is written in the law? How do you understand it?” The man answered, “It is written: You
shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength
and with all your mind. And you shall love your neighbor as yourself.” Jesus replied,
“What a good answer! Do this and you shall live.” The man wanted to justify his question,
so he asked, “Who is my neighbor?” Jesus then said, “There was a man going down from
Jerusalem to Jericho, and he fell into the hands of robbers. They stripped him, beat him
and went off, leaving him half dead.
It happened that a priest was going along that road and saw the man, but passed by on
the other side. Likewise a Levite saw the man, and passed by on the other side. But a
Samaritan also was going that way; and when he came upon the man, he was moved
with compassion. He went over to him, and cleaned his wounds with oil and wine, and
wrapped them in bandages. Then he put him on his own mount, and brought him to an inn,
where he took care of him.
The next day, he had to set off; but he gave two silver coins to the innkeeper, and said,
‘Take care of him, and whatever you spend on him, I will repay when I return.’”
Jesus then asked, “Which of these three, do you think, made himself neighbor to the
man who fell into the hands of robbers?” The teacher of the law answered, “The one
who had mercy on him.” And Jesus said, “Then go and do the same.”
Reflect
The priest and the Levite passed by on the other side, even though they saw the injured
man lying beside the road. We don’t know why they kept going without stopping.
Perhaps they feared a trap or were rushing to an appointment. Perhaps they thought the
man was already dead and beyond their help. All we know is that they failed to stop and
offer assistance. But the Samaritan did stop and render immediate aid, even providing
for future care. But what is even more amazing is what the Samaritan did not do. He did
not ask the man questions to determine if he was deserving of help. How often do we
hear people, including ourselves, say that they won’t help beggars or contribute to a
charity to assist those in need? “It’s a scam.” “They’ll just use the money for drugs or
alcohol.” “My help won’t make a difference.” “They’ll be back in jail soon no matter what
I do.” Instead of helping without question or reserve, we try to decide who deserves our
compassion. The answer to that question is easy: all children of God deserve our loving
compassion. May we, like the Good Samaritan, respond with mercy.
© Copyright Bible Diary 2023