In reply Jesus said: “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, when he was attacked by robbers. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him and went away, leaving him half dead. A priest happened to be going down the same road, and when he saw the man, he passed by on the other side. So too, a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side.”

When I think about the beginning of this story, it is such a stark and vivid display of the opposite of love, that it always makes me sad. I find myself wondering, how could a spiritual leader like a priest or a Levite be so extremely cold-hearted? It is hard to understand. And then, as I look to the context surrounding the telling of this parable, the meaning begins to expand in my mind. Jesus was speaking to an expert in the law who wanted to know: “Who is my neighbor?” He was trying to justify his faith by his good works. He wanted Jesus to recognize his spiritual superiority.

So back to the meaning of the parable: Yes, Jesus is saying that loving your neighbor is caring for them in real and practical ways. Saving their life, bandaging their wounds IS REAL and does count. Yes, he is also saying that a Samaritan man, a half-breed (Jewish and pagan culture) who doesn’t follow all the rules the Jews do, shows by his actions that he has a good heart, while the Jewish leaders who likely followed a lot of the rules, had bad hearts. However, I also think he is describing an internal spiritual battle. The priest and the Levite clearly did not want to get involved in helping this man. Did they have official church business, or did they not want to be labeled “unclean” and have to go through ritual cleansing, or did they justify their inaction by saying he probably deserved it? We don’t know.

However we look at it, with the past context and the mention of a priest and a Levite, a spiritual lesson is clearly here. We live in a world where most people are spiritually dying and destined for eternal spiritual death because they are sinners who have not accepted the gift of the Savior, Jesus Christ. And as we “go about our business”, will we stop and help heal up the hearts and take care spiritually of those who need our help? Or will we pass by on the other side?

We have a choice to make each day, my friends: We can either be active in our faith in Christ and look for opportunities to bind up the broken-hearted, set the captive free, and yes, help the physically hurting too … or we can pass them by. We must ask ourselves: Am I Spiritually Active or Absent?

Lord, thank you for helping me see my sin by illuminating this passage before my eyes. Teach me to live each day on mission to bind up, heal, and restore those around me who are hurting on the outside or the inside. May I be bold and decisive in applying my energy and the gifts you have given me to ACT — like the Good Samaritan!