Jesus inspires us to be kind, considerate and caring of others in this amazing story.
A man is mugged and seriously hurt while travelling.
Jesus' Way - the Christian Way - is to stop and help someone in need.
This sounds easy.
Until it's at night, and you're scared for your own safety yourself.
Or the person who needs help is covered in blood, and may have an infectious illness.
Or the person in need is, to your eyes, neither attractive nor clean.
Or the person needing your help is someone who has harmed you in some way, perhaps in a previous business dealing or sharp words at your expense.
Whatever the challenge, to stop and go out of your way carries its own risk.
Your good intentions may be misunderstood.
Stopping to help save a life at an accident may lead to being involved in enquiries thereafter.
You may lose out financially in helping someone in a difficult time of their life.
So: when faced with someone needing a Good Samaritan in their lives, we need to stop and ask:
WHAT WOULD JESUS DO.
That always seems to be the easy bit.
Now; to do what Jesus would do, within the gifts of our personal culture, gender, abilities, financial status, is the challenge.
Jesus does not expect us to always get it right.
He does not set the highest blueprint and demand that we always be perfect.
So, if you mess up and don't help to the fullest of your ability at any given time of your life due to fear; lack of strength or authority; coercion from others; there is only one thing to do.
Forgive yourself.
And try better next time.
Sometimes we are the Good Samaritan to another.
And sometimes someone else is the Good Samaritan to us.
The point Jesus was trying to make to us is that;
It is the godly Way to assist each other.
It is the godly Way to treat each other as fellow sons and daughters of the Great God.
It is the godly Way not to be selfish, but to treat others with respect, dignity and humanity.
Let's go out there and just do the best we can.
LET US ALL LIGHT THE WORLD WITH THE LOVE OF JESUS.
Strength and blessings to you all!
Rev Catherine Nicolette
The Holy Bible, The Gospel Writer St Luke, Chapter 10 (Ten), Verses 25 to 37
The Parable of the Good Samaritan
25 On one occasion an expert in the law stood up to test Jesus.
"Teacher", he asked, "what must I do to inherit eternal life?"
26 "What is written in the Law?" he replied.
"How do you read it?"
27 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' a; and , 'Love your neighbour as yourself.' b "
28 "You have answered correctly," Jesus replied. "Do this and you will live."
29 But he wanted to justify himself, so he asked Jesus, "And who is my neighbour?"
30 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.
31 A priest happened to be going down the same road, and when he saw the man, he passed by on the other side.
32 So too, a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side.
33 But a Samaritan, as he travelled, came where the man was; and when he saw him, he took pity on him.
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.
35 The next day he took out two silver coins c 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.'
36 "Which of these three do you think was a neighbour to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?"
37 The expert in the law replied, "The one who had mercy on him."
Jesus told him, "Go and do likewise."
a Reference to The Old Testament (the Torah), the Book of Deuteronomy Chapter 6 verse 5
b Reference to The Old Testament , the Book of Leviticus, Chapter 19 verse 18
c Greek two denarii
IN SHORT, THE LAWYER ASKED JESUS; "WHO IS MY NEIGHBOUR, THE ONE I SHOULD HELP?"
JESUS THUS, THROUGH THE PARABLE, REPLIED, "EVERYONE."
See link for The Holy Bible Luke 10;25-37, for the sight impaired there is an audio link
http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Luke+10%3A25-37&version=NIV
See link for Parable of the Good Samaritan
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=53Pqw20xK10
With thanks to Biblegateway and Youtube
