What was it about the Samaritans anyways? This group of “outsiders” seemed to have a greater understanding of what being a “Christian” was really about than the people who were already on the “inside”.
I guess the reason I even thought about the Samaritans while driving home on Thursday was because I’m teaching a Bible lesson this week about one of them. The story I’ve have been preparing is about ten lepers, and it's found in Luke 17 (vs. 11-19). The just of it is that Jesus heals all of these ten guys and it’s only the Samaritan who returns to Him give praise for this miraculous healing.
So there I am on 65, headed north towards Springfield. As I am driving, I see a car pulled over on the side of the road. For whatever reason my mind JUMPS to the other, more popular Samaritan story in the Bible… you know, the other one found in Luke (10:25-37 – The Parable of the Good Samaritan).
Now, the person I drove past wasn’t lying there all beaten up and half-dead, but I had never thought about the Good Samaritan story in this context before. It was strange. Why now, after all these years would I think about this story now? I’ve driven past hundreds of motorists along the side of the road and never thought twice about it.
Not Thursday.
Now, I’m not advocating we stop at every stranded car alongside the road; we’d never make it to our destination. I mean, we all have important places to go like work, the store or church, even. All I’m saying is that as a believer and follower of Jesus I thought to myself for the first time… “Why didn’t I stop to help?”
As I got closer, I changed lanes so I wouldn’t hit the person if they would have decided to walk around their car on the driver’s side to get back inside or go to their trunk. It was then I noticed that someone else had stopped to take care of the person – or at least check to see if they were ok. It made me feel much better knowing that they had already been taken care of.
I got home and for kicks, re-read the story in Luke:
“Now by chance a priest was going down that road, and when he saw him (The Samaritan) he passed by on the other side. So likewise a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him (The Samaritan) also passed by on the other side.”
ENTER an unsettling feeling. Like both the priest and Levite, I too had passed... on the other side of the road.
Yep, let that one sink in.
“Awesome Christopher” I thought to myself. “What if my destination WAS this stranded car? And then I got to thinking some more… How often do I measure my journey by a safe arrival at my destination instead of the measuring it by the mile markers in between?
In both instances (Luke 10 and Luke 17) the Samaritans go out of their way to help another person – a stranger. These men weren't bound by time, distance or destination. They were inconvenienced both physically and financially in addition to the time that they spent, but they didn't allow that to stop them either.
It’s made me think "a little extra" about passing on the other side of the road:
1). How important is my time?
2). How important are the people around me (whether by choice or circumstance) who God has placed in my life?
3). What will my response be?
I guess the reason I even thought about the Samaritans while driving home on Thursday was because I’m teaching a Bible lesson this week about one of them. The story I’ve have been preparing is about ten lepers, and it's found in Luke 17 (vs. 11-19). The just of it is that Jesus heals all of these ten guys and it’s only the Samaritan who returns to Him give praise for this miraculous healing.
So there I am on 65, headed north towards Springfield. As I am driving, I see a car pulled over on the side of the road. For whatever reason my mind JUMPS to the other, more popular Samaritan story in the Bible… you know, the other one found in Luke (10:25-37 – The Parable of the Good Samaritan).
Now, the person I drove past wasn’t lying there all beaten up and half-dead, but I had never thought about the Good Samaritan story in this context before. It was strange. Why now, after all these years would I think about this story now? I’ve driven past hundreds of motorists along the side of the road and never thought twice about it.
Not Thursday.
Now, I’m not advocating we stop at every stranded car alongside the road; we’d never make it to our destination. I mean, we all have important places to go like work, the store or church, even. All I’m saying is that as a believer and follower of Jesus I thought to myself for the first time… “Why didn’t I stop to help?”
As I got closer, I changed lanes so I wouldn’t hit the person if they would have decided to walk around their car on the driver’s side to get back inside or go to their trunk. It was then I noticed that someone else had stopped to take care of the person – or at least check to see if they were ok. It made me feel much better knowing that they had already been taken care of.
I got home and for kicks, re-read the story in Luke:
“Now by chance a priest was going down that road, and when he saw him (The Samaritan) he passed by on the other side. So likewise a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him (The Samaritan) also passed by on the other side.”
ENTER an unsettling feeling. Like both the priest and Levite, I too had passed... on the other side of the road.
Yep, let that one sink in.
“Awesome Christopher” I thought to myself. “What if my destination WAS this stranded car? And then I got to thinking some more… How often do I measure my journey by a safe arrival at my destination instead of the measuring it by the mile markers in between?
In both instances (Luke 10 and Luke 17) the Samaritans go out of their way to help another person – a stranger. These men weren't bound by time, distance or destination. They were inconvenienced both physically and financially in addition to the time that they spent, but they didn't allow that to stop them either.
It’s made me think "a little extra" about passing on the other side of the road:
1). How important is my time?
2). How important are the people around me (whether by choice or circumstance) who God has placed in my life?
3). What will my response be?