[center]Be a Good Samaritan[/center]

And, behold, a certain lawyer stood up, and tempted Him, saying, Master, what shall I do to inherit life? …And Jesus answering said, A certain man went down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell among thieves, which stripped him of his raiment (clothing), and wounded him, and departed, leaving him half dead. And by chance there came down a certain priest that way: and when he saw him, he passed by on the other side. And likewise a Levite, when he was at the place, came and looked on him, and passed by on the other side. But a certain Samaritan, as he journeyed, came where he was: and when he saw him; he had compassion (pity) on him, and went to him, and bound up his wounds, pouring in oil and wine, and set him on his own beast, and brought him to an inn, and took care of him. Which now of this three, think you, was neighbor to him that fell among thieves? And he said, he that showed mercy on him. Then said Jesus to him, Go, and do you likewise (Luke 10:25, 30-34, 36-37, emphasis added).

In the above passage, a certain lawyer asked Jesus what he must do to inherit life. Jesus told him he has to love God with all his heart, soul, strength, and mind and his neighbor as himself. Then the lawyer asked: “who is my neighbor?” Jesus then gave the parable of the Good Samaritan. To understand this parable, we must ask ourselves the following questions: Who is the man that fell among the thieves? Who are the thieves? Who are the priest and Levite that ignored the half dead man? What does it mean to be half dead? Who is the Good Samaritan? What is the inn the man was taken to? What are we to do?
Understand that this is a parable. A parable is a story given to teach us some important lessons in life. The man that fell among thieves is the first Adam. He fell from grace to grass due to his disobedience against God. We all inherited the fallen, sinful nature from Adam. Satan and his demons are the thieves. He and his demons came to steal and to kill and to destroy God’s creation. That was what he accomplished when he went into the Garden of Eden to deceive Eve who ate the forbidden fruit and gave Adam of the same. The priest and Levite that ignored the half dead man and had no solution to his problem represent religion and religious men. Don’t be deceived, religion cannot save you. Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is no other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved (Acts 4:12). Jesus means SAVIOR. He came for that purpose – to save humanity from the fall and restore them to God. If the half dead man is us, what does this mean? To be half dead is to be alive in this world and be dead to God. A sinner is physically alive but dead to God, dead to things of God, and dead to righteousness. This is how we were born – for in sin were we conceived by our parents (see Psalm 51:5). We are all helpless as sinners and our only Savior and Deliverer is the Good Samaritan. He alone out of the three men in the above parable showed pity and compassion. He went to the half dead man, bounds up his wounds pouring in oil and wine and took him to an inn (hospital). Now, who is the Good Samaritan? He is none other but Jesus! He alone has the answer. He alone has the cure for our sins and sickness. He came to seek and to save that which is lost. Religion is not the answer. Jesus is the answer. He poured in oil and wine. You cannot give what you don’t have. The oil is the Holy Spirit and the wine is the blood of Jesus. These two is all you need to be made whole physically, spiritually and emotionally in life.
The inn the revived man was taken to is a good church where only the truth is preached. The Good Samaritan (Jesus) finally told the lawyer: “Go and do you likewise” Having given your life to Jesus, you must go and tell others about the saving grace of Jesus. You must tell the good news of the kingdom of God.
Are you ready to accept the Good Samaritan? If so, pray this prayer aloud: Lord Jesus, come into my heart, wash away my sins. I confess you as my Lord and Savior, in Jesus’ Precious Name, Amen

For prayer and counseling: visit, write, call or e-mail: Prevailing Word & Prayer Ministries Inc. No 11, Ibrahim Tahir Lane, Utako. P.O. Box 11875, Garki, Abuja. Tel 08033155417. E-mail: josey500@yahoo.com