A Jewish man was going from Jerusalem to Jerico, from the city of God to the city of destruction. It was a dangerous road with robbers and bad guys(as my grandsons would say). The man was attacked by robbers, he was stripped, beaten and left for dead. They took all his belongings. They were determined to destroy the Jewish man.
A priest came along on the road, but he passed by the Jewish man, left for dead, as far away on the other side of the road as he could. A teacher of the law came along, and he, too, did not stop to help the man left for dead, but passed by on the other side of the road. Neither the priest nor the teacher of the law were willing to stop and help. (Knowing but not doing the law.)
Then, a Samaritan, a man hated by the Jews, came along, and he had compassion on the man left for dead. He bandaged up his wounds, put him on his donkey and brought him to an inn. The Samaritan paid for the man left for dead’s expenses; he gave the innkeeper a huge sum of money, so the beaten man did not have to rush out of the inn and could fully recover. The Samaritan was wildly generous. He also said he’d return and pay more if there was any further bill.
We were left for dead by the enemy of our souls, left in our wrongs and guilt. We rehearse wrongs done against us, wrongs we have done, and we are trapped in the darknesses of our own hearts. Jesus comes along and rescues us from our enemies and ourselves, and gives us compassion, unconditional love, a new, clean heart, eternal life and love. Jesus is our Good Samaritan.
(From the story Jesus told in Luke 10:25-37) Click here for a beautiful song: What Wondrous Love!
