“A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, when he fell into the hands of 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. But a Samaritan, as he traveled, came where the man was; and when he saw him, he took pity on him. He went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he put the man on his own donkey, took him to an inn and took care of him…Which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?” (Luke 10:30–34, 36, NIV 1984).
My Musings – Think the victim of the robbers was a mere unknown? Just a neighbor? Think again. “Then the King will say to [them]…I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of Mine, you did for Me… I tell you the truth, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for Me.” (Matthew 25:34, 40, 45, NIV 1984). Think this was just an ordinary king? Think again. This is “the Son of Man [coming] in his glory…[separating] the sheep from the goats.” (Matthew 25:31-32, NIV 1984).
My Advice – Of course not everyone who claims to be hungry, thirsty, in need of clothing or lodging, to have been robbed or sick are victims. Some are merely seeking to take advantage. But we need to consider very carefully before we “[pass] by on the other side.”
The Brew Is A Musing 