The Good Samaritan, Revisited

A different blog than I normally write. This one is me processing the sermon I heard last night. It was at The Crossing (http://www.wcrossing.org/) and the sermon was given by Steve Gillen from Willowcreek. (The sermon will be posted at The Crossings website sometime this week.) It was on a text that I have used and most of us are very familiar with--Luke 10.25-37--the story of The Good Samaritan.

So, if you remember the story, a Jewish man was traveling on a trip from Jerusalem to Jericho and was attacked. He was beaten and robbed--they even took his clothes. [This was a very dangerous road and was known as not a safe way to go.]

The man is laying there, in the road, dying. Along come a priest and a Levite. [Their job was to ake care of people.] They see the man and they cross to the other side of the road and walk on by. They limited who they loved and they limited how much they loved--and even though this was one of their own, a Jewish man--they chose to not help.

Okay, then along comes the Samaritan. The Scripture even goes so far as to say, "a despised Samaritan," comes along. We are told "he felt compassion for him." So he gets off his donkey and begins taking care of the man.

Remember earlier, I said that this was a dangerous road--the bandits (or some other bandits) could be waiting to pounce on someone else. The Samaritan couldn't be blamed if he had just put the man on the donkey and taken him somewhere safe to take care of him. But, he didn't. He began taking care of the man right there . . . he "soothes his wounds with olive oil and wine and bandaged them."

"Then he put the man on his own donkey and took him to an inn where he took care of him." AND then when he leaves, "he handed the innkeeper two silver coins telling him, 'Take care of this man. If his bill runs higher than this, I'll pay you the next time I'm here.'" This would be like us giving the innkeeper our credit card and saying--whatever he needs, just charge it to me.

The Samaritan risked everything to help his enemy--not a friend--HIS ENEMY.

The Jewish man traveled down a very dangerous road, so it could be said that he had some degree of responsibility. No, he didn't ask to be robbed and beaten, but he could have taken a different road. But Jesus tells us here that it doesn't matter, if a person is responsible for their circumstances or not --we are to love and care for them anyway. (Amazing how we use 'being good stewards' as an excuse to not help others.)

So, in spite of someones bad choices, wrong turns, or their responsibility in a matter--none of that matters--we are to love and care for them with open arms and open hands. We are not to judge or decide how much help/love/care they deserve--we are just to do it.

Okay, here is the part that really kicked me in the butt . . . Steve said WE should identify with the Jewish man in the road. (I liked it better when I was told to identify with the Good Samaritan.) He received an act of free grace from someone who didn't owe him anything. Jesus is the Good Samaritan, the one who loves unconditionally, who has compassion on us, who doesn't pass by on the other side, but takes time to stop and care for us . . . He saves us. And it is only when we have experienced this kind of radical love can we be changed enough to love others radically. Otherwise, we are like the priest and Levite, measuring out how much love and grace someone deserves.

Jesus doesn't point a finger at us and say, "well, you got yourself into this mess--if you would have taken a different road--made better choices--this would have never happened." Instead, He sees the mess we are in and has compassion for us. He sees we are unable to help ourselves. He sees that we are dying. Yet, He stops and loves us and bandages us up and takes care of us. Even when we don't want Him to--even when we see Him as "a despised Samaritan:--the person we would least expect . . . or want . . . help from.

This is just some of the parts that hit me. Go listen to the sermon when you have some time. Allow yourself to be loved radically by Jesus, our Good Samaritan, so you can love others radically.