God's Compassion 3

"But a Samaritan, as he travelled, came where the man was; and when he saw him, he took pity on him. He went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he put the man on his own donkey, brought him to an inn and took care of him."      Luke 10:33-34

Luke 10:25-37 gives us an account of Jesus' encounter with an expert in the law. Now the "expert" must have known his law, poured over the scripture parchments, got up early and stayed up late studying and carried himself as one who was confident of testing Jesus. And when he asked Jesus about eternal life, Jesus put the question back on him. Immediately the expert quoted book, chapter and verse, "Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, strength and mind; and love your neighbor as yourself." Done!

But there's a difference between book knowledge and living it out!

So Jesus tells him a story about a man going on a journey, and this journey is a story of our lives isn't it. Life robs us of our energy, our innocence, our values; and strips us of our dignity, our integrity, our promises, love, compassion & our freedom. The world beats up our hearts, our dreams, our families and loved ones and leaves us half dead. Two religious people walking down the same road pass by on the other side, keeping their distance. A priest and a Levite. But a Samaritan (despised by the Jews) came to where the man was, and when he saw him, he took pity on him.

Sometimes we can be so busy that we don't stop, take the time to get to know someone. To ask questions and find out about a person's life, where they came from and what they've been through, to stop long enough thinking about ourselves to care about another person. And then to meet their need. (This could be as simple as stopping to have a chat, or a cup of coffee, go for a walk in the park. Maybe invite someone over for dinner. Go visit a friend in hospital. A phone call or praying together). But that's what Jesus was conveying to the expert and that's what he's conveying to us. If you look at it from a different perspective, the story is about Jesus, he's the Samaritan...despised by the religious leaders, who held onto the laws. And it's Jesus who comes to where we are, takes pity on us, bandages our wounds, carries us and takes care of us.

That's the compassion of God. And Jesus is the example!