The picture of salvation is now complete. Someone once took pity on us too and shared the Gospel of Jesus Christ. We too were once lying beaten on the side of the world's road; discarded. Christ came and bandaged our wounds and poured into us His Holy Spirit like new oil and fresh wine! He took us into His inn a place of great comfort where He took care of us. He also paid the price for us on the cross whilst we were still sinners. As the Samaritan's actions completely cover the wounded man, so Christ completely covers us as well.
Lastly, Jesus chose the Samaritan as the hero to shock His listeners and confront their prejudice. Samaritans were the hated half-brothers of the Jews. They were loathed and despised in the days of Jesus. To make a Samaritan the compassionate hero of the parable only underscores the importance of the overall answer to the question asked by the expert of law. Who is our neighbor?
Our neighbor is everyone beloved. It is the Priest, the Levite and the Samaritan. It is not social standing that determines who our neighbor is, but rather compassion. It is not religiosity and ritual but rather our actions towards a fallen and dying world that should be our guiding principle. Jesus taught about this when discussing the end times and who would inherit eternal life the original question that prompted this parable. He would explain that the righteous would inherit eternal life because "For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.'" The righteous would ask when they did these things and Jesus would answer:
"The King will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.' Matthew 25: 40
Showing compassion to people is showing compassion to Christ. Bringing the Gospel to a lost and dying world is like tending to a man left dying on the side of the road. Sure, we can find any number of reasons to cross the street and leave him where he is. Just remember, someone had to make that same decision when they saw you dying on the side of the road. They chose to be the Samaritan. So should we.
Reverend Anthony Wade July 15, 2009
