Unlikely Compassion

The other day I was reading the story of The Good Samaritan in Luke 10:25-37, and I saw something there that I had never seen before and I wanted to share it. First off, let me say how incredible God’s Word is! I love how a story that I have literally heard hundreds of times can come to me with new life and fresh vision. God’s Word is never dull. It is never routine. It is never predictable. It always speaks to you in a new way if you’re willing to listen to it. It’s a pretty amazing book… I can’t think of anything else like it! So, let’s get back to The Good Samaritan. We all remember this story. I’ve seen enough flannel-graph presentations on this one that I can almost feel that white felt board if I close my eyes. But don’t let familiarity water this story down for you. Check it out with an eye to see something new. So basically, a guy gets beat up and left for dead while he is on his way to Jericho from Jerusalem, when some people pass by. The first two guys are people of authority. The priest was a man of religious and political power, and the Levite was a man of God’s Law as well as an assistant at the Temple in Jerusalem. Both of these guys could have helped the man in need. They had the money to help out. They even had authority to get others to help him. But they were too concerned with their own business, and left the guy to suffer and potentially die. Then along comes The Good Samaritan. This guy would have been seen as an outcast in this part of the world. The Samaritans were not quite Jews, and they were not quite Gentiles. They were a religious and racial mix of both. In this part of the region, this Samaritan would have been a total outcast. He would have been overlooked, ignored, despised, and reviled because he was in Jewish territory, but wasn’t fully a Jew. He was more likely to be the guy beaten and left for dead than the guy that comes along to help. So this Good Samaritan picks the guy up, and puts him on his own donkey. The Samaritan is now left to walk for the rest of the day, which I’m sure slowed him down, and maybe even made him come up short on how far he wanted to travel that day. He takes the man to an inn, cares for him through the night, and then leaves enough money with the innkeeper to nurse the beaten man back to health. He makes sacrificial moves to help. He acts in a selfless compassion. He helps someone who could not help himself. And the Samaritan doesn’t care if he was the best person for the job, or if he makes the newspaper for doing it. He does the right thing because it is the right thing to do. So, how does this relate to you? What was the new thing that jumped out at me?? When we see a person in need, we usually figure that there are people of authority that will help them. We think that the priest or the Levite passing by will give them a hand. We think the government will do it. We think the big church down the street will do it. We think the rich folks will do it. We think that certainly, if there is a genuine need, someone will help them out. We are wrong… Since when does God use the likely candidates to solve a problem or fill a gap? He uses 15-year-old shepherds. He uses 8-year-old kings. He uses camel-hair-wearing, bug-eating wild men. He uses Christian-hating Pharisees. He uses the people that are the least likely to be thought of as the right person for the job. He uses the outcast. He uses the under-qualified. He uses the middle-class and the poor. He uses the uneducated. He uses the people that most of society would over look. My guess is that one, two, or most of these things describe you. Do you know what that means? That means that God wants to use you!! That means that He can make a difference in someone’s life using whatever it is that you bring to the table. That means that no one has to think you’re capable or qualified as long as He does… And He does think you’re qualified! The Samaritan didn’t do a lot of fancy things to help. He just did what he could. He acted in compassion. He did what he could, using what he had. Do you want to make a difference? Do you want to impact the Kingdom of God?? Let God put His compassion in you. Let Him move you in kindness. Feed the hungry. Clothe the naked. Give attention to a child from a difficult situation. Show a little love. Give someone a smile. Move in God’s compassion!! Compassion is all you need. You don’t need to have money. You don’t need to have a title in your church. You don’t need to have political pull. You don’t need to have a wall lined with degrees. Compassion is all you need. Christ’s compassion in you can make the difference. What are you waiting for?? Get out there and love somebody. It might be exactly what they need to have their wounds healed and health restored. God’s compassion is most powerful when it comes from unlikely sources, and seemingly unqualified people… And that is probably you!! Get out there and show some love!!