Aug
25
Watch Out for the Wounded
Filed Under Devotional
Perhaps the best story of the first step of discipleship is the story of the Good Samaritan. When many walked by a wounded man by the side of the road, this man showed an act of true compassion.
“and came to him and bandaged up his wounds, pouring oil and wine on them; and he put him on his own beast, and brought him to an inn and took care of him.” Luke 10:34
The stark contrast in this parable is that supposed good men, a priest and a Levite, passed by and left the man to die. The Samaritan, however, was the kind one. Of course, the Jews regarded Samaritans as not just Gentiles, but also as hateful, untrustworthy, half-bred, idolatrous dogs, to put it mildly. Compassion does not come with salvation, but is part of that unique character that is on both sides of the fence, saved and unsaved. The unsaved person with good character qualities and moral values is just one decision away from understanding why he feels the way he does. It would do well for the Christian to keep an eye open for these qualities as we seek to engage because the world is watching to see if we practice what we claim. Also, keep an eye open for wounded people. As a cowboy once said, “Scars are life’s tattoos and the stories are a lot more interesting.”