Go and Do Likewise

Daily Scripture Threshing for Today, Monday, July 28, 2025

Today's Text: Luke 10:25-37

Key Verse: Luke 10:37 (ESV): "And he said, 'The one who showed him mercy.' And Jesus said to him, 'You go, and do likewise.'"

Most of us ate like this lawyer. We often feel confident in our knowledge and legality. We approach spiritual things with rationality. And, often, we ask questions thinking we already know the answers. For instance, when it comes to: "What must I do to inherit eternal life?" We are looking for a legalistic formula, a checklist of things to do. Thst was what the lawyer in today's text did, but Jesus, in His wisdom, turns the question back on him, setting the stage for his most famous parables that redefines who our neighbor truly is and what it means to love them.

Jesus’s told this parable to challenge us to move beyond our prejudices and show compassion to everyone, especially those we might least expect to help. He puts before us, the story of a man, beaten and left for death. A priest and a Levite—religious leaders of the day—pass him by. Perhaps they were afraid of becoming ritually unclean. But it was a Samaritan, someone from a group despised by the Jews, that stopped to help. He bandages the man's wounds, takes him to an inn, and pays for his care.

The purpose of this parable is to reveal what it means to love our neighbors. The Samaritan's care was not based on the wounded man's background or status, but on his simple human need. People will be different from us whether we like it or not. But true faith is about knowing others or being or feeling the same with them; or, even knowing the right answers or following religious rules. It's about taking action and showing mercy to those in need. Jesus's final instruction to the lawyer, "Go and do likewise," is a direct command to each of us. It's a call to move past our comfort zones, overcome our biases, and actively seek out opportunities to serve others with genuine love and compassion.

Action Steps: Be a good Samaritan in your daily life. Look for opportunities to help those around you, whether it's a stranger on the side of the road or a colleague who is struggling. Challenge your prejudices. Reflect on who you might be hesitant to help and ask yourself why. Pray for a heart that sees people as God sees them, full of worth and dignity. Put your faith into action. Find a practical way to serve your community.

Quote for the Day: "The Samaritan didn't ask for a resume before helping, we are called to show mercy and compassion without prejudice." (Simon Olatunji #quotablequote)

Let Us Pray: Dear Heavenly Father, thank You for the powerful lesson of the Good Samaritan to us who are always quick to define and limit our love to those who are easy to love, those who are like us, those who are within our comfort zones. Please forgive us for our selective compassion, for our narrow definitions of who deserves our help and our kindness.

Open our eyes to see the hurt and brokenness in the world around us. Help us to see other on the side of the road, bruised and abandoned, and to not pass by. Open our eyes to the needs of those around us and give us the courage to act with compassion. Help us to overcome our biases and prejudices so that we can be instruments of Your love to everyone we encounter. O dear Lord, make our lives a reflection and expression of Your mercy and kindness — in Jesus’s most glorious name. Amen.

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Thank you for being part of this journey. For additional reading on today's meditation, read: Micah 6:8, James 2:15-17, and 1 John 3:17-18.

With all my love and prayers,

Rev Simon Wale Olatunji, Ph.D.

Your Darling Bishop (DaBishop)

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