We can understand Paul's frustration - all of his work is being undone by smooth-talking individuals bent on putting their own interpretation of the gospel in place of his. He gives some useful advice for then and now: listen to your heart - let God be your teacher - do not be swayed by others, even if they have titles and status. Most of all, do not be led away from the message of Jesus by fear and threats. We need to remember this for we are assailed by so many different voices and new 'isms'.

We are all so familiar with the story of the Good Samaritan, but do we understand it? The message is not about doing good deeds - we know we should do that. The story is in answer to the request from the lawyer to clarify just who his neighbour is. The religious people of the robbery victim's own people and religion pass him by for various reasons - just as we often do. It was the Samaritan - despised for belonging to a hated ethnic group and religious tradition - who stopped and gave the man 'hands on' compassion. He devoted both his money and time to the victim's needs. The moral of the story is that there are no barriers or labels separating people in God's eyes so there should not be any in ours. Our neighbour is anyone who is in need or who responds to our needs. All people are part of one another - there are no favoured or hated groups in God's Kingdom. It is a message our fear-filled and divided world needs to take to heart. As Jesus said, Go and do likewise!