Go Or Wait?

 John 10: 30-37

30 In reply Jesus said: “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, when he was attacked by robbers. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him and went away, leaving him half dead. 31 A priest happened to be going down the same road, and when he saw the man, he passed by on the other side. 32 So too, a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. 33 But a Samaritan, as he traveled, came where the man was; and when he saw him, he took pity on him. 34 He went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he put the man on his own donkey, brought him to an inn and took care of him. 35 The next day he took out two denarii[c] 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.’

36 “Which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?”

37 The expert in the law replied, “The one who had mercy on him.”  Jesus told him, “Go and do likewise.”

Sometimes in life we don't realize that we are in a moment of 'need'.  Perhaps not as dramatic as this story about the good Samaritan, or perhaps much more dramatic than this.  To me it's not about 'taking pity' on the man but rather a study on what one does, how one responds and how one proceeds.

The robbers undoubtedly were stronger than the man and certainly one man couldn't have defended himself  against a mob intent on harming him and taking his resources. It's worth noting that two previous people had passed the man in need.  We are told that the first one was a Priest and the second a Levite.  

Obviously a Priest is someone who holds authority, or as we would say in my church - the keys. Presumably a Priest would be very aware of the needs of others acting to ease suffering.  Charity should be at the forefront of a life centered in ministry.  In order to be a Priest one must have 'proven' himself worthy and to be authorized by others holding the keys to priesthood.  Today, in our modern world, we may be too focused on decorum rather than God's intents.

The second person who walked by was a Levite.  An expert in the law.  There is no doubt that the law of God requires us to treat one another with respect which may include providing for a need absent of a request because all of us should be more than willing to help others within our abilities.  

The man was likely on his way going about his normal affairs when robbers struck with no warning and changed the course of his life.  This event would have never been forgotten by the man as too would the ability of a stranger to see the need and do all within his power to meet the needs that were multifaceted.  The man needed attention to his wounds, he needed help getting to a safe place from which he could re-access and lay a foundation for the navigation toward a life that beforehand was unimaginable in it's unfolding before the intervening event, and he needed resources with which to 'pay' for all of this.

Yet how could he pay for it?  He had been robbed of his money and his clothing.  He was injured very badly and couldn't work to fund moving on with his life.  I imagine that the man also was in a state of mind and being that was in an abyss of shadows that disallowed the light to illuminate what needed to happen next, then after that, then after that and so on.

Would not the entire world be better off with Samaritans who help without being asked, who scan for opportunities to help others, and resolve difficulties as much as is within their power?  The paradox here is that if indeed we lived, loved and gave like the Samaritan there wouldn't be a need for the Samaritan.  A modern Christian song typifies this better than I ever could - "Can you Only Imagine?"

Perhaps the Priest and the Levite later learned of the Samaritan and somehow allowed it to shape their response being "the man in the ditch should have asked for help and the Samaritan overstepped and what gave him the right anyway?"