Reader’s Guide: “The Word for Today” Friday, March 8, 2013 Read – Leviticus 19:9-18 We have noticed Luke’s concern for the poor. Today and tomorrow we are going to look at a couple of OT scriptures that also share a deep concern for the poor. In fact, if we were to work our way through the Bible we would soon discover that God has a deep concern for the poor! Luke emphasis was not uniquely his – he likely received it both from Jesus and from the OT. In the passage from Leviticus we hear the teaching of God that those who harvest are not to reap everything but rather to leave something for those who are needy. The passage ends with what has become known as the second greatest commandment – “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” When Jesus was asked what the greatest commandment was, he joined the great commandment “Love God” (Deuteronomy 6:5) with these words from Leviticus (Luke 10:27). Paul does the same when he says that the whole of the Law can be summed up with these words. Actually, it is likely that these two commandments had been brought together prior to the time of Jesus. Luke’s emphasis on caring for the poor and outcast has good precedent.