Martha vs. Mary. Whose focus wins? Of the three passages in Luke 10, today’s story most clearly directs believers to stay focused on ‘the most important thing.’ Jesus will not ask Mary to surrender the best for the good. He also wants us to learn to choose the best over the pull of what is good.
We refer to today’s passage as ‘The Story of the Good Samaritan.’ However, this parable is not about the Samaritan’s ‘goodness,’ it is about his ‘compassion' - the mercy he shows to a person in desperate need. We will be taught by Jesus’ story to open our hearts compassionately towards others in a way few people in our world do.
When we last studied Luke 9, Jesus had just made a decision. He had “set his face towards Jerusalem.” Today, we pick back up in Luke 10 to find that Jesus sent disciples ahead of Him on His journey towards the city. We will learn some principles about sharing our faith that apply directly to us as they did these original followers. But on a larger scale, we will learn what it means to enter into the joy of Jesus. Beyond any work we will do, our first call is to stay focused on one amazing truth - we are His.1