Think About It

In yesterday’s thought, we took a look at Jesus’ parable that has often been called “The Good Samaritan”. The basic premise of the story comes from Jesus’ answer to the lawyer who asked Him, “Who is my neighbor?”. The answer that comes from the story is anyone who needs our help is our neighbor. While this is the primary teaching from the parable, I noticed something else interesting this week. This lesson would have been easily taught if the helper was a Jew and the victim was a Samaritan, but does Jesus’ choice of the Samaritan as the hero of the story teach us something more? You see, the Jews looked down on the Samaritans and often treated them with disdain. (The Apostle John explained, “For Jews have no dealings with Samaritans.” in John 4:9). It would have been a powerful story if a Jew would have helped a Samaritan … but the reverse is also intriguing. By using the Samaritan to demonstrate kindness, does Jesus teach us about our willingness to help everyone – even those