Good Samaritan - by Kim Metzer

On July 20 and 21, here at Redeemer Church, Pastor Rod spoke about loving our neighbor, why that’s so important and who our neighbor actually is.  The basis for Rod’s message was the parable of the Good Samaritan located in Luke 10:25-37. 

“Jesus is making a radical point.  He’s saying that mercy, or compassion, is blind.  It is non-discriminatory.  It does not make judgments about the person in need.  It doesn’t set limits on the help it gives.  It’s not quality controlled or value driven.  It is indiscriminate and even naïve. “

This past weekend I had my own chance to be the Good Samaritan.  I was carpooling to a retreat in Columbus, OH with a woman who, due to some inattention to detail, caused our group to be 2.5 hours late.  I could’ve ranted and raved and made her miserable the whole weekend but chose not to.  What purpose would it serve?  Throughout the weekend I thought I was just living an example of forgiveness but after listening to Rod’s message on Monday I realized it was a Good Samaritan moment.  This woman is different than me in a lot of ways.  I could’ve focused on those differences and been upset and resentful for the entire weekend but by putting those differences aside I was able to enjoy the weekend, and her.

We all have those moments when we feel put upon or inconvenienced in some way.  The Samaritan could have continued on his way, like the priest and the Levite did before him, but he chose not to.  We don’t know what plans the Samaritan had that day, if he had to be at an important meeting or attend to an urgent business matter.  What we do know is that he looked past his own inconvenience to serve one who truly needed help.

As we rumble through our busy lives let’s all take the time to do as Jesus instructed, “Go and do likewise.”  In our travels between our hometowns, whether that is DeWitt or elsewhere, and other towns we might not encounter a beaten man on the side of the road but we will encounter people in need – if we open our eyes to look and see, really see the people around us.

To hear Rod’s entire message via podcast on the Good Samaritan, which is part of the July Teaching Series “You Can’t Be Serious!” please visit our website www.dewittredeemer.org.

“So let’s not get tired of doing what is good. At just the right time we will reap a harvest of blessing if we don’t give up.” Galatians 6:9 (NLT)