Wednesday, March 25  Deuteronomy 19-22; Psalm 6; Luke 10

Deuteronomy 19:  The cities of refuge were created for whose protection? Who was not eligible to go to a city of refuge?

Deuteronomy 20: Who was exempt from serving in the army?

Deuteronomy 21: If a man wanted to take a captive as his wife, what was required?

Deuteronomy 22: What was the penalty for adultery?

Luke 10:  How many apostles were sent out and what was their mission? Why did Jesus tell the lawyer the parable of the Samaritan?

Journal Prompt: Who is the ‘neighbor’ in your life that Jesus is referring to in the parable of the Good Samaritan?

Deuteronomy 19:  The cities of refuge were created to people who unintentionally killed someone.  If a man hated another man before he killed him then he was not eligible for the protection afforded by the cities of refuge.

Deuteronomy 20: Those who were exempt from serving in the army: those who had just built a house and hadn’t dedicated it yet; those who had planted a vineyard but not yet received a crop, those who were betrothed but hadn’t consummated the marriage and those who were very fearful.

Deuteronomy 21:  If a man wanted to keep a woman that was a captive he had to shaves his head, cut his nails and allow her to mourn for her family  for one month.  If after marrying her, he decided he didn’t want her, he had to set her free – he couldn’t sell her.

Deuteronomy 22: The penalty for adultery for both parties involved was death by stoning.

Luke 10:  72 apostles were sent out to the towns that Jesus was to visit – kind of an advance team!  Their mission was to ” enter a town , , ,  eat what is set before you. Heal the sick in it and say to them, The kingdom of God has come near to you.”.

When the lawyer asked who his neighbor was  (love your neighbor as yourself), Jesus knew that he (and we) don’t necessarily think of the victims or the marginalized as our neighbor, and he pointed out that it wasn’t the priest or the Levite who helped him (who would have been the more likely if they understood God’s law), but it was a Samaritan – (they were considered second class citizens – the Jews didn’t associate with them) who actually helped this man.  Jesus is telling us that everyone is our neighbor.

Journal Prompt:  This New Testament teaching is 100% consistent with the teaching of the Old Testament, as we have been reading throughout Exodus, Numbers and Deuteronomy the repetition of the ‘Shema” which is the most important and repeated prayers in Judaism. It begins: “Shema Israel” which means “Hear Israel”.  Most Jewish friends that I know have learned this in Hebrew and it is

In this much repeated phrase we do not see the second part of Jesus’ command, to love your neighbor as yourself; however, we just read it yesterday in our readings from Deuteronomy 15 how the Israelites are to care for and be generous to the poor – and I’m