Show That You Care

One of my favorite parables is that of the Good Samaritan.  We all remember the story.  Two men, a priest and a Levite, saw a wounded man in need and walked on past “on the other side” of the road (Luke 10:31-32).  A third man, a Samaritan, had compassion on the wounded man, and did what he could to be of help (vs. 33-35), by personally taking care of him, and then paying for his expenses while in the care of an innkeeper.  Ultimately, the lesson is taught that the example of the Samaritan is the example to follow, as verse 37 indicates, “Go and do likewise.”

Sometimes, I believe we lose sight of why Jesus presented this parable in the first place.  We are told a certain lawyer was “testing” Jesus with a question:  “Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?” (Luke 10:25).  Though we spend considerable thought on who our neighbor is in the parable (which, by the way, we should), we are dealing with a question with eternal consequences.  How we answer it, in word and action, will determine our eternal destination.

The judgment scene in Matthew 25:31-46 reminds us of the importance of our relationships with our neighbors.  The sheep (vs. 32-33), those who were righteous (vs. 37), were rewarded for their assistance to those in need (vs. 34-36, 40).  On the other hand, the goats (vs. 32-33), who neglected those in need (vs. 42-43), were rejected for failing to help (vs. 41, 45).  As we see in verse 46, “And these will go away into everlasting punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.”

May we “go and do likewise” as the righteous Christians the Lord wants and expects us to be, that in so doing we will one day inherit life eternal.