The Good Samaritan - remixed...

There was a person in need, and the crowds were passing them by, sometimes on the other side, sometimes stepping right over them. Some of them would feel guilty – but it was in the moment, and quickly something else occupied their minds. Afterall they did a lot of good in other ways, they weren’t responsible for this, couldn’t be responsible for all the needs of the world.  They were only human afterall.

Then the Samaritan passed by, and stopped, and picked up the one in need. Took them to the inn, but found that he didn’t have enough to pay for his care.  The Samaritan wanted to help, began to help, but in the end didn’t have the means to do what he had begun to do. What does he do then?

To abandon the one who you have picked up from the roadside seems so much more of a sin than merely passing them by. In stopping, in beginning to care, the Samaritan chose to take responsibility, having picked up the buck it becomes an active decision to lay it aside. 

The Samaritan sought to pass on the needy one to specialist care, but what if there was no room at the inn or the inn cost too much? What would the Samaritan do then? What if walking away having started to get involved is not an option, but finding the solution is also not an option?

And what happens next time the Samaritan passes someone in need? Will he think twice about helping? Maybe those others were not as hardhearted as they are painted, maybe they knew they had not enough to give. Afterall we are taught that to return to burning building to help someone is not good – it can end up giving the firefighters 2 casualties to rescue instead of one.

Maybe the parables are simple stories to make a point – and real life much more complicated. Maybe what looks like the right thing to do isn’t? And that goes for when you are the Samaritan and when you are a passer by.

So how do we respond to the overwhelming needs of a hurting world, yet survive ourselves – not becoming additional casualties in need of rescue? And how do we deal with the guilt of having a lot yet being too frail to reach out to those in need?