WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 8
“A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and he fell among robbers, who stripped him and beat him and departed, leaving him half dead. Now by chance a priest was going down that road, and when he saw him he passed by on the other side. So likewise a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. But a Samaritan, as he journeyed, came to where he was, and when he saw him, he had compassion. He went to him…”
Luke 10:30-34 (ESV)
THE MIND OF CHRIST: SEEING VALUE IN OTHERS
In her book Kindness: Reaching Out to Others, Phyllis J. Le Peau relates this story: “Some seminary students were asked to preach on the story of the Good Samaritan. When the hour arrived for their sermon, each one was deliberately delayed en route to class. As the students raced across campus, they encountered a person who pretended to be in need. Ironically, not one of the students stopped to help.” Le Peau commented, “After all, they had an important sermon to preach.” Followers of Christ can preach powerful sermons to the world when they reflect God’s kindness by showing Samaritan kindness to others, and not just talking about it.
In Sunday’s sermon we learned about the story of the good Samaritan. Before the good Samaritan arrives, the man who has been robbed and beaten has been passed by two of the religious leaders of his day. Perhaps they thought their “religious” duty was more important than helping hurting people. Or maybe they thought they were too good to help someone who wasn’t like them. In either scenario, Jesus uses the example of this unlikely hero to illustrate how He places value on people who are hurting.
One of the important lessons of this passage is that God not only directs our steps, God also directs our stops. Can you think of a time recently when you may have missed an opportunity to stop and spend time with someone in need? Why didn’t you stop? Ask God to help you recognize the timing of stopping and the value of others.
