Better A Help Than A Hinderance

Gary Gordon and Randy Shughart

12“This is My commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. 13“Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends. 14“You are My friends if you do whatever I command you. 

John 15: 12 - 13 NKJV 

 30Then Jesus answered and said: “A certain man went down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell among ithieves, who stripped him of his clothing, wounded him, and departed, leaving him half dead. 31“Now by chance a certain priest came down that road. And when he saw him, he passed by on the other side. 32“Likewise a Levite, when he arrived at the place, came and looked, and passed by on the other side. 33“But a certain Samaritan, as he journeyed, came where he was. And when he saw him, he had compassion. 34“So he went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine; and he set him on his own animal, brought him to an inn, and took care of him. 35“On the next day, jwhen he departed, he took out two denarii, gave them to the innkeeper, and said to him, ‘Take care of him; and whatever more you spend, when I come again, I will repay you.’ 36“So which of these three do you think was neighbor to him who fell among the thieves?” 37And he said, “He who showed mercy on him.” Then Jesus said to him, “Go and do likewise.”

Luke 10: 30 - 37 NKJV 

We've all seen them at one time or another.  Those among us who seem to rejoice in the pain and misery of others.  Now, most christians have heard the teaching of the good samaritan which we find in Luke 10.  However, looking at this passage closely we will see some pretty surprising things.  I am not at all surprised that all two others passed by this wounded man before one took mercy upon him to help him.  What about those first two fellows who passed by?  Well, we're told that one was a priest, a pretty high position in the time of Christ.  The other was a Levite.  What many fail to realize about these two men is that both are basically cut from the same cloth.  The priests were the leaders of the temples, while the Levites were of the tribe of Levi, and were assistants to the priests in many ways.  Both of these men found it better to pass by this wounded man on the opposite side of the street, treating him as if he were an outcast.  Make no mistake, both men knew what they were doing.  Both knew of the teachings of showing mercy and kindness to others.  Then, along came a samaritan, a good samaritan.  I find it interesting that in Jesus' conversation with the samaritan woman at Jacobs well, that this woman would comment that Jews usually had no dealings with samaritans {John 4:9}.  Now, this traveler from Jerusalems life was in the hands of one who he most likely never would have associated with had he not been injured.  

3He left Judea and departed again to Galilee. 4But He needed to go through Samaria. 5So He came to a city of Samaria which is called Sychar, near the plot of ground that Jacob gave to his son Joseph. 6Now Jacob’s well was there. Jesus therefore, being wearied from His journey, sat thus by the well. It was about the sixth hour. 7A woman of Samaria came to draw water. Jesus said to her, “Give Me a drink.” 8For His disciples had gone away into the city to buy food. 9Then the woman of Samaria said to Him, “How is it that You, being a Jew, ask a drink from me, a Samaritan woman?” For Jews have no dealings with Samaritans. 10Jesus answered and said to her, “If you knew the gift of God, and who it is who says to you, ‘Give Me a drink,’ you would have asked Him, and He would have given you living water.”

John 4: 3 - 10 NKJV 

There is no doubt that Jesus knew the thoughts and intentions of those around Him as He related the parable of the good samaritan.  It was something they needed to hear.  It's something we ourselves need to hear.  For rather than taking joy from the predicament of the travler, the samaritan showed mercy upon him and immediately helped him.  Better a help than a hinderance.  One of the greatest commandments which Christ has given us is to love one another.  Yet, we've fallen short on far too many occasions.  We find it far better to strive for a "eye for an eye" than to give a helping hand.  We relish in the truth of "karma" when one who has wronged us finally gets whats coming to him.  Are we loving one another?  That road less traveled is indeed the high road of sound morals and conduct.  Far too many others all too often choose the low road of slime and mud in their dealings with others.  A friend of mine recently commented on a coworker who had wronged him.  As I asked him why he could remain calm in the midst of such mistreatment from another person, he told me "Scotty, I refuse to lower myself  to his level...I choose to bring him UP to my level."  Go and do likewise. 

~Scott~