Compassion

Scripture: Luke 10: 30-37 | 1 Timothy 3:8

There's a familiar story in the Bible about a Jewish man that was traveling from Jerusalem to Jericho. As he was traveling, he was attacked by bandits who beat him and left him naked to die on the side of the road. This probably wasn't a busy road where the bandits could be discovered or the man protected by the public. This was probably a stretch of road that was isolated and made easy targets for thieves. It's here that we start to see the other characters come along:

1. The priest

The first person to come along is a priest. Someone that the world would call good and we Christians would call "called". In my mind, I would expect a priest of all people to help this man. After all, he's a priest. His job is to literally help the poor and sick of the world. But what does the priest do? What does the man that we expect to do something do?

He crosses the road and keeps walking.

I believe the lesson here is that it's not always the people that we think should fix the problem that fix the problem. We tend to put our leaders on pedestals and expect perfection from them. But we forget that these people are human beings and are actually taking a road less traveled by their fellow brethren. Yes, if they're leaders, they should hold themselves to a higher discipline ( 1 Timothy 3:8), but we cannot expect them to not be humans at times. We must give them grace.

2. the temple assistant

This man is also known as a Levite. Levites were functionaries that performed temple duties. This could be a musician, a guard, a gate keeper, etc. This is another person we as humans would expect to help the dying man in the story. It even says that he "walked over and looked at him" (Luke 10:32, NLT) but still didn't help him.

Another person we expect to help a dying man, yet he does not...

What is the deal with these "good" people not helping someone in need?

Personally, I think it's showing us that God makes a way to help you even when the people we expect to help us don't. This could be a parent that abandoned their child, this could be a husband that's abusive to his wife and kids, this could be something as simple as a friend ignoring your cry for help.

God still makes a way to help them. He is not bound by any man or circumstance, and He will help those who need it. We see that with our final character in the story.

3. The Samaritan

This man was a Samaritan, which means he did not practice mainstream Judaism. Yes, he worshiped the Lord, but according to Jewish standards, he was an outcast. If we expect anyone to ditch the dying man, it would be this one. At least, according to Jewish standards, it would be this one. But look how the Lord twists the plot:

Luke 10:33-35:

“Then a despised Samaritan came along, and when he saw the man, he felt compassion for him. 34) Going over to him, the Samaritan soothed his wounds with olive oil and wine and bandaged them. Then he put the man on his own donkey and took him to an inn, where he took care of him. 35) The next day he handed the innkeeper two silver coins, telling him, ‘Take care of this man. If his bill runs higher than this, I’ll pay you the next time I’m here.’

Wow...the man that we least expect to have compassion ends up being the one that helps our dying friend.

Here's how we can place ourselves in the story:

The dying man represents us. The world leaves us broken and hurting, searching for something more that this earth cannot give.

You could place people in your life that you expected to help you out of the struggle in the places of the priest and Levite.

The Samaritan represents Jesus. Rejected by the world and those who should have loved Him, He reaches down to heal our wounds, picks us up out of the mirey pit, and places our feet on solid ground.

He did this for me: He saw me searching night clubs and warm bodies for just the slightest touch of fulfillment and love, yet seeing me find nothing but emptiness, He had compassion on me and brought me to new life.

Thank You, Jesus.

He is a compassionate God. How can we show compassion to someone else today?

Thanks for reading friends