It can be quite hard to work out what’s going on and how to pray for the terrible situation in the Middle East - and I don’t have all the answers! But as we look to pray for the situation, I find Jesus’ story of the good samaritan helpful - and all the more poignant that it’s set in the very region where tragedy is unfolding. Above is Van Gogh’s depiction. In Luke 10:25-37, Jesus and a Pharisee agree that the law can be summarised in that we are to love God and to love our neighbour. In answer to the pharisee’s question, ‘who is our neighbour?’, Jesus tells the story of the good samaritan, the story of a man beaten up by robbers and ignored by those expected to stop and help, and helped by someone who’s an outsider. Now, where I live, I have great neighbours - it’s easy to help them and they help me a great deal! Of course the point Jesus is making is that our neighbour is not only the one who lives next door and is just like us, but also, our neighbour is the one we don’t know so well, find harder to understand and can’t relate to as easily, with a different religion maybe, a different language or ideology. Let’s keep praying for those on all sides who are suffering, for protection for civilians, for great negotiations and above all, for peace.
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