The Good Samaritan
Originally scheduled for January 3
Luke 10:33-34 NASB "But
a Samaritan, who was on a journey, came upon him; and when he saw
him, he felt compassion,
(34) and came to him and
bandaged up his wounds, pouring oil and wine on them; and he put him
on his own beast, and brought him to an inn and took care of him.
The passage is an old and familiar one to most
of us. It concerns the Good Samaritan. Most of us see it simply as a
challenge to our own compassion and charity. But I would point out
some things which are familiar to you in communion as well as in
compassion.
Let’s look at
the Samaritan first. There are a few interesting characteristics
that this man has beyond the fact that Samaritans and Jews hate each
other. Please note:
·
He came prepared. He had his first aid kit and was willing to use
it. There is no record that he debated about what he would do.
·
He followed through. Nothing was left undone. The man was placed on
the Samaritan’s donkey while the Samaritan walked. When he got to
the end, he took care of the man himself. He then paid the innkeeper
to continue the job until the man was well.
·
That last deserves some comment. It means that the Samaritan’s
credit was good! The innkeeper trusted the man.
Compassion,
in general, has its little problems.
·
It’s almost always risky. The beaten man could be a trap set by the
robbers. There is the open-ended commitment that it takes to give
this man healing.
·
Often enough, it’s expensive, too. That may be personal monetary
expense, or it may be a commitment of time, or perhaps an emotional
investment.
·
One thing seldom noticed: it also has the possibility of heavy
impact on others. The innkeeper may have felt he had no choice but
to do this for a regular customer.
Christ ended
this parable with, “go thou and do likewise.” But it’s also a model
of what he did in coming to us to suffer on the Cross. Look at it
this way:
·
He was incarnate with a purpose — to die for our sins. He came
prepared to do that. Despite the agony of the death he followed
through and completed the atonement. And his credit was good with
God the Father!
·
It was the sacrifice which involved risk. What if things didn’t go
according to plan? More than that it was expensive, for it cost
Christ his life. And he was not afraid to impose an impact on others
— namely, his followers. They are given the command to love one
another; they are commanded to take the gospel into all the world.
In communion
you can see the full measure of compassion of Christ. He paid the
penalty for our sins, an act of love completely unparalleled in all
of human history. So when you partake of the bread this morning,
think of the love that drove him to endure the cross, an agonizing
death. When you partake of the cup, remember the agonizing slowness
with which he bled until he died. Then remember that he has placed
upon you his burden which is light. You are to love one another; you
are to take the gospel to the world.
