- Emotionally invested. He had pity on (felt compassion for) the traveler.
- Physically invested. He stooped down to address the traveler's wounds. He lifted the traveler and helped him onto the beast.
- Socially invested. We're not told the ethnicity of the traveler, but it's probable he was a Jew. The commonly traveled road between Jerusalem and Jericho was in Israel. From John 4:9 we know that Jews had no dealings with Samaritans. The Samaritan could have easily returned the favor, but didn't. He did what the priest and Levite wouldn't.
- Materially invested. The Samaritan made available his oil, his wine, his cloth, his beast, etc.
- Financially invested. The Samaritan paid the traveler's hotel bill.
Observations:
- Being neighborly will cost you time, money, energy, convenience and effort.
- The greatest hindrance to being neighborly isn't the investment but fear. "There's so much need out there, I can't help everybody." Don't refuse to help someone just because you can't help everyone.
- What's the first thing you do after seeing the need? That first response determines everything. The priest, Levite and Samaritan saw the same thing. Only the Samaritan felt compassion.
No comments:
Post a Comment