“And by chance there came down a certain priest that way: and when he saw him, he passed by on the other side.”
You know the parable: A man en route to Jericho from Jerusalem was beaten, robbed and left for dead on the side of the road. A priest happened by, looked at the man, and “passed by on the other side.” Later, a Levite happened by, looked at the man, and “passed by on the other side.” Then what we call, “the Good Samaritan” happened by and stopped to help the man. The focus of this article will be on the priest and Levite, who both went to the other side of the road instead of helping the man. What does “the other side” represent to us? First, the other side is the easiest side. The priest and Levite saved a lot of time. Obviously, both of these men considered their time too valuable to spend it with a dying man. They also saved themselves a lot of bother. Not only would helping a dying man be time consuming, it would be bothersome as well – all of that blood, you know. They just did not want to be bothered. Sadly, the priest and Levite are still alive in spirit. There are many church members who do not have time for people, nor do they want to be bothered with people. Other people’s problems can be so messy. Let us pray that we will not be “priests" or "Levites.” Second, the other side is the most pleasant side. It is not pleasant to bind up wounds. Perhaps the Jewish religious leaders did not want to get their hands dirty or get blood on their clothes. After all, they would have been considered unclean. Most human problems are unpleasant. We have to minister to others in spite of it. It is also not pleasant to be a witness to suffering. It is easy to stay uninvolved in life’s suffering. We can tell ourselves that people are not really hurting or really hungry, etc. Priests and Levites are still among us, and it could be you or me if we are not careful. Third, the other side is ultimately the most expensive side. It cost the Samaritan to leave the other side: Luke 10:34-35: “And (he) went to him and bound up his wounds, pouring in oil and wine, and set him on his own beast, and brought him to an inn, and took care of him. And on the morrow when he departed, he took out two pence, and gave them to the host, and said unto him, Take care of him; and whatever you spend more, when I come again, I will repay you.” But it also cost the priest and Levite to “pass by on the other side.” It did not cost them money, but it did cost them before God. Surely, God was not pleased that they chose to pass by the man. It also caused, or should have caused, them to lose self-respect. I’m not asking you, or myself, to pick up every hitch-hiker that we see. I am asking us to be aware of human suffering and minister to those who are suffering. The cost of “the other side” will be higher than dealing with suffering humanity. Ask yourself: When you stand before God, would you prefer to be the Samaritan, or the priest and Levite? This will help you understand why I wrote that "the other side is ultimately the most expensive side." Do not live on the other side. Notice suffering and hurting people around you, have compassion on them and lend a helping hand. Take the time, bother, and money to be a “good Samaritan.” Jesus thinks that we should. Bro. Joe
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AuthorDr. Joe Beauchamp is the author of this blog and website. Categories
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September 2021
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