Luke 10:25-28 (NIV)
25 On one occasion an expert in the law stood up to test
Jesus. “Teacher,” he asked, “what must I do to inherit eternal life?” 26 “What
is written in the Law?” he replied. “How do you read it?” 27 He answered,
“‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with
all your strength and with all your mind’; and, ‘Love your neighbor as
yourself.’” 28 “You have answered correctly,” Jesus replied. “Do this and you
will live.”
At the grocery store checkout counter, a homeless man
with a long brown beard and long scraggly hair and wearing a torn corduroy suit
was mumbling strangely in an agitated manner in front of me. Ahead of him was
an elderly man who had had a recent hip replacement and who was struggling to
stay upright by leaning on his shopping cart. He left the store bent at a
ninety-degree angle, hugging the cart for dear life.
Outside the grocery store, the elderly man leaned too
heavily on his shopping cart, sending it and him crashing to the ground. A
woman rushed over to him, but after sizing up the situation, she darted away to
her car without offering assistance. A homeless man knelt down beside him
speaking to the fallen man in soothing, cooing tones. Someone pulled the cart back up and reloaded the
groceries, two other men approached. Together, the three men hoisted him up and
helped him to his car, where they loaded his groceries into the trunk. Much to the
surprise of everyone, the homeless man offered to sit in the passenger seat to
make sure the elderly man got home safely and to help him get his groceries
into his residence.
Some might say that the elderly man took a chance letting
a stranger into his car. Some might think something terrible could have
happened to him. But since that day, the elderly man has been seen at the
grocery store, and he is doing well with his recovery. The homeless man has
been seen at the same mall. He rushed to open the door for a woman and said,
"Here, let me help you."
As we look at this event, it brings thoughts of the
parable of the good Samaritan, whom the Jews despised as a foreigner. Like the
Samaritan, the homeless man gave of himself to help the elderly man in his time
of need. Although it is possible to vilify a homeless person for being dirty,
unkempt, and perhaps smelly, this story is a reminder that even those who have
fallen on hard times can be our good neighbors. In this case, as in the
parable, the story demonstrates God's mercy and our need to do likewise.
Dear Lord, the parable of the Good Samaritan reminds us
of Your unconditional love and mercy. This lesson shows us what You truly seek
from us -- our hearts -- from which love and mercy should flow unfettered. Let
Your love refresh our hearts so that we, too, can be good neighbors. In Jesus'
name, Amen.
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