THE GOOD SAMARITAN

PROCLAMATION

“And, behold, a certain lawyer stood up, and tempted Him … ‘And who is my neighbor?’  And Jesus answering said, ‘A certain man went down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell among thieves, which stripped him of his raiment, and wounded him, and departed, leaving him half dead.  And by chance there came down a certain priest … And likewise a Levite … But a certain Samaritan, as he journeyed … Which now of these three, thinkest thou, was neighbor unto him that fell among the thieves?’  And he said, ‘He that showed mercy on him.’  Then Jesus said unto him, ‘Go, and do thou likewise.’ ”  Luke 10:25-37 (KJV)

 

EXPLANATION

These words are from the gospel, the good news regarding Jesus, The Christ, which were spoken by Christ according to Luke, the physician.  After feeding the five thousand men plus their wives and children, Jesus went off privately with His disciples. (Luke 9:18)  He told them of His upcoming death. (Luke 9:21-22)  Later on, Peter, James, and John witnessed His transfiguration and saw Moses and Elijah talking with Him. (Luke 9:28-36)  The next day, in front of a large crowd, Jesus healed a demon-possessed boy. (Luke 9:37-43)  Then for the second time, He predicted His own death. (Luke 9:43-45)  As He was heading for Jerusalem, He told them that there was a price to pay for following Him. (Luke 9:57-62)  Then Jesus appointed seventy-two men, gave them the power to heal the sick and to cast out demons, and sent them out to the surrounding villages, two by two, as He had done earlier with His disciples. (Luke 10:1-17)  On one occasion, as He was teaching, an expert in the law asked Him, “What must I do to inherit eternal life?”  Jesus replied to him, “What is written in the law?”  The man 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.”  Jesus replied that he had answered correctly and said, “Do this and you will live.” (Luke 10:25-28)  However, the man wanted to justify himself, so he asked Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?”  In reply, Jesus told him The Parable of The Good Samaritan. (Luke 10:29-37)  Jesus went to the home of Martha and Mary.  Martha was busy making preparations for a meal, while Mary sat at the feet of Jesus and listened to His words.  Martha asked Jesus to tell Mary to help her, but He replied that she was worried about too many things and that Mary had made a better choice. (Luke 10:38-42)

 

APPLICATION

In this parable, the priest and the Levite passed by the man in need without stopping to offer any assistance.  Only the Samaritan stopped and helped the man.   The Samaritan showed mercy to the man in need, and he went above and beyond in offering assistance to him.  The point here is for us today to “Go and do likewise.”  Today, there are many people in need of assistance and there are many ways that we can help them.  It is not always about giving someone money, although that would be helpful.  We are blessed in order to share and to be a blessing to others.  Many of us have clothes which we don’t wear that someone could use.  Most of us can afford to buy a meal for a needy person.  The Bible says, “… As you give so shall it be given unto you…” (Luke 6:38)  However, if you are going to give money to an organization, please check it out and make sure that the money is going to the purpose for which it was intended.  Christ said, “…As ye have done it unto one of the least of these My brethren, ye have done it unto me.” (Matthew 25:40; but read Matthew 25:31-46 for the whole story)