I’m re-reading the Good Samaritan Encounter.
The Parable of the Good Samaritan
25 On
one occasion an expert in the law stood up to test Jesus. “Teacher,” he asked,
“what must I do to inherit eternal life?”
26 “What
is written in the Law?” he replied. “How do you read it?”
27 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’[a]; and, ‘Love your neighbor as
yourself.’[b]”
28 “You
have answered correctly,” Jesus replied. “Do this and you will live.”
29 But
he wanted to justify himself, so he asked Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?”
30 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. 31 A priest happened
to be going down the same road, and when he saw the man, he passed by on the
other side. 32 So too, a Levite, when he came to
the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. 33 But
a Samaritan, as he traveled, came where the man was; and when he saw him,
he took pity on him. 34 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. 35 The
next day he took out two denarii[c] 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.’
36 “Which
of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands
of robbers?”
37 The
expert in the law replied, “The one who had mercy on him.”
Jesus told him, “Go and do likewise" Luke 10:25-37 NIV
You know this parable: the
one about the villain who became the hero. Remember a lawyer comes to trap
Jesus for the umpteenth time. Jesus turns the tables on him, and the hunter
becomes the hunted. Jesus takes the lawyer on a winding narrative to expose the
hatred in his heart and inability to measure up to God’s standards. Bottom
line…the lawyer needs a new heart… like we all do. There is a kind of life and
love that can’t be manufactured by religiosity and learning.
The parable showcases how easy it is to have cold hearts, cloudy minds and keep
our hands in our pockets rather than love God fervently and express compassion
to our neighbors. Jesus wrapped up his story with these words compelled by the
Samaritan’s actions, “Go and do likewise”. The lawyer and the listeners must
have thought, “This is what I have to do to keep the law? Who could do that?
That’s impossible!” Jesus must have been smiling thinking, “I know someone.
ME.”
Yes, it’s impossible to love like that. That’s the point. Ultimately the story
isn’t first about us, it’s about him. Jesus is the solution. Yes…we should love
and have compassion. But to become that person we first we need to see we are
the person beside the road…we are hurting and helpless…we need a Savior as bad
as the man in the ditch. Religion and Law can’t save.
What if the lawyer didn’t try to justify himself but rather humbled himself and
said, “Jesus, I can’t do it. I can’t love God and my neighbor as I should. I
can’t merit favor with God. I need a new heart…your kind of heart.” That’s my
challenge, too. I’ve got a lot in common with the first two guys in the story.
It is so easy to walk past need and find an excuse. Fortunately, the Ultimate
Good Samaritan named Jesus offers me and everyone a new heart and
saving/transforming/empowering grace.
As we get so full of His heart, that heart naturally spills out to others.
Religion can shrivel the mind, but Grace develops the heart to work like His
heart, our minds to work like His mind and our hands to work like His hands.
That’s the way of Jesus.
Now let me get off my donkey and do something.
What do you think of the Sunday Thought?
Comment below with your thoughts.
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