In the last post I told you about what I was seeing as I am visiting Haiti. These are no new sights for me. I have been here many times. I have seen it in other countries too. But one thing I have found is that it is never enough to just look. In Luke 10 we see the man who had fallen among thieves, was robbed, wounded and left half dead by the side of the road. The priest passed by and the Scripture says “he saw him” but passed by on the other side. Then the Levite passed by and it says “he looked on him” and passed by on the other side. Looking is never enough.
Many see the poverty. Poverty is never just physical, it is also spiritual. It is the result of sin. The devil, described as a thief in John 10 comes to steal, kill and destroy. Just as the thieves in Luke 10, he steals the raimnent, taking away his dignity. He wounds him and leaves him half dead. The result of sin and the ravages of the devil are not difficult to see. But looking at the problem, passing by the problem, ignoring the problem is never enough. Something more is needed.
WWJD. What would Jesus do? What did he do? He of course is the Good Samaritan. What do we see him doing? He didn’t just look. He never just looked. When he saw this sin ravaged world what did he do? Look! No, that was not enough. He came! So the Good Samaritan looked, but didn’t pass by as the others, he came to where he was.
What was it that caused him to look, to come and to minister? If we look at the text in Luke 10 we see that this entire story was told to illustrate the command that says we are to love God and love our neighbor. The problem is of course, many today, even some reading this post are like the lawyer who was willing to justify himself. Many WILL NOT LOVE as they should. They say, “who is my neighbor?”
So it seems evident that to love them is key. And of course this means that if we do like the Good Samaritan it is more than words. And sometimes love is costly. To be a Good Samaritan meansthat you are willing to pay:
- the cost for his mission - “as he journeyed”
- the cost for supplies – “bind up his wounds, pouring in oil and wine”
- the cost for transportation - ”set him on his own beast”
- the cost for lodging – “brought him to an inn”
- the cost for miscellaneous needs – “whatsoever thou spendest more”
Yes, it is costly to love like Christ. Sad, but most try to justify their selfishness, their inactivity, their lack of love. They don’t want to leave their comfort zone. They don’t want to exert any energy. They want to keep all for themselves. More for leisure. More for entertainment. More for pleasures. Save it for retirement security, for a rainy day. But looking is never enough! We must LOVE! Looking can be free. Loving COSTS! (John 3:16)
