The Good Samaritan

I attend a church called 'Highrock' on Sundays. I first went to Highrock about a year and a half ago and have been in love with it since. It's the first church I've ever gone to where the sermons always resonates with me on Mondays as much as it did Sunday. The church always leave me wanting for more, igniting an even deeper hunger for truth and for the word of God. I want to share my Sunday experiences at Highrock with all of you, so I'll try my best to recapture what I take away from the sermons after I hear them.

Yesterday, Pastor Dave Swaim preached on the parableof the Good Samaritan.

First a man asks Jesus, "How can I inherit eternal life?"

Typical Jesus, whom always answers a question with a question, says back to him, "what's in the law, did you read it"?

Guy responds, "Yup. Love the Lord your God with all your heart, mind, strength and soul. And love your neighbor as yourself."

Jesus responds, "Good job, dude. Now go do this, and you'll live."

Guy wants to clarify, so he asks, "Who's my neighbor?"

And also in typical Jesus fashion, Jesus replies with a parable. The story goes a little something like this:

A man is heading from Jerusalem to Jericho & is beaten and robbed and left for dead on the side of the road. A priest first walks by, sees the man, then keeps walking. A Levite also walks by, sees the man, and walks on the other side. Lastly, a Good Samaritan passes, he helps the man, takes him to the inn, takes care of him, gives the innkeeper money to look after him as well, and takes care of all the expenses. (For a non-butchered version)

I think everyone, Christians and Non, have all heard of this parable. All I've ever taken away from it is that you should never leave a dead man hanging on side of road and should always do good for strangers. What I love about Pastor Dave's sermons is that he always goes beyond what meets the eye.

P. Dave explains, there is only one road from Jerusalem to Jericho, and it is not an easy one. It is not a common path, it's a path far less taken. It is also a difficult road - desserted and barren and steep with a lot of thieves lounging around. So when one decides to make this path, it is for a very important purpose. No doubt, the priest and levite are godly men. Godly men with a very important mission, so important, that they could not be bothered to stop along the way for a beaten man on the road.

He went to relate this with people who aspire to do good in the world, who aspire to make a difference -- but plan to do this in a different land and at a later time. People willing to lend a helping hand in a foreign land, but when it's in their town, eh, not so much. For instance, in churches, a lot of people choose to go on missionaries in far off lands; China, Costa Rica, Mexico. Now I know P. Dave isnt knocking on mission trips, but he's trying to bring to light how we can do the same thing the next street over, that which we want to do in other countries. That while it may be more 'exciting' and 'exotic' to preach the gospel in Beijing, it is all the more necessary to do it here. But 'doing' it here is nowhere as thrilling, and it requires time, and committment, and emotional investment. Doing it there is just a short one week trip with no strings attached. The priest & the levite could have helped the beaten man, but that seems nowhere as exciting compared to what is in store for them in Jericho.

I think of my own life, how I'm always thinking of what I need to do to get to where I need to be. Always trying to get ahead and move forward, and seldom do I enjoy the present, rarely do I think about those I know in need, those that maybe I purposely avoid and neglect, like the priest and levite.

A lot of the times, I pray for God to give me opportunities and chances to make a difference, to do something great with my life, to change me, and I always expect this to come in big ways, or I expect things to just automatically happen. But Morgan Freeman (in "Evan Almighty") puts me in my place:

"Let me ask you something. If someone prays for patience, you think God gives them patience? Or does he give them the opportunity to be patient? If he prayed for courage, does God give him courage, or does he give him opportunities to be courageous? If someone prayed for the family to be closer, do you think God zaps them with warm fuzzy feelings, or does he give them opportunities to love each other?"

The parable of the Good Samaritan isn't just about a guy that stopped to help a man in need. It is about a person who didnt find his own agenda too important to pay attention to those hurting around him. A person who aspires to make a difference and doesn't scoff at the insignificance of situations. It is a parable about a person who helped his neighbor -- helped with time, effort, care, emotional investment, and committment, helped even if it meant putting his own plans on hold.

Jesus finishes the parable, in typical Jesus fashion, with a command. Go, and do likewise, says He.


Carol