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| Comfort & Counsel |
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| The Great Bible Story #105 |
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One day a lawyer tried to trip Jesus by asking Him how he could get eternal life. Jesus turned it around and asked him what the Law said. The man said what the Law required from people was to love God with all their heart and also to love their neighbour as themselves. Jesus told him if he did that he would live! This man wanted to save his face and he asked who his neighbour was. In reply Jesus told him a story of a Jew who was going from Jerusalem to Jericho. He was beaten up and robbed by dacoits on the way and left bleeding. A priest came that way and also a Levite. Both of them saw him but hurried away because they had their religious duties to carry out! Afterwards a Samaritan came, whom the Jews despised, took pity on the man, gave him some first aid, put him on a donkey and took him to an inn. Since he had to go on his work, he gave some money to the innkeeper asking him to take care of the man, promising him to pay more if required. Now Jesus asked the lawyer who turned out to be a 'neighbour' to the victim, and the answer was the one who showed him mercy. Jesus said this was how we could be neighbours to those around us whom we met.
Peter asked Jesus one day how many times it was required to forgive someone. Peter thought he was being very generous when he suggested seven. Jesus suggested that it should be seventy times seven, trying to indicate it wasn't necessary to put any limit. To illustrate the concept of forgiveness, He told them the story of a king one of whose servants owed him a huge sum of money. Since he couldn't repay the amount, the king ruled that he and his family should be sold as slaves in order to collect the money. At this point the servant fell at the king's feet, and begged for time to repay. Knowing that the servant couldn't really do it, and having pity on him, the king let him go off free! As this man was going, he met another servant who owed him a paltry sum of money. The first servant caught him by his neck and threatened him. When that man asked for mercy, the first servant wouldn't show him any, and put him in jail till he could pay back the full amount! Someone told the king about this, and the king was very angry when he heard it. He called the servant back, took back his mercy and sentenced him to jail and torture, because he had not shown another man mercy when he himself had received undeserved mercy. Jesus said God would do the same thing to those who would not forgive others. |
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