Better Than Good

The road to Jericho was not an easy one to travel. Descending from Jerusalem to Jericho is like walking down an unpaved, mountainside path full of twisting turns and loose rocks under your feet.

It’s not an easy environment to navigate the 18-mile trek. This was also an appealing location for thieves to hide and attack the travelers. In addition, the journey takes you from the higher elevation of Jerusalem—sitting at 2,575 feet above sea level—down to below sea level once you arrive in Jericho. This paints the picture of life’s journeys that do not come without obstacles and challenges. How do we live? We live by loving God.

The story of the good Samaritan in Luke 10:25-28 begins with the question asked by a lawyer. “Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” “What is written in the Law? How do you read it?” Jesus answered. “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind’ and, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’” In verse 28 Jesus replied, “You have answered correctly. Do this and you will live.” Personally, it seems life is not getting easier. Does this mean if we love God we can conquer this journey down the “hard to navigate” roads of life? Absolutely! Our relationship with God changes everything and should guide us in how we respond to the needs of those around us. However, the lawyer wanted to find a loop-hole and asked, “But who is my neighbor?”

Jesus shared how the priest and a Levite noticed the man who fell on the road to Jericho after he was beaten and robbed. Both just passed him by while he was lying on the road. Then, a Samaritan (who wouldn’t typically associate with a Jewish person) stopped and went to the wounded traveler and began to show compassion and concern, as his needs were an urgent matter. I often miss these moments because my eyes are more on me and not focused on the needs or issues of others. I am praying more often that the Lord will give me renewed eyesight to see how He wants me to respond—even if it makes me uncomfortable.

How do we navigate and respond when we encounter a stranger or unknown neighbor? Jesus knew our faith would be the foundation of how we should respond when faced with an opportunity to help. In Luke 10:36-37, Jesus said, “Which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?” The expert in the law replied, “The one who had mercy on him.” Jesus told him, “Go and do likewise.” Here we have a role model situation of loving God and loving those we may want to ignore or pass by. I can’t help but wonder what caused the Samaritan to be so good. Or maybe he was better than good!

The good Samaritan was truly obedient. Yes, we can love God, but to love our neighbors we need to step over the role of noticing and step into obeying what God commands us to do. It’s not optional, really. It’s intentional on God’s part because He wants us to be ambassadors of Christ and represent His son to a hurting and hopeless world. ~Tim DeTellis