Walking on the Other Side of The Road

Luke 10:29-37
But he, willing to justify himself, said to Jesus, And who is my neighbor?
And Jesus answering said, A certain man went down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell among thieves, which stripped him of his raiment, and wounded him, and departed, leaving him half dead.
And by chance there came down a certain priest that way: and when he saw him, he passed by on the other side.

And likewise a Levite, when he was at the place, came and looked on him, and passed by on the other side.
But a certain Samaritan, as he journeyed, came where he was: and when he saw him, he had compassion on him,
And 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 to him, Take care of him; and whatsoever thou spendest more, when I come again, I will repay thee. Which now of these three, thinkest thou, was neighbor to him that fell among the thieves?
And he said, He that showed mercy on him. Then said Jesus to him, Go, and do thou likewise.

In this parable and in an attempt to explain what 'neighbor' meant, Jesus uses the Priest and the Levite as an example of what a 'neighbor' is not - clearly a neighbor, which is defined as; "The one who is the nearest" does NOT walk around the problems of others.

Ever wonder about this?

Why??

Why are we prone to be selective when it comes to deciding who we will help and when? Is it fear? Is it lack of concern, or compassion? Is it spiritual or social blindness? Is it a blatant or subtle prejudice? Is it a lack of justice, or mercy? Is it a clear disregard for anyone other than yourself .. selfishness?

Unfortunately, many people I talk to about this parable believe that their selectivity is because they don't love God enough, or don't love their fellow man enough.

Experience tells me it's none of these things!

Oh, don't get me wrong, ALL of these things may be present in different measure and forms. But I'm talking to those of you who 'get' this parable. You understand what Jesus is talking about, and you know what's required of you as a follower of Him. And yet your frustration is realized in the fact that you do not consistently do what you believe.

Next week - I'll share with you why.

Dan Rogers