Today I wish to touch on a topic which will require us to read from the Parable of the Good Samaritan.
On one occasion an expert in the law stood up to test Jesus. “Teacher,” he asked, “what must I do to inherit eternal life?”
“What is written in the Law?” he replied. “How do you read it?”
He answered, “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind’; and, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.”
“You have answered correctly,” Jesus replied. “Do this and you will live.”
But he wanted to justify himself, so he asked Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?”
In reply Jesus said: “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, when he was attacked by robbers. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him and went away, leaving him half dead. A priest happened to be going down the same road, and when he saw the man, he passed by on the other side. So too, a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. But a Samaritan, as he traveled, came where the man was; and when he saw him, he took pity on him. He went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he put the man on his own donkey, brought him to an inn and took care of him. The next day he took out two denarii and gave them to the innkeeper. ‘Look after him,’ he said, ‘and when I return, I will reimburse you for any extra expense you may have.’
“Which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?”
The expert in the law replied, “The one who had mercy on him.”
Jesus told him, “Go and do likewise.”
Immediately we see that the response most people have to another person's misery and misfortune is one of disregard. The Priest and the Levite actively ignored or sidestepped the problem and went their own way while the good Samaritan had mercy on the stranger and looked after him. How many times are we the stranger at the side of the road all bloody and beaten up, left for half dead, while the world looks the other way to our pain, suffering and misfortune? Or how many times do we just walk on by on the other side of the road, ignoring someone else's misfortune? Too many. Very few times will you see someone like the Good Samaritan step in, come along and help. If I were to take a guess, 98 percent of the world would choose to walk on the other side of the road, ignoring the needy. What would you do? Would you choose to Bless, Ignore or Curse? How far out of your way would you go to become a Blessing to someone in that situation? Definitely something to ponder.
On one occasion an expert in the law stood up to test Jesus. “Teacher,” he asked, “what must I do to inherit eternal life?”
“What is written in the Law?” he replied. “How do you read it?”
He answered, “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind’; and, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.”
“You have answered correctly,” Jesus replied. “Do this and you will live.”
But he wanted to justify himself, so he asked Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?”
In reply Jesus said: “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, when he was attacked by robbers. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him and went away, leaving him half dead. A priest happened to be going down the same road, and when he saw the man, he passed by on the other side. So too, a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. But a Samaritan, as he traveled, came where the man was; and when he saw him, he took pity on him. He went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he put the man on his own donkey, brought him to an inn and took care of him. The next day he took out two denarii and gave them to the innkeeper. ‘Look after him,’ he said, ‘and when I return, I will reimburse you for any extra expense you may have.’
“Which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?”
The expert in the law replied, “The one who had mercy on him.”
Jesus told him, “Go and do likewise.”
Immediately we see that the response most people have to another person's misery and misfortune is one of disregard. The Priest and the Levite actively ignored or sidestepped the problem and went their own way while the good Samaritan had mercy on the stranger and looked after him. How many times are we the stranger at the side of the road all bloody and beaten up, left for half dead, while the world looks the other way to our pain, suffering and misfortune? Or how many times do we just walk on by on the other side of the road, ignoring someone else's misfortune? Too many. Very few times will you see someone like the Good Samaritan step in, come along and help. If I were to take a guess, 98 percent of the world would choose to walk on the other side of the road, ignoring the needy. What would you do? Would you choose to Bless, Ignore or Curse? How far out of your way would you go to become a Blessing to someone in that situation? Definitely something to ponder.
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