“Then a despised Samaritan came along, and when he saw the man, he… soothed his wounds… and bandaged them. Then he put the man on his own donkey and took him to an inn, where he took care of him. The next day he handed the innkeeper two silver coins, telling him, ‘Take care of this man. If his bill runs higher than this, I’ll pay you the next time I’m here.’ Luke 10:30-37, NLT.
A religious lawyer once asked Jesus a question about what his obligations were as stipulated by the Law of Moses. This evolved into this question. “Who is my neighbor?” It was this question that led to Jesus telling the parable or story of the Good Samaritan.
Though the story was about what keeping the law of love looks like, it also beautifully illustrated what being a merciful person looks like.
In the story, two religious leaders, knowledgeable in the implications of keeping the law, ignored a man lying in the road, beaten and bleeding. They continued walking past the man and did not show compassion or mercy to him.
A hated Samaritan man, on the other hand, stopped to render aid to the beaten man. It seems that it was instinctual on the part of the Samaritan – when you see someone needing aid, you stop to help them. Mercy is not accidental; it is intentional and compassionate.
The aid-giver did not consider his assistance to be completed until he secured the beaten man’s safety and care. The Samaritan took the injured man to a place where he could recuperate from his wounds, and the he left money for any expense that might be incurred afterward.
You can contrast that to the too-common western response of throwing money at a need but not caring about being any further involved. If money is all you can give, then give it. But mercy implies a personal involvement. Giving more than money. Being able to spot injustice or other needs.
How so? Volunteering at a soup kitchen. Purchasing warm clothing for a child who needs it. Giving food to a family in need or to a food bank. Rick Steves, travel writer, gives a great deal of his influence and money to Bread for the World, and he advocates for others to do so as well.
The point is that the Samaritan man was merciful because he did what he could for the man. He was not “too good” to stop and render aid. He was willing to be inconvenienced because his compassion for the wounded man was too great.
Jesus, of course, is the premier example of Mercy, touching lepers, washing feet, noticing, healing, feeding, and otherwise giving of his time and self. “Go and do likewise,” he tells us.
Prayer:
Our Father, our world is too full of people who ignore or deny the existence of wounded people all around us. May we not be calloused and indifferent to great need. May we be moved to compassion and mercy at all times. In Jesus’ name. Amen.