It was a downhill road from Jerusalem to Jericho — not a steep slope, but a steady downgrade all the way. We don’t know why that traveler chose to go to Jericho, but if he had known about the thieves along the way, maybe he would have stayed at home. But he didn’t know.
All of us can understand that, because there is so much that we don’t know. We might think, “I can be a little bit bad, but I won’t be very bad. Yes, I know it’s wrong, but I won’t go very far.” Maybe you don’t know that when you are bad, even a little bit, God calls it sin. That makes you a sinner, and a sinner is someone who disobeys God. He says in the Bible, “There is no difference: for all have sinned” (Romans 3:22-23). But even worse, He tells us there can be absolutely no sin in heaven! There is something else you may not know, and it is good news. God loves sinners, and so He sent His very own beloved Son Jesus down to this world to save sinners from their sins. He tells us in Acts 16:31, “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved.” Let the Lord Jesus save you right now, before you read any farther!
Now let’s see what happened to the traveler on the road to Jericho. The Bible tells us he met a band of thieves who took everything he had, even his clothes! And if that wasn’t bad enough, they wounded him and left him half dead. At least they didn’t kill him.
The poor, wounded traveler certainly needed help. The first man who came by was a priest. It was the priest’s business to decide if a person needed the kind of help he could offer, but this poor man was beyond the services of a priest. The priest couldn’t do anything but pass by on the other side.
Then a Levite came by. The duty of a Levite was to teach the people the right thing to do, but this poor wounded man couldn’t do anything. What good was a teacher who just looked and passed by on the other side?
Then a third person came by, and the wounded traveler would be able to tell that he was not walking but riding, for he would be able to hear the animal’s clip-clops. Would this man be able to help him? This man was a Samaritan, and the Jews didn’t like the Samaritans. But this man came close and touched the wounded traveler. The Samaritan poured good wine into his mouth and poured oil into his wounds. This made the wounded traveler feel much better. But he still couldn’t walk, so the Samaritan put him on his own donkey. This meant the Samaritan had to walk, and maybe he had to hold up the wounded man too.
They went to an inn, and the innkeeper took care of the wounded man until he was well. Did he do it for nothing? Oh, no. The good Samaritan paid the innkeeper for his services and promised him more money for any extra expense, until he would come again!
Our Jesus has promised to come again. He will do better than this story, for our Jesus is not far away from you even right now. He is near you to help and comfort you until He comes again. Many people did not like the Samaritans, but I’m sure the poor traveler had many good words to say for his rescuer. Do you have a good word to say for Jesus? If He has rescued you from your sins, He is your “good Samaritan.” And He is loving you and caring for you all the way home to His Father’s house in heaven. You should have many good words to say for Him! “Blessed be the Lord, who daily loadeth us with benefits, even the God of our salvation” (Psalm 68:19).
It was Jesus Himself who died and shed His blood that you might live. Thank Him with all your heart right now, and tell others what He has done for you.
Think About God’s Word!
1. Who was it that helped the wounded traveler?
2. Why did the Lord Jesus help people who despised Him?
Project: How many different ways can you give that the “good Samaritan” was like the Lord Jesus?