Interruptions: The Most Vital Daily Moments

You know how you read a passage in the Bible a thousand times, and each and every time, God speaks to you through it in a fresh way? I want to share with you the way He did that for me recently through The Good Samaritan parable in Luke 10 (ESV).

“A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and he fell among robbers, who stripped him and beat him and departed, leaving him half dead” (v. 30).

Hmmm… beat up, naked, half dead. That sounds kind of like all of us humans, before Jesus came into our lives. The thief who comes to kill, steal, and destroy, had done a number on our souls. We were discarded in the ditch of life.

“But a Samaritan, as he journeyed, came to where he was, and when he saw him, he had compassion. He went to him and bound up his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he set him on his own animal and brought him to an inn and took care of him” (vv. 33-34).

And this sounds oddly like… Jesus Himself. He found us, barely alive, in that ditch. He had deep, deep compassion on us. He picked us up and bound up our broken hearts. He took us to shelter and safety and initiated our healing process. He poured His healing balm on our hurting places.

“And the next day he took out two denarii and gave them to the innkeeper, saying, ‘Take care of him” (v. 35).

In the same way, Jesus has given us into the care of each other. It is His will that human beings be His agents to care for the wounded. It is His heart that we partner with Him, bringing hurting people into our personal space. This is costly.

However, He provides the resource we need to carry on with His instructions to care for each other. The Good Samaritan gave the innkeeper money. Jesus gives us the currency of faith and the power of the Holy Spirit. He brings that broken one to our attention and says “Take care of him.” He then puts into our hands and spirits everything we need to carry out this commission.

Who is our model, our example to follow? Jesus our Savior, our Master, our Healer! “The one who showed [you and me] mercy” (v. 37.) Holy Spirit brings the story to a close with this instruction to our hearts: “You go, and do likewise” (v. 37). He tells us to imitate Jesus.

This is the way we are to live. Looking unto Jesus, the Author and Perfecter of our faith, we are to imitate His heart and His ways. We are to be on the lookout for the broken on the road of life. We are to stop for them. We are to allow the deep compassion of the Lord to stir our spirits to action. We are to give space to the interruption this represents of our routines and agendas.

Where were we headed in such a hurry? It can wait. This precious one that Jesus died for is lying wounded in our path.

We may not get many thanks on this side of heaven. That’s absolutely okay. Today He reminds our hearts, “Whatever… you spend, I will repay you when I come back” (v. 35).

He’s coming soon! Let’s be openhanded, caring for the hurting ones He brings into our lives.

**************************

Does a Samaritan seem like an unlikely symbol for Jesus? Any thoughts about that? Any connection possibly to these words? “He had no form or majesty that we should look at him, and no beauty that we should desire him. He was despised and rejected by men…” (Is 53:2-3a)