Jesus replied with a story: “A Jewish man was traveling from Jerusalem down to Jericho, and he was attacked by bandits. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him up, and left him half dead beside the road.
Luke 10:30
Helping others comes naturally when it feels natural, however, sometimes it feels abstract. Jesus demonstrates through this parable that it is possible, and mostly likely probable that our neighbor will not look like us.
This parable demonstrates that loving your neighbor might mean crossing lines of
- Race
- Gender
- Religion
- Economic status
- Ethnicity
- Cultural norms
- Comfort zones
- Keep your eyes open to the suffering of the innocent… they are our neighbors
“When we see innocent persons suffering as the result of the sin of others our pity should be excited.” – Charles Spurgeon
- Helping who you can, doesn’t mean you are responsible for staring a movement.
“The world would be a changed place if every Christian attended to the sorrows that are plain before him.” – Alexander Maclaren
- We have what it takes to help our neighbor, because we have Jesus. We are without excuse.
“Let it never be forgotten that what the law demands of us the gospel really produces in us.” – Charles Spurgeon
Yes, The Good Samaritan is a parable, could it be interpreted another way? Think about this:
- The injured man is all men in their fallen condition of sin.
- The robbers are Satan attacking man with the intent of destroying their relationship with God.
- The lawyer is mankind without the true understanding of God and His Word.
- The priest is religion in an apostate condition.
- The Levite is legalism that instills prejudice into the hearts of believers.
- The Samaritan is Jesus who provides the way to spiritual health.
Gotquestions.org: The Good Samaritan
Cross the line, Wendy. Open your eyes and cross the line when the Lord shows the way.
Join the discussion
0 comments