbor, that is, has called for your assistance: if you witness an event or outcome of an event that indicates the person needs assistance. For example, the robber victim called the priest, Levite, and Samaritan individually. The priest and Levite each declined. The Samaritan accepted.
A call to be “my neighbor” could be visual only (like in the Parable). Also, the call could be audible only, visual and audible, or consist of any other observable expression. You have received a call for assistance if you observe someone in need that cannot cure the need by himself or herself.
Individual Responsibility…
The recipient of a call for assistance has an individual responsibility to recognize the need and needy; care about the needy; commit to doing what you can; and persevere in seeking to alleviate the need. Let us discuss the individual responsibilities in more detail.
Recognize the Need
To recognize the need means that you acknowledge to yourself: that you have become aware of a situation that calls for external human intervention in the life of another person. How you recognize the need depends on the nature of the call. It could be visual, audible, or through some other expression.
Recognize the Needy
To recognize the needy, understand that a needy is a person that has a need and is unable to cure the need. A person qualifies as needy if there is a part of the need he or she cannot cure. Qualification as needy and responsibility to needy are independent of status. The needy could be a man or woman, Jew or Gentile, righteous or sinner, rich or poor, tall or short, dark-skinned or light-skinned. Such attributes have no effect on qualification as a needy.
Care About the Needy
To care about the needy, recognize the needy’s suffering and be motivated to assist him or her out of the suffering. Your only motivation to assist is that you care about the needy. Your “care about the needy” provides a link between the needy and your effort to alleviate the need. For example: in the Parable, the Samaritan cared about the robber victim: “when he saw him, he took pity on him” [Luke 10:33].
Commit to Doing What You Can
Regarding commitment: you show commitment by doing something or offering to do something. For example, the Samaritan stopped; disembarked from his donkey; used his own supplies to apply first aid to the robber victim; placed the victim on his donkey for safe transportation; walked alongside while the donkey carried the victim; and took the victim to an inn where he continued to take care of him.
Persevere
To persevere means to follow through in seeking to accomplish the goal of your intervention. For example, the Samaritan committed to restoring the robber victim to health. He started with first aid; transported the victim to a facility where he cared more for him; handed him over to a responsible person; and paid as he could and promised to return with additional payment [Luke 10:35]: “The next day he took out two denarii and gave them to the innkeeper. ‘Look after him,’ he said, ‘and when I return, I will reimburse you for any extra expense you may have.’” Set a goal for your intervention and persevere in seeking to accomplish the goal.
Focus on Your Individual Responsibility
Perseverance also means you focus on completing your responsibility in the encounter with the needy. Irrespective of details or circumstances that may appear important but are irrelevant to your responsibility. For example, the Samaritan would have provided the same standard of care if the robber victim was a woman instead of man. The needy’s gender could be important but should not alter the standard of care. The call recipient should provide a standard of care consistent with his or her commitment, irrespective of other details or circumstances.
Summary of What We Learned
This study begins a series on understanding God’s intentions for “what the Lord has given us.” We will learn through the series that every gift of God comes with three attributes: full ownership, total control, and a mandated communal purpose.
We begin with a discussion of Christ teaching on the individual responsibility regarding a neighbor’s call for assistance, whereby God transmits a call to compassion via a human channel to a human recipient. He informs the recipient regarding circumstances of a person needing goods or service that they cannot provide for themselves. The call recipient is to use what God has given him or her to provide assistance to the needy.
God charges the recipient to recognize the need and needy; care about the needy; commit to doing what you can; and, motivated only by care, persevere in seeking to alleviate the need. We discuss the Parable of Good Samaritan to understand the individual responsibility to recognize and respond to a neighbor’s call for assistance.