The Good Samaritan

The Good Samaritan. Many are familiar with this story, or at least its essence. Kind stranger helps needy stranger. Roll credits. But not so fast!

Maybe that's what's happening on the surface, but if all you take from this story is that we should be kind to others, you're missing out on a trove of implications and revelations that can only be uncovered when you commit to the text. So let's try this again, shall we?

In the story of the Good Samaritan, we are presented with a host of characters that expose our humanity in a myriad of ways. Sometimes we are the man beaten and left half dead because of our foolish decisions. Other times we are the holier-than-thou priest. And at times we are the Levite passing by because it's the "wise" or convenient thing to do. Couldn't we be The Good Samaritan in this story? That's where this gets interesting.

We were never meant to be the main hero of the story. That role belongs to Jesus. It was a wild story to tell in His day. It enraged the pharisees because it was a critique on their lack of honorable leadership. So if our failures are examined in those who pass by without helping, and we're not supposed to be the Good Samaritan, who are we, and why in the world does it matter today?