As I was
reading the parable of the Good Samaritan (Luke 10:29-35) a couple of months
ago, the Holy Spirit allowed for me to see the relevance of the parable in an
entirely new, convicting light. I hope that you are able to experience His
desires for the love that we demonstrate to those in our realm of influence through
this post!
Check out
this scripture in Luke 10...
29 But he, desiring
to justify himself, said to Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?” 30 Jesus replied, “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and he fell among
robbers, who stripped him and beat him and departed, leaving him half dead.
31 Now by chance a priest
was going down that road, and when he saw him he passed by on the other side.
32 So likewise a Levite,
when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side.
33 But a Samaritan, as he
journeyed, came to where he was, and when he saw him, he had compassion.
34 He went to him and bound
up his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he set him on his own animal and
brought him to an inn and took care of him. 35 And the next day he took out two denarii[c] and gave
them to the innkeeper, saying, ‘Take care of him, and whatever more you spend,
I will repay you when I come back.’ 36 Which of these three, do you think, proved to be
a neighbor to the man who fell among the robbers?” 37 He said, “The one who
showed him mercy.” And Jesus said to him, “You go, and
do likewise.”
I've read
this passages many times before but it wasn't until recently that I felt a
challenge in the way that I view the hurt of those around me and the love that
I demonstrate to those who are hurting. Now here we see a man who was robbed,
stripped of his clothing, beaten, and left for dead (vs. 30). Can you imagine
riding along your street and seeing a man in this condition? Can you imagine
seeing this man and driving along as if you saw nothing at all like the priest
and the Levite (vs. 31-32) did? I'm sure you would at minimum call the police
if you saw a scene like this. I'm sure in this situation, most of us would do SOMETHING
(our natural instinct to help would kick in) to help the hurting, dying man.
But
what do you ACTUALLY do when you see people in this situation? No, we may not
ever see a man literally beat up and dying on the side of the street but what
we do see often are people who are beat up and wounded spiritually and
emotionally. We do know people who are oppressed by the tactics of
the enemy of their soul (John 10:10) who are in need of the love of Christ that
liberates and sets free. We know people who are living life without any regard
for God, we know people who are mean and difficult to love because the light of
Christ is not fully filling their hearts, we know people who make bad decisions
because they are being led by their own desires instead being led by Christ, and
we know people who are selfish and prideful. It may be a friend, it may be a
co-worker, it may be a church member, it may be a family member, or it may be a
stranger. The point is this, though we don't always see people who are
physically beaten up, we regularly see people who are spiritually and
emotionally beat up. The pain has been shaped by their life experiences and
insecurities, it has been shaped by the distorted truth that the enemy has told
them about themselves, it has been shaped by their disappointment in the people
in their lives, etc. And Jesus is giving the lawyer who is challenging Him (and
all of us) this as an example of how he expects us to love our neighbor.
In order for
us to see the relevance of this passage for our life we must first realize
this:
The Word of God is The final
authority!
2 Timothy 3:16 All
Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for
correction, and for training in righteousness
Jesus isn't
just talking to the lawyer who is challenging Him in this scripture but He has
something for all of us to see, understand, and apply. Every part of the bible
is meant to communicate something about God's love and His desire for His
children. So we have to ask ourselves, when Jesus is talking about love here,
what is he saying about the way that he desires for us to love? I've surmised
the following:
A few tips on how to be a Modern Day Samaritan
(And love The wounded):
1. Call for Help: When we become aware that we have a friend,
co-worker, family member, acquaintance, or stranger that is wounded we must
call on The Lord for help. We need God's help to intervene in their situation,
we need God's help to give us the strength and wisdom to love them in a
supernatural way (let's be real, we don't always feel like loving people
selflessly).
2. Pray for a Compassionate Heart: It's so easy to have a hard
heart. It's easy to dwell on how jacked up a person is, how much help they
need, and focus on their issues. It takes a compassionate heart to see past a person's
actions and love them anyway. One of my favorite preachers, Chip Ingram
(livingontheedge.org), said it best: "As Christians, we have to see past a
person's actions and behavior to their need and eternity". What a
challenge?! And this challenge can only be met by a righteous, holy, perfect
God who allows for us to share in His character through the power of His Holy
Spirit that He has sent to live inside of our hearts.
3. Total Dependence on God: It's not easy but necessary! Unlike
learning from people who can teach us how to do something that we can master,
we never become completely competent in loving people. We have to look to God
for guidance, humility, and strength when it comes to loving others in the way
that the Good Samaritan did. It takes a lot of prayer and a continually
recognition of your weakness in light of God's strength.
So, who in
your world is wounded? Who in your world needs an extended hand of love and
grace? How will you respond? Hopefully you're challenged to respond in love and
see the person through the lens of Christ (their need and eternity) and not see
them only through a carnal lens. It's not easy, but God didn't promise that it
would be; He did promise to help those who seek Him.
I love you
but God loves you so much more!
With love,
Kristin
Sarai
