Wednesday January 12, 2022

Go and do the same !

Luke 10.30 - Jesus spoke again, and said : "A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho...".

Today, I would like to focus on a passage from the Bible that everyone knows and yet still calls out to me today. I invite you to read it with me : “Jesus spoke again, and said : A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho. He fell among the robbers, who stripped him, beat him, and went away, leaving him half-dead. A priest, who happened to come down the same way, seeing this man, passed on. A Levite, who also came to this place, seeing it, passed on. But a traveling Samaritan, having come there, was moved with compassion when he saw him. He drew near, and bandaged his wounds, pouring oil and wine into them ; then he put him on his own mount, took him to an inn, and took care of him. The next day he took out two denarii, gave them to the host, and said, Take care of him, and whatever else you spend I will return to you when I return. Which of these three do you think was next to the one who fell among the robbers ? He is the one who displayed mercy on him, replied the lawyer. And Jesus said to him : Go and do the same ».

In the context of the time, the Jews and the Samaritans did not speak to each other, I would even say they were poles apart from each other and hated each other. This Samaritan going to give aid to a Jew could be considered today as a traitor, an "Arab" to his origins, to his traditions. In a normal context, these two men would certainly never have approached. Yet this Samaritan saw a suffering man, half-dead, stripped, and he stopped on his way to rescue him.

Do not you find this wonderful story ? I do ! And she makes me think. Here is a man who found himself faced with the urgent need of another man. The Word does not tell us that he asked himself questions. No, this man was moved with compassion and he acted. How many times do we miss suffering without being moved by compassion. It seems our brains are thinking to the power of ten to find an excuse when to help someone get up, right ?

There is also often a question that comes up in Christian circles is : "What denomination are you ?". Because if you're not the same as me, bah bye bye... This also leads me to a reflection : do we have to wait until we are half-dead to accept help from a brother or sister of a denomination other than ours ? We miss a lot of blessings, both to give and to receive. “Lord, change our hearts !". This is my prayer, will it also be your prayer ?

Be abundantly blessed.

Source (Ezekiel 37 Ministries) www.ez37m.com