It was more than 2000 years ago. Life was very different then, but some things just do not change. There was that man who went down from Jerusalem to Jericho—and fell among thieves. They robbed him and wounded him and left him for dead. It could almost be today, couldn’t it?
Then along came the Pharisee (a religious, self-righteous person), and then a Levite, representing the law, and both of them looked at the man lying by the roadside and “passed by on the other side” of the road and went on their way. That sounds familiar too!
Last came the Samaritan-and how different he was. He went to the victim and bound up his wounds, pouring in oil and wine (to disinfect and to heal) and lifted him to his own mule. He took him then to an inn. There he even paid the innkeeper and promised him that if he spent more on the victim, he, the Samaritan, would repay it the next time he came that way.
Reading the story carefully, it is easy to see that that “good Samaritan” is just a picture of the Lord Jesus. When He was on earth, He “went about doing good.” He healed the sick and even raised the dead. Wherever He met pain and sorrow, He showed His compassion and mercy to all who came. Then He returned to His Father’s house—heaven.
Coming down to our time, recently two men, a father and his son, took their boat and went out fishing. Suddenly they discovered that their boat was taking in water-and fast. With little warning, it “went down like the Titanic,” the son said.
The two had only time to grab life jackets; their flares were already too wet to use, and the cell phone was lost. Without flares and phone, there was one way to call for help: They said, “We prayed!”
Once in the water they had only the jackets and a fifteen-foot rope. They tied themselves together with the rope and began to swim toward shore. They swam for about four hours, but a strong current was against them and they feared they might be swept out into the open Gulf. At last they reached a buoy to hold on to, though it was encrusted with sharp barnacles and they were badly cut.
It was a cold night in the water and very dark, but at 6:38 a.m. they saw the sun rise. The father said, “I saw the sun, and said, ‘That’s it! We’re safe!’”
But as boats began pulling out from shore, the stranded men waved and shouted for two hours with no response. The boaters passed with their “motors at full throttle” on their way to a day’s fun or fishing.
At last a couple in a 32-foot boat pulled alongside and called on their radio for help. Then it wasn’t long before the fire and rescue team came and took the two exhausted men to a hospital.
Later they both said that the worst trial was watching boat after boat speed by without stopping. On Mt. Everest, recently, another man watched possible help pass by. A man sat by the trail in sub-zero weather, struggling to breathe. It was later estimated that at least forty climbers went by him that day-and kept going. One team stopped and gave him a little oxygen. That was all. Who could afford to pay tens of thousands of dollars for an Everest “Summit Expedition” and fail to “summit”?
Boating outings, mountain climbing, what could a little convenience store have in common with them? Well, people. Human beings, and human nature. They are still sadly the same. In the little convenience store a young woman lay on the floor, bleeding to death from a stab wound. The video camera was running, and later the film showed a tragic picture: At least five shoppers stepped over her to continue their errand to the store. At least one stopped-to help? No, to open his cell phone and take a picture of the dying woman.
Oh, where is that Good Samaritan who was such a picture of the Lord Jesus? The answer is surprising. We know that Jesus went back to heaven when His work of redemption was accomplished, but that did not end His love and pity for poor, suffering, failing humanity. Actually, He is more accessible than when He was present on earth. We do not think of Him as the Samaritan, a stranger, but as the good Shepherd, always near, always loving and tender.
As the Shepherd He speaks of His flock: “My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me: and I give unto them eternal life, and they shall never perish” (John 10:27-2827My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me: 28And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand. (John 10:27‑28)). The Lord Jesus gave help and healing to people during His time on earth, but now it is ETERNAL LIFE He is giving to all those who go to Him in faith. Have you done that yet?