The Difficulty of being a 'Good Samaritan' (Part II of III)
The road to Jericho from Jerusalem is the setting for this parable and the conditions of the road says something about the character of the traveler. This particular road, part of which is called “The Way of Blood,” drops 3,600 feet in less than 20 miles. It is a road of narrow, rocky cliffs and sudden turns which made the road a favorite for thieves. The road’s reputation was widely known and all who heard Jesus tell this story easily understood what He was talking about. The traveler was a reckless and foolish man to travel the Jerusalem to Jericho road alone. This man had no one but himself to blame for the plight in which he found himself. Even two individuals from Israel’s religious elite would not even come near their bleeding brother in the faith. The only person to help this Jewish traveler was from the one ethnic group most despised by Hebrews – the Samaritans.
A Samaritan was half-Jew and half-Gentile and the Jews had no or very few dealings with the Samaritans. No doubt about it; it was a racial thing that ran deep and ran wide within Judaism. But this Samaritan disregarded the fact that the beaten and robbed traveler was a hated Jew who had brought his troubles on himself irresponsibly and, with compassion, saw to the needs of the beaten man. Our Lord makes it crystal clear, even if the person in need is of another race or color, even if his need is the result of his own folly, or even if aiding such a one involves danger, expense, and inconvenience, nonetheless, that person is our “neighbor,” in the Biblical sense, and deserves our help.
Luke 6:32-33 (Jesus speaking), “If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? Even ‘sinners’ love those who love them. And if you do good to those who are good to you, what credit is that to you. Even ‘sinners’ do that.”
Next time: The one and only way to overcoming a selfish and uncaring heart, considered, in the conclusion to “The Difficulty of Being a ‘Good Samaritan.’”
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Chris Voss is a pastor at First Christian Church, 317 S. Main, Donna.