Be A Good Samaritan

Luke 10: 25-37

The Parable of the Good Samaritan

²⁵ And behold, a certain ^[a]lawyer stood up and tested Him, saying, “Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?”

²⁶ He said to him, “What is written in the law? What is your reading of it?”

²⁷ So he answered and said, “ ‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, and with all your mind,’ and ‘your neighbor as yourself.’ ”

²⁸ And He said to him, “You have answered rightly; do this and you will live.”

²⁹ But he, wanting to justify himself, said to Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?”

³⁰ Then Jesus answered and said: “A certain man went down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell among ^[b]thieves, who stripped him of his clothing, wounded him, and departed, leaving him half dead. ³¹ Now by chance a certain priest came down that road. And when he saw him, he passed by on the other side. ³² Likewise a Levite, when he arrived at the place, came and looked, and passed by on the other side. ³³ But a certain Samaritan, as he journeyed, came where he was. And when he saw him, he had compassion. ³⁴ So he went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine; and he set him on his own animal, brought him to an inn, and took care of him. ³⁵ On the next day, ^[c]when he departed, he took out two denarii, gave them to the innkeeper, and said to him, ‘Take care of him; and whatever more you spend, when I come again, I will repay you.’ ³⁶ So which of these three do you think was neighbor to him who fell among the thieves?”

³⁷ And he said, “He who showed mercy on him.”

Then Jesus said to him, “Go and do likewise.”

This endearing parable has been a favorite since Jesus told it.  So simple, so compassionate, so easy, so challenging!  Why can't I  be a good Samaritan? How many intersections or corners in my town find men (and women) of all ages holding cardboard signs with "HUNGRY" "WILL WORK:" written on them? Do we tend to avoid eye contact with them? Do we wonder how they got there,?  Do we wonder if they will use a donation to buy drugs? It's not comfortable waiting for the light to change, to say the least.  What would the Good Samaritan do? What will I do?

Bro. Rene