But a certain Samaritan, as he journeyed, came where he was. And when he saw him, he had compassion. Luke 10:33 (NKJV)
Beaten Half to Death – Part 5
Go to PART 1 | PART 2 | PART 3 | PART 4
A man was travelling on the road from Jerusalem to Jericho, leading his donkey carrying his supplies, when out of the corner of his eye he saw something move by the side of the road. He couldn’t make out what it was at first. But as he walked closer, he started to pick out crimson and purple and black in what turned out to be a man reduced to a pile of flesh dying in the dirt. The beaten man's breathing was laboured and inconsistent. Every few moments he jerked awkwardly as if trying to wake from a nightmare but couldn’t open his eyes to the light or pry apart his lips to cry for help. Moved with compassion, the traveller's stomach heaved with the thought of how much pain this broken man was in. He bent down, took the skin of water from his belt and put it up to the beaten man's lips. It took a while, but they finally parted and water rushed into his mouth, spilling over the sides, cleaning the blood from his face in skin-toned streams. The traveller took a tunic from his bag, tore it and started to clean the beaten man's wounds with it, dressing them as best he could. There were so many; broken bones, rocks embedded into his skin, a deep gash from hip to knee, a wound on his head oozing blood. He had lost a lot, it surrounded him on the ground. The traveller lost track of time as he tended to the beaten man and by the time he was satisfied that he could be moved without inflicting further injury, the sun was in its descent and darkness was not far off. He lifted him onto his donkey and went in search for the closest Inn.
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Jesus audience would have welcomed this traveller had he been an Israelite, a merchant, a Rabbi… they may have even accepted that a Roman would stop by the side of the road to help a Jew beaten half to death. After all, Herod himself had been rebuilding the Temple in Jerusalem sparing no expense. But a Samaritan?
Think of the person you despise most in life. Think about the people who have inflicted the most pain upon you, the ones you cannot stand to share space with, who have hurt you so deeply there can be no recompense, no bridge building. Think of the person or group that you just wrote a nasty blog about or read a nasty blog about. Think about the people you want to lock away, the people who you think are wrong in every way, destined for hell and worse. That person you’re thinking of right now? That group of people? That’s who the Samaritans were to the Jews.
600 odd years earlier, the Northern Kingdom of Israel had been conquered by the Assyrians and then repopulated by them, birthing a race mixed with foreigners. Mixed faith, mixed blood. Samaritans. The rift between the Jews and the Samaritans grew quick and vast and solidified through the centuries. They were sworn enemies.
This is where the parable really starts to dig deep in my mess. There are people who offend me. There are people who oppose me and who I oppose. They get under my skin and make it crawl. There are people I feel so disconnected from, deep chasms between us and I have no desire to bridge the gap. My enemy through hurt, fear, confusion, hatred, differences.
And this is who stopped to help the man beaten to the very edge of life. He didn’t stop to inflict more pain as might be expected, but to help. To bind up his wounds. Quench his thirst. Rescue him from death. Save his life.
Compassion found in the most unbelievable place.
What would you do if someone told you that the person you think hates you most in life would be the one to save you? OR that the person YOU hate most in life would bring you back from the edge of death?
And would then carry you to safety, stay with you through the night as you fight infection in your body and death in your dreams. Pay for your care and bring you food. And when he goes to leave, promises to return, and then DOES, to ensure your recovery is complete. Could you owe your life to the one you want to be furthest away from?
Could this person become your neighbour?
Go to Part 6 – Will We Be Able?
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