Yesterday we talked about the “certain man” who went down
from Jerusalem to Jericho. The way that takes you away from the worship and presence
of God is always down. It is a the “broad way” that Jesus told about in Matthew
7:13-14; "Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is
the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. Because
narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are
few who find it.” The way down is
the “easy” way to go. It is a lot easier to hike down the mountain, than it is
to climb up the mountain. Solomon wrote that: “There is a way that seems
right to a man, But its end is the way of death” (Proverbs 14:12).
In Jonah 1, when the prophet Jonah was running away from
the presence and the will of God in disobedience, did you ever notice that it
says, “He went down to Joppa… he went down into a ship… he went down into the
lowest parts of the ship…”, and when he was thrown overboard, he went down into
the sea and he went down into the belly of a great fish! The way from God is
always a downward one!
This “certain man” fell among thieves, was robbed and beaten
up and left half-dead in a ditch on the side of the road. “By chance” a “certain
priest” comes by, simply glances over at him and “passed by on the other side”.
This is the religious leader who really doesn’t care about the real needs of
the hurting people around him. He is more concerned about not getting dirty
himself or sharing his time or resources for the dying man. My friend, religion
has never had a answer or solution for the needs of mankind.
The Levite, a religious worker, actually came closer and
looked, and he passed by on the other side. He probably wrote a book about the
needs of people, or a newspaper article about the poor thieves that need help.
But he also “passed by on the other side. He didn’t care about the broken man.
But notice, the “certain” Samaritan, “as he journeyed, came
where he was”. This man was no doubt had business to do. He was busy but he saw
the man in the ditch, and “had compassion” and decided to do something about
it. He didn’t try to figure it out or be critical of the man going the wrong
way in life. He saw a person in need and took the time get up close to him. To
get his hands and clothes bloody and dirty and take him to the closest hospital
and pay for his care!
We may read this passage and think only of "the high
cost of caring," but it is far more costly not to care. The priest and the
Levite lost far more by their neglect than the Samaritan did by his concern.
They lost the opportunity to become better men and good stewards of what God
had given them. They could have been a good influence in a bad world, but they
chose to be a bad influence.
The Samaritan's one deed of mercy has inspired sacrificial
ministry all over the world, like Franklin Graham’s Samaritan’s Purse. Never
say that such ministry is wasted! God sees to it that no act of loving service
in Christ's name is ever lost. It all depends on your outlook. To the thieves,
this traveling Jew was a victim to exploit, so they attacked him. To the priest
and Levite, he was a nuisance to avoid, so they ignored him. But to the
Samaritan, he was a neighbor to love and help, so he took care of him. What
Jesus said to the lawyer, He says to us: "Go and keep on doing it
likewise"
Who is your neighbor? It is the person closest to you with
a need. Today “by chance”, you will cross paths with people that have emotional,
mental, personal, financial, and physical needs. Are you willing to stop and
help them. Maybe it will just be a smile, or a kind word that will pick them
up! You never know!
God bless!
