The man was so horribly robbed and brutally beaten he was left half-dead and would probably have died without a miracle. The first person who saw him lying on the ground in such dire straits walked across the road to get away from him. So did the second person who saw him. It would be such a heartwarming story if the spotlight focused merely on the humble third person who came along who gave his heart, his love, his care, his compassion, his time, and his money. But the story probably never made the headlines. Most stories in the Bible stay buried in between the pages of unworn, unused Bibles, or Bibles that may be opened from time to time.
But I open up the pages of my Bible this very day and bring this story to your attention. Not to warm your heart with the wonderful outcome thanks to the Good Samaritan, the least likely one to help mind you, who gave his all to help save the life of the man in desperate need. The man got a miracle, and God used the Good Samaritan to give him the miracle.
Yet here is the question I am impelled to ask you. When you see a person in need, do you cross over to the other side of the road so to speak where your life is a little cleaner, a little more comfortable, a little more peaceful, a little more familiar? Or do you humble yourself, roll up your sleeves, prepare to get a little bit dirty and perhaps a little uncomfortable, and stretch out of your comfort zone to give a heart and hand to the one in need?
If you feel you have spent too much of your life thus far crossing over to the far side of the road to avoid an opportunity to bow your knees before the Lord and to be used by Him to help someone in need, it’s not too late to change direction. Jesus Christ used the story as an illustration of loving our neighbors. Who is your neighbor? The neighbor is the person who shows mercy. Are you loving others and showing mercy? Or is it time to cross over to the right side of the road. Follow Jesus. He’ll lead the way.