The Good Samaritan

View praise and worship.

There are five main characters in this famous story aside from Jesus: the Lawyer, the Robber, the Priest, the Levite and the
Good Samaritan. What can we learn from the attitudes of these characters?

The Lawyer or scribe transcribes the Law of Moses and considers himself an expert in the Law. Though he knows what the Law says, he still asks, “Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” He does this to test Jesus' knowledge of the Law and to make himself look good to others.

Jesus replies by asking two questions: “What is written in the Law? How does it read to you?"

And the Lawyer quotes, “You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might” (Deuteronomy 6:5) and “You shall love your neighbor as yourself” (Leviticus 19:18).

Jesus says, “Do this and you will live.” But the Lawyer asks again, “Who is my neighbor?”

Sometimes, we are like the Lawyer. We know what the Bible says but we have a hard time applying it in our lives. Instead of immediate obedience, we try to justify our disobedience.

The Robber in Jesus' story is motivated by greed. He lives by the motto, “What is yours is mine”. He wants what others have but is not willing to work for it. We may not be stealing material things, but sometimes we are like the Robber when we take credit for what we do not deserve, take advantage of the kindness of our friends, criticize the success of our peers, rejoice in the failure of others, and rob people of their reputation by gossiping about them.

The Priest who teaches the Law, ministers to people and is supposed to be a good example, but he did not help the man on the road. The Priest, thinking that the man might be dead and, being mindful of the Law that says, “The one who touches the corpse of any person shall be unclean for seven days” (Numbers 19:11), kept his distance. If he became “unclean,” he would be unable to serve and minister in God's temple. Sometimes, we are like the Priest, unwilling to help others and we justify this by keeping the letter of the Law rather than the spirit of the Law. We tell ourselves that we have more important things to do.

The Levite, concerned with his own safety and possibly thinking that the man on the road may have friends hiding in the bushes to rob him, did not help. Like the Priest, the Levite lives by the motto, “What is mine is mine.” Sometimes, we are like the Levite, judging the motives of people who ask for our help. Instead of responding to their need, we make a judgment of the situation to justify why we do not want to help. Like the Priest and the Levite, we are sometimes more concerned about our comfort than the pain of others. We give more importance to rules and principles than our relationships with people.

Often, it is difficult for us to show genuine love for others because we always want to put our interests first. So instead of helping out, we make excuses: “I am too busy,” “It is inconvenient,” “It is not my business,” “It is too costly,” “Somebody else can help,” “I might get into trouble,” or “My motive may be questioned.”

The Samaritan, despite being an outcast in the Jewish community, and unlike the rest of the characters in the parable, showed mercy to the man on the road and went out of his way to help him. The Samaritan is the biblical example of a good neighbor. In Luke 10:36-37, Jesus commanded the Lawyer to go and do the same as the good Samaritan. Now, what are the qualities of a good neighbor?

• A good neighbor sees the pain of others. Unlike the Priest and the Levite who see nothing when they pass by the man on the road, the Samaritan sees the man, recognizes his need and feels compassion. When we look at our
  neighbors, do we see their possessions with an eye of envy or do we see their spiritual condition apart Christ? When we look at our co-workers, do we see competitors who can hinder our promotion or do we see friends who need our support? Are you being a Good Samaritan by seeing and responding to the needs of others?
• A good neighbor sets aside his plans and priorities. The Samaritan is on a journey, yet he is willing to be sidetracked for the greater purpose of helping an injured man. Jesus himself, during his earthly ministry, was willing to set aside teaching in a house full of people just to heal a paralytic man who was brought down by his friends through a hole in the roof. Even on the cross, Jesus was willing to be interrupted just so that he could minister to the repentant robber by his side, “Today, you will be with me in Paradise.” God often sends us interruptions which are actually opportunities for us to make a difference in the lives of others. Are we willing to set aside our time, plans and priorities to help another?
• A good neighbor serves despite the peril. Despite potential danger to himself, the Samaritan helped the man anyway. A good neighbor is willing to extend a helping hand despite the risk of being accused of having selfish motives. Are we willing to reach out despite the potential threat to our own welfare?
• A good neighbor shares his possessions. The Samaritan used his own donkey, spent his own oil, wine and money just to ease the man's suffering. A good neighbor generously shares not just his time but also his wealth to those who need help. 1 John 3:17 says, “But whoever has the world's goods, and sees his brother in need and closes his heart against him, how does the love of God abide in him?” As God blesses us, are we willing to bless others?
• A good neighbor saves the person. The Samaritan saved the man's life. He paid the innkeeper to make sure that the man is restored to full health. A good neighbor takes the extra mile to respond to the real need of others. People are in desperate need of love and compassion and a simple act of kindness from us touches and saves many lives. Are we
  willing to give hope to those in need of it?

The Samaritan is indeed a good neighbor. Are we?