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First Week of Lent
Scripture: Luke 10: 25-37
The parable of the Good Samaritan, one of the most familiar of Jesus‘ parables, contains a number of multi-layered lessons. The lesson that I chose to focus on today, and the one that resonates most with me personally, is Jesus’ use of this parable to challenge us to go above and beyond to truly live out his call to do unto others as we would have them do unto us.
In the parable, the Good Samaritan rushes to help the stranger he finds beaten and abandoned by the side of the road. He picks the man up, binds his wounds, places him on his own horse, and takes him to a nearby inn. He gives the innkeeper money to provide medical care for this victim, and he promises to return later to see if there are any further needs or further expenses.
In doing so, the good Samaritan exemplifies what Jesus calls us all to be. He shows true, action-oriented compassion and love to a complete stranger.
As Christians, we should exhibit kindness, empathy, and compassion in all our dealings with others. Sometimes that’s harder to do than at other times. We’re busy, we get distracted, we may judge others or make assumptions about them, or consider them to be less worthy of God‘s grace than we ourselves are. But Jesus reminds us in this parable that kindness and compassion are the ways we show genuine love for God and our neighbor. And genuine love does not discriminate, give up, or quit.
Small acts of kindness can be a way of sharing God’s grace, such as giving money to or even smiling and acknowledging a homeless person, calling to check up on a friend who is ill, or taking meals to someone who has lost a loved one. These small acts of kindness are a sign of God’s grace and are always welcome in a world where kindness is sometimes difficult to find.
But I think we can fall short of what Jesus is calling us to if we limit ourselves to small acts. The Good Samaritan shows his love for the robbed and injured man through actions that were truly meaningful. He committed his personal time, attention, and money to this man and also vowed to follow up in the future. There are people all over this world who are robbed of hope, who are beaten by life‘s difficulties and hardships. We walk by people like this every day. Some of them even go to our church. We do not always realize how desperate, afraid, or lonely the people we encounter may be. But recognizing the sacred worth of all people, and remembering that the blood of Christ was shed for all people, calls us to action.
God can change our hearts and our lives if we open our eyes and ears to the needs of the people around us. I’m grateful that our church offers ministries that allow us to engage in action-oriented love and provide long-term, meaningful ways to reach out to our brothers and sisters in Christ who are in need. Getting involved in ministries such as Good Sam, Family Promise, MUST Ministries, our global mission trips, and many others enables us to come together as Good Samaritans in our community. It’s what Jesus calls us to do. I invite you to join me in my pledge this Lenten season to allow God to birth a new heart in me that is awakened to love, and that is called to action.
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