Reflfections by Ivan Watson
Do you need a Good Samaritan?
The times we live in encourage us to value helping each other out. 'Good Samaritans' are needed more and more. Helping people out, however, can begin to wear us down. Where can we find the resources we need in order to help those who need our help? Well the story Jesus told about the original 'Good Samaritan' actually provides us with the inspiration we need. Let's take a fresh look together at that story which is recorded in Luke's Gospel 10:25-37.
Who is my neighbour?
Jesus told this story in response to a religious law expert who was trying to trip him up. The religious man wanted to justify himself as a good law keeper so he asked Jesus to outline which people we actually have to love. The well known story concerns an anonymous man who was beaten up and stripped by robbers and then left lying half dead. Even though the first two travellers that came along were a priest and a priest's assistant, neither of them stopped to help the destitute man. Much to the horror of the religious people listening to Jesus it was someone of a different race and religion who actually stopped to help.
Go and do likewise
This samaritan risked his life to stop on that dangerous road. He spent time caring for the man and after transporting him on his own donkey he stayed with him overnight to see him through the critical period. He then paid the innkeeper enough money to look after the man for the next three weeks and told him that he would also give him whatever else he needed to spend on caring for the wounded man. The samaritan made all this expensive sacrifice of safety, time and money for an enemy. The message is that our compassion should be sacrificial and that it should be for all kinds of people. Jesus then said: 'Go and do likewise!'
Our place in the story
If you are feeling overwhelmed by the good deeds that are expected of you then you need to note carefully where Jesus places his religious questioner in the story. If Jesus had said the man on the road was a samaritan then the religious man would either have gone away scorning the idea of helping such a useless enemy or else he would have gone away vowing piously to do his best to help enemies in need. Jesus however does not place the religious man as the potential helper on the donkey. Jesus places him as the half dead man on the road who was absolutely dependant on his enemy being gracious to him. We need to see ourselves as being like that man in the road. Spiritually we are desperate cases who have really messed things up. God has actually become our enemy. He owes us nothing but punishment.
The greatest Good Samaritan
The good news is that someone came 'onto our road'. Jesus came over to help us not just at risk to his life but at the cost of his life. In fact on the cross he suffered the worst pain ever so that he could be punished instead of us. If we trust our whole selves to him we will know that he has taken all our punishment so that we will go straight to heaven when we die.
If we really realise what Jesus has done for us we will be so overwhelmed by his grace to us that we will be motivated to graciously serve all kinds of other people. If you invite Jesus to be the neighbour that you really need then you will be enabled to be the neighbour you should be to others.
We live at a time when it is so necessary to help those in need and the only way we can effectively do that is after we have allowed Jesus to meet our deepest need. When you have been 'neighboured' by Jesus then you will be enabled to be a neighbour to others not just because you have to but because you want to.
Please text your comments and questions to 086-7908991 or send an email to ivanrgwatson@googlemail.com
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