A Modern Day Good
Samaritan
A Tea Partier was on his
way to a meeting one afternoon in Arizona to support the new Papers Please law.
On his wrist, underneath his ironed white shirt, he sported a bracelet with the
letters WWJD. As he walked, he hummed Onward Christian Soldiers as he
contemplated how unenlightened the rest of the country was.
As he turned a corner
he was accosted by street gang (probably illegal immigrants). They beat him
without mercy and then stole his credit cards and all his cash. They left his
NRA membership card. Then, as a final insult they ripped his clothes off and
left him for dead
While he lay there, a
preacher, the founder of a multi-million dollar television network, and a Tea Partier passed by and saw the victim lying in a pool of his own blood. The
preacher figured he was an immigrant, so he quickly crossed to the other side
of the street and hurried on his way.
Shortly after him a
priest walked by. He had just given his best mass ever. The congregation was
visibly stirred. He heard lots of sniffling. Yes, his topic on brotherly love
really got to them, and the updated version of the Good Samaritan was his best
telling ever.
As he passed by, lost
in his own thoughts, he barely noticed the beaten man until he tripped over
him. The priest jumped back in shock and was so upset that he crossed to the
other side of the street, wondering what he could do next Sunday that would top
this Sunday’s service.
A few moments later, a
gay, Liberal Democrat, who paid for his sister’s abortion, was on his way to a
Gay Pride planning event, listening to Rachel Maddow on his iPod. His name was
Bruce. Bruce saw the victim lying in the street. He saw his NRA card, his WWJD
bracelet, and some anti-gay pamphlets strewn about.
Bruce could see that
the victim’s wounds were severe, so he pulled out his cell phone and dialed
9-1-1. When a dispatcher answered, Bruce explained where he was, and that he
had come across a man who had been severely beaten, and that he needed an
ambulance right away. The dispatcher agreed.
Bruce waited with the
man. To occupy his time, he picked up the NRA membership card and the pamphlets
and put them in as neat of a pile as he could.
Soon he heard the
sirens approaching. Then the ambulance pulled up in front of them and they
immediately loaded the victim onto a stretcher. Then they put an oxygen mask
over his mouth cleaned up the blood and tended to the wounds. Bruce told them
everything he knew, which wasn’t very much since he happened upon the victim.
Bruce agreed to ride
along to the hospital.
The victim’s name was
on his NRA card, so Bruce again pulled out his cell phone, and called 4-1-1. He
knew that the phone company was going to soak him for this, but oh well, ‘it’s only
money.’ After several phone conversations with people who had the same last
name but didn’t recognize the victim, Bruce finally located the family. He told
them which hospital they were going to and that they would be there in minutes.
At the hospital Bruce
met with the police who thanked him for being a Good Samaritan. He blushed,
gave the police his number in case they needed him and then called a cab since
he was now quite a distance out of his way.
When the man’s family
arrived, they were met by the doctor who told them that their loved one was
going to be okay. He had gotten there just in time thanks to a Good Samaritan.
The family cried, embraced each other, and thanked God that he was so merciful
to the righteous.
1. Luke 10:29-30; But he wanted to justify himself, so
he asked Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?” In reply Jesus said: “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.
The trip from Jerusalem to Jericho was a distance of 17
miles on rocky desert terrain, which provide excellent places for bandits to
hid and rob people as they passed by.
In a movie Jenny and I watch called “The Book of
Eli” a woman was on the side of the road crying out for help as if she was in
trouble. The hero knew that she was only
a decoy for the robbers that were in hiding.
Of course the hero kills all the bad guys.
2. Luke 10:31-32; A priest happened to be going down the same road,
and when he saw the man, he passed by on the other side. So too, a Levite, when he came to the place and saw
him, passed by on the other side.
Both of the people that
passed by were examples of people that should have known the law and felt a
responsibility to help the hurt man. It
would be like if a minister or a church elder went by without
helping someone in need.
3. Luke 10:33; But a Samaritan, as he
traveled, came where the man was; and when he saw him, he took pity on him.
Samaritans
were a mixed-blood race of both Israelites from the Northern Kingdom and Assyrians. Full-blood Jews looked down on these people
as less than Jews and the two groups often had very intense hostiles toward one
another. Jews not only consider Samaritans
half-breeds physically, but also spiritually.
We see similar feelings from people who would diminish the spirituality of
other dominations like Catholics, Lutherans, Baptists, or others. We must not forget that none of use are
perfect or practice a perfect religion and, we are all loved by God. The same is true about anyone on different sides of the religious and political spectrum.
4. Luke 10:34; He went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on
oil and wine. Then he put the man on his own donkey, took him to an inn and
took care of him.
Oil
and wine were used as medicine in the ancient world. Wine mixed with barley made a good vinegar
and, when blended with myrrh, served as an anesthetic. This last type was offered to Jesus on the
cross.
5. Luke 10:35; The
next day he took out two silver coins and gave them to the innkeeper.
‘Look after him,’ he said, ‘and when I return, I will reimburse you for any extra
expense you may have.
The two silver coins would have been worth two days
wages. Ask yourself if you would give up
two days wages for someone you didn’t know or for even someone you did
know. The silver coins were call denarii
and 1 denarii was the usual day’s wage. A
Roman soldier was paid 1 denarii a day.
6. Luke 10:36-37; “Which of these three do you think was a neighbor to
the man who fell into the hands of robbers?” The expert in the law replied, “The one who had mercy on
him.”
Jesus was telling this story to a Jewish expert in
religious law. While the man
acknowledges the Samaritan as the good neighbor he refused to say Samaritan. Again this shows the hatred between the Jews
and the Samaritans and the expert likely left discussed with Jesus’ story.
7. There are three themes
we can take from this lesson.
1. Lack of love is
often easy to justify, but it is never right.
2. Our neighbor is
anyone of any race, creed, sexuality, nationality, social background, sexual orientation,
or religion. Anyone in need is our
neighbor.
3. Love means
acting to meet a persons needs, but maybe not their wants.
8. Politics and Religion
Sending our kids to Mexico on a mission’s trip is being a
Good Samaritan. Our law that allows
anyone who needs medical care to receive it is an act of love and
kindness. But letting people break our
laws by coming into our country illegally is not being a Good Samaritan. Looking to the government to take care of the
poor and not to the church is not being a Good Samaritian. Remember Jesus’ main concern was dealing with
people and not governments.
Also how we view
helping others can be different. While
one person believes in giving a hand out another will believe in giving a hand
up. This is a difference on how to be a
Good Samaritian, not if you should be a Good Samaritian.
9. Summery: Luke 10:25-28; On one occasion an expert in the law stood up to test
Jesus. “Teacher,” he asked, “what must I do to inherit eternal life?” “What
is written in the Law?” he replied. “How do you read it?” He answered: “ ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart
and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind’ and,
‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’” “You have answered correctly,” Jesus replied. “Do this and you will live.”
The expert of the law was quoting Deuteronomy 6:5 and
Leviticus 19:18. The expert knew the
laws, but did he really understand how to put the law into effect. We can all ask ourselves the same question
that Jesus asked, “How do you read it?”
References: The Holy Bible, New International Version. Pradis CD-ROM, Archaeological Study Bible form Zondervan, Life
Application Study Bible from Tyndale House, Seattle
Alternative Religions Examiner
