In the story of the Good Samaritan, Jesus picked the worst possible person to be the hero of His story – a Samaritan.  The last person you would expect to help a Jew would be  Samaritan.  But this man dared to act to help another.

His attitude was – What’s mine is yours (He was a friend to serve)

A story of a modern day ‘Good Samaritan’ – In 2007, 50 year old construction worker Wesley Autrey was taking his two daughters to school on the subway. While waiting for the train, fellow passenger Cameron Hollopeter had a seizure and fell off the platform, landing between the two rails. With the train arriving in mere seconds, Autrey jumped from the platform and pushed the young man as deep into the ground as he could go. The incoming train rolled over both men, passing within inches of their heads. When the onlookers stopped screaming, Autrey exhorted them to ‘tell the girls their father is okay”. The transit authority then arrived, cut the power, and extricated the lucky pair. Autrey refused medical treatment, and calmly took his kids to school. His only regret was that his hat got greasy.

What does it take to be a real neighbor.  Notice the elements in the Good Samaritan’s involvement: Compassion, Contact, Care, Cost.

J.H. Jowett said, “Ministry that costs nothing accomplishes nothing. Love is costly.”

The Samaritan is a picture of what Jesus Christ has done for us. That is not the main lesson of the story, but it is a great application. Christ found us as lost sinners on the road of life, half-dead, with nobody to care. Men did not help us, religion could not help us. So Jesus came to meet our needs. He came where we were, for He took upon HImself human flesh, and entered this world as a human being. He had compassion on us and healed us, and He paid the full price.

And yet, we are to be Jesus to others.  What difference will it make in this world if one person helps another person?  One act of ministry, motivated by Christian compassion, not only pleases the Lord and helps the needy – it also blesses the one ministering. The results go on forever. It is like dropping a stone in a puddle of water and seeing the ripples reach out in an ever-widening circle.

Who can you help today?  Who can you be a Good Samaritan to?

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