Confronting the needs of
others brings out various attitudes in us. Jesus used the story of
the good but despised Samaritan to make clear what attitude was
acceptable to Him.
JESUS
AND THE PARABLE OF THE GOOD SAMARITAN
Luke
10:25-35 (NIV) says “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’;
and, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’”
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
neighbor?” 30
In
reply 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.
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 traveled, 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, brought him to an inn and took care of
him. 35
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.’”
5
DIFFERENT ATTITUDES
If we are honest, we often
will find ourselves in the place of the expert in the law, needing to
learn again who our neighbor is. Note these 5 different attitudes
toward the wounded man.
1. To the robbers, the
wounded man was nothing more than someone to use and exploit.
2. To the priest, the wounded
man was a problem to be avoided.
3. To the expert in the law
(the Levite), the wounded man was a subject to discuss.
4. To the innkeeper, the
wounded man was a customer to serve for a fee.
5. To the Samaritan, the
wounded man was a human being worth being cared for and loved.
SOMETHING
TO CONSIDER
In a similar situation, being
honest, which of these 5 attitudes would you have? And, which of
these 5 attitudes do you think Jesus would expect from you?
To
Jesus, all of them and all of us were worth dying for.
IS
YOUR LIGHT SHINING BRIGHTLY?
Matthew
5:14-16 (NIV) says “You
are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden.
Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they
put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In
the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see
your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.”
Think
About The Following: You
go into a public restroom. There, you see a person who has passed
out on the restroom floor. And, that person’s skin color or
nationality is different than
yours.
What would you do? Would you be like the priest and the Levite or would
you be the Good Samaritan?
Philippians
2:5 (NLT) says
“You
must have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had.”
Always
Leave Your Light On And Let It Shine Brightly!
End
Of Post