“The next day he took out two denarii and gave them to the innkeeper. ‘Look after him,’ he said ‘and when I return, I will reimburse you for any extra expense you may have.'” (Luke 10:35)
One unbelievable part of the Parable of the Good Samaritan was the fact that it was the Samaritan who was the good neighbor rather than anyone else. This was probably the most shocking part of the story to 1st century Israelites.
Another important part of the parable is what the Samaritan did to love his neighbor. Jesus said that the Samaritan took pity on the victim. Why did the others not take pity? It is not clear. Certainly they did not expect to encounter the man, and having plans of their own, they might have reasoned that someone else would help. Maybe they did not want to risk their own safety by getting involved; it was possible the man had done something deserving of his fate. Any attempt to help might cause them trouble that they did not want or deserve. The Samaritan ignored every reason not to help and instead did what he could to help the man in need. He bandaged his wounds, got the man to safety, and paid for his ongoing care.
Many years ago my father-in-law, John Ottesen, was mowing the lawn at his home in southern California when a police helicopter began circling overhead and calling for the surrender of a fugitive while telling residents to seek safety in their homes. Before long, the fugitive himself hopped over the fence and approached John asking for refuge. John looked directly at him and told him he would not provide him refuge from the police but instead he needed to surrender to them and give his life to Jesus. The fugitive gave John a hug and ran away over the next fence. The man was later captured and imprisoned. My father-in-law on several occasions paid the man a visit while he was in jail, and explained to him in more detail about the possibility of the forgiveness of sins and eternal life through Jesus.
God often brings us into a situation suddenly and without warning in which we will have the chance to love our neighbor as ourselves. We often don’t know when the opportunity will come. The Samaritan ignored cultural barriers and gave of himself to love his neighbor. My father-in-law did not back down to a desperate fugitive but instead told him about the love of God. What opportunities will God give you and me this month to love our neighbor as ourselves?
In July we again paid all of our missionaries 100 percent of their target allowance. We used $39,211 from the General Fund to meet these needs, leaving a balance of $58,931. Our Benefits Fund carried a balance of $340,464. Thank you for your support!