Bible Reading: Luke 10:30-37
Jesus said: "A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, when he was attacked by robbers. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him and went away, leaving him half dead. 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. But a Samaritan, as he travelled, 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. The next day he took out two denarii 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.' "Which of these three do you think was a neighbour to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?" The expert in the law replied, "The one who had mercy on him." Jesus told him, "Go and do likewise."
A Thought
In this reading Jesus tells us one of the most familiar parables in the bible, the parable about the Good Samaritan. Jesus tells this parable to answer the question ‘Who is my neighbour?’ and much is preached about the need to care for others, regardless of race, faith or social status. But it is also a parable about healing.
It is a story about someone going about their daily life, travelling from one town to another, when they get attacked, stripped, beaten up and left for dead.
The victim is eventually discovered by a stranger and the process of healing begins. Firstly oil and wine are poured onto the wounds and then the wounds are bandaged up. The victim is then put on the rescuer’s donkey and taken to an inn where they are nursed back to health. He is then left in the care of the inn keeper, all expenses paid, until the rescuer returns when, we assume, a full recovery will have been made.
Can you imagine yourself in the story? Have you ever been like the traveller, going about your normal daily life? Something happens to you and you end up feeling naked, beaten up and left for dead. I’m sure there are times in our lives when we have felt like that. Who was your Good Samaritan? What was involved in the healing process for you?
Can you see Jesus as your Good Samaritan, rescuing you from the pitfalls of life? Can you see the wine and the oil as the ministry of prayer and of the Holy Spirit as you go on your journey of recovery? Could the church be a place where you find restoration and wholeness?
But this story works on many different levels. Could you be the Good Samaritan? Is there someone on your journey who has been beaten up by life? Could you help to rescue them, bind up their wounds, minister to their needs and take them to a safe place to recover?
Or could you be the inn keeper, ready to receive those who need encouraging on the road to a full recovery? Or could you go back out onto the highways of life and rescue others as you wait for the Good Samaritan to return?
A Prayer
Lord Jesus, thank you that when I was lost in sin, you rescued me, healed me and restored me. Thank you for those along my journey through life who have been a Good Samaritan to me and help me to be the Good Samaritan to those I meet who are finding life tough at the moment.
Amen.
Comments