“A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, when he fell into the hands of robbers. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him and went away, leaving him half dead…. 36“Which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?” 37The expert in the law replied, “The one who had mercy on him.” Jesus told him, “Go and do likewise.” (Lu 10:30, 36,37)
In this, one of Jesus’ most well-known parables, He makes it clear once again that being His disciple is not so much about our beliefs as our actions. It was the Samaritan who represented the heart of our compassionate Father, not those with correct doctrine. (Having correct doctrine isn’t bad––it just doesn’t define being a follower of Jesus.)
This parable is about awareness and choosing to get involved. Jesus’ audience would have been acutely aware of the irony in His story. That the religious leaders walked by an injured and distressed man lying by the side of the road would have taken some doing––the Jericho Road was only about 8 feet across! The Samaritan’s choice of compassionate action was a choice to pay a price: with his time, his priorities and his finances. Biblical compassion is not a feeling; it always requires action. That is why Jesus finished the story by saying, Go and do likewise.
There is something else that confronts us in this story. In the 21st C, the Jericho Road has become a Global Highway. As disciples, we cannot ethically ignore the needs of those lying on the side of the road when we can plainly see them on our televisions and computers. We must not accept the benefits of globalization while ignoring the responsibilities––especially as followers of Jesus. If we are truly going to follow Jesus, we must plan on losing our lives, tangibly laying down our own self-interests: our time, our priorities, our finances. There is no other way to truly follow Jesus. And the good news is this: Jesus promised that as we take lose our lives––moving in the opposite direction of our own comfort and preference––He promises that we will find real life.
Right now, the ones on the side of the Jericho Road are in the Philippines. Exactly like the victim in Jesus’ story, they have been left “beaten and lying there almost dead”. On this Global Highway where we all now travel, each one of us can dress their wounds with oil and wine right from where we live.
One of their greatest immediate needs is clean drinking water. Please find out how you can rescue lives today. Philippines Relief Project
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