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b'Anna shifted her legs. Sitting in the crowded marketplace was hot, but she had come with many other people wanting to hear from this man named Jesus, who some said was the Messiah. Dust blew across her lap as a man stood up. Anna almost gasped, recognizing an expert of the law. She listened intently as he and Jesus spoke. \\xe2\\u20ac\\u0153Who is my neighbor?\\xe2\\u20ac\\x9d the expert asked.\\nJesus described a man attacked by robbers, and Anna looked around at the people sitting near her. \\xe2\\u20ac\\u0153By chance a priest came along.\\xe2\\u20ac\\x9d Anna smiled. A priest! Of course a priest would help him! \\xe2\\u20ac\\u0153But,\\xe2\\u20ac\\x9d Jesus said, \\xe2\\u20ac\\u0153when he saw the man lying there, he crossed to the other side of the road and passed him by.\\xe2\\u20ac\\x9d Anna\\u2019s eyes widened. How could a priest be one of the bad guys?\\n\\xe2\\u20ac\\u0153The priest cannot touch anything unclean; he must have thought the man was dead,\\xe2\\u20ac\\x9d a lady beside Anna whispered to her neighbor. Anna nodded. That would make sense.\\nJesus continued, \\xe2\\u20ac\\u0153A Temple assistant walked over and looked at him lying there, but he also passed by on the other side.\\xe2\\u20ac\\x9d Anna frowned; it didn\\u2019t make sense for a Temple assistant\\u2014a Levite\\u2014to ignore a man in need. Who would be the one to help this man? Whoever the hero was going to be, they must have been very wise.\\n\\xe2\\u20ac\\u0153Then a despised Samaritan,\\xe2\\u20ac\\x9d Jesus started. Anna heard loud gasps from the people around her. A man in front of her looked angry; he stood up and left. Anna watched a couple more people stand up and leave. \\u201cA Samaritan?\\u201d Anna thought. Samaritans were the enemy; it was hard to believe they would be the one to help the poor man! Anna turned her attention back to the story.\\n\\xe2\\u20ac\\u0153Now which of these three would you say was a neighbor to the man who was attacked by bandits?\\xe2\\u20ac\\x9d Jesus asked.\\n\\xe2\\u20ac\\u0153The one who showed him mercy,\\xe2\\u20ac\\x9d the expert in the law replied reluctantly. \\nJesus told him, \\xe2\\u20ac\\u0153Yes, now go and do the same.\\xe2\\u20ac\\x9d \\u2022 Kimberly Brokish\\n\\u2022 This parable would have been shocking to Jesus\\u2019s audience. The Israelites thought the Samaritans were totally corrupt, but the Samaritan in this story showed God\\u2019s love and care. Have you ever received God\\u2019s love and care from unexpected places? \\n\\xe2\\u20ac\\u0153But I [Jesus] say, love your enemies! Pray for those who persecute you!\\xe2\\u20ac\\x9d Matthew 5:44 (NLT)\\n\\xa0\\nRead Verses:\\nPs.119.73|Prov.16.24|Rom.8.1|Rom.8.31-Rom.8.34'