Today in our penultimate section of our journey of the good ole’ Good Samaritan parable, we come to some more lessons…
7. Callous
“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.” (Luke 10:31-32)
Forget the Clergy, even the common Jews take pride in memorizing the first five books of the Bible. So were not Priest and the Levite aware of what the Law commanded…
“If you see the donkey of someone who hates you fallen down under its load, do not leave it there; be sure you help them with it.” (Ex. 23:5:)
Let alone a human being in need, the Jews were divinely commanded not to be callous towards even a needy donkey of an enemy. But there they were, the Priest and a Levite, when they saw a dying Jew: The very definition of indifference. Hey, be wary of not only obvious Sins of commission but also of more subtle Sins of omission as James exhorts us in his oh, so down to earth, practical epistle. It is one thing to know the Bible, it is quite another to obey it.
“If anyone, then, knows the good they ought to do and doesn’t do it, it is sin for them.” (James 4:17)
In a way were not the apathetic Priest and the Levite symbolic of the Law which came before the Saviour? It can “see and identify” the problem areas in our body like a good scanning machine does but can do precious little in remedying them. The Priest and Levite “saw” the problem but did precious little in fixing it.
We can obey the Written Word, only if we have the Living Word indwelling us, for then His likes and dislikes become ours too.
8. Compassion
Even as badly bruised Jew lay dying, there came the compassionate Samaritan. Hey, it cost him to render help. He may have been on a business trip for all we know. But there he was willing to expend his time, talent and treasures for the very one who in normal times would have cold-shouldered him. He preferred to walk, putting the injured one on the donkeys back. Now was not the Samaritan aware of the Jews’ historical prejudice and hatred towards his like, but propelled as he was by unconditional, agape love, he set out to help the dying Jew, come what may.
“But a Samaritan, as he traveled, came where the man was; and when he saw him, he took pity on him. He went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he put the man on his own donkey, brought him to an inn and took care of him.” (Luke 10:33-34)
There we were Children of the fallen human race with neither love for God nor hope for deliverance languishing in darkness, then arrived the precious Saviour to bail us out of trouble. Now will I be able to adequately recount what it cost the Redeemer to liberate us from the clutches of sin? Let the Scripture take over…
“For if, while we were God’s enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through his life!” (Rom 5:10)
“Once you were alienated from God and were enemies in your minds because of your evil behavior. But now he has reconciled you by Christ’s physical body through death to present you holy in his sight, without blemish and free from accusation.” (Col 1:21)
Prayer: Father, we can never adequately repay thee or even thank Thee for redeeming us out of our hopeless condition. We praise Thee once again in Jesus’ Name. Amen.
Suresh Manoharan
J and SM Ministries
(To access the rest of the “It’s ‘All’ There” mini-series, please click here.)