Sunday’s lesson from Jay Mijares was “On the Road to Jericho”, a continuation about the parable of the Good Samaritan (Luke 10:25-37). This is basically a simple message, often made more complex with allegories and over-analysis. The story is simply about showing love.
Some details about this traveler’s route: It’s about 20 miles from Jerusalem to Jericho, a downhill trek with a 3500’ difference in altitude, making it more treacherous than you might think. He probably had to go slower than he’d like and the footing could have been precarious, making him more susceptible to attack. So when the man was attacked and left for dead, he surely gave up hope. But when a priest came by, the man (a Jew, by the way) must have felt relief - until the priest passed him by. And when a Levite (a temple assistant) also passed him by, his hope surely died.
Then a Samaritan came by. Now, Samaritans were considered half-breeds, mixed race, mixed religions, maybe even demon-possessed. One saying was "to eat a Samaritan’s bread is like eating swine's flesh”, they were so despised. So when this critically injured, helpless man saw a Samaritan coming over to him, he probably thought he was going to be killed.
Instead, the Samaritan did everything in his power to ease the man’s pain (using his own supplies) and took him to safety, letting him ride on the Samaritan’s donkey while the Samaritan walked. The Samaritan then cared for him at an inn and paid the innkeeper to continue caring for the injured man, promising to come back and repay the innkeeper for his expenses.
The Good Samaritan didn’t see race or religion; he didn’t see a Jew, but a human being in dire need. He was empathetic and compassionate; he *felt* the injured man’s pain.
What lessons can we learn from this journey to Jericho?
> When we embark on a journey, we have to be responsible and prepared.
> We all have a tendency to behave more like the priest and the Levite.
> Salvation can come from an unexpected neighbor.
Jay left us with some questions for our own “road to Jericho”:
Are you properly prepared for the road ahead? Remember, this is the road that will lead us to eternal life with our Creator.
Is your faith just a religious routine (done by rote) or is it an internal struggle? Do you fall short but then correct your course?
Will you spare the time?
God loved us long before we were born. We are all worth God’s love. Our charge is to remember to extend God’s love and mercy to all.
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