The
Spirit of the Sovereign LORD is on me, because the LORD has anointed me
to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted,
to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the
prisoners, to proclaim the year of the LORD's favor and the day of vengeance of
our God, to comfort all who mourn, and provide for those who grieve in Zion-- to
bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead
of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair.
They will be called oaks of righteousness, a planting of the LORD for the
display of his splendor. Isaiah 61: 1-3
This man needed a crown of beauty for the ashes the world gave him. He needed the oil of gladness for his mourning and a garment of praise for his despair. He needed to be released from the darkness of the world, freedom from his captivity and his broken heart to be bound up. He needed Jesus. Continuing on in the parable:
A priest happened to be going down the same road, and when he saw the man, he passed by on the other side. Luke 10:31
If your enemy is hungry, give him food to eat; if he is thirsty, give him water to drink. In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head, and the Lord will reward you. - Proverbs 25:21-22
Not to mention loving your neighbor as yourself (Leviticus 19:18). So the essential decision made here is one of choosing to obey the religious ritual rather than the spirit of the Word of God. Jesus often spoke against this type of Pharisaical thinking:
"Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You give a tenth of your spices--mint, dill and cummin. But you have neglected the more important matters of the law--justice, mercy and faithfulness. You should have practiced the latter, without neglecting the former. You blind guides! You strain out a gnat but swallow a camel. Matthew 23: 23-24
To not help someone in desperate need because of religiosity is indeed straining out a gnat but swallowing a camel. Who is this priest in our salvation picture? Maybe someone who has been saved a long time. Perhaps someone even in ministry. Content with their fire-insurance policy from hell and now performing the motions for Christ like Martha did when Jesus visited her home. So busy working for Christ that sight is lost of the teachings and objectives of Christ. Sometimes in American Christianity we can have an "us four and no more" mentality. We bemoan when our churches grow because we feel they somehow lose their personal nature. We can make Christianity be about us, instead of Christ. Maybe we see that man on the road beaten up by life and simply cross the street. Out of sight and out of mind. Maybe we refuse to allow our co-workers to know about our Christianity. Maybe we do not talk about it enough with our families. We can all be guilty of crossing the street.
