"The Traveler", He Is Able Page 013, at http://www.he-is-able.com/page013.html


	The Traveler


...Execute true judgment, and shew mercy and compassions every man to his brother. Zechariah 7:9


History records that the road from Jerusalem to Jericho was notorious for the dangers along its way. It was the perfect route along which thieves could waylay the unwary (or "foolhardy") traveler. What made it so advantageous for thieves and murderers was the steep decline from Jerusalem to Jericho in a distance less than twenty miles. Another advantage bandits had over those who traveled that way was that it was narrow, with sudden sharp twists and turns. In the fifth century, it was described as "The Bloody Way". In the nineteenth century, it was still necessary to bribe local sheiks for safe passage through it. Even in the "modern" time of the 1930's and 1940's, those who used that route were warned to get home before dark--it was still the favorite spot of local thieves who were adept at holding up travelers and escaping into the nearby mountains before the police arrived. So here we have the setting for the parable Jesus told of "The Good Samaritan":

...A certain man went down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell among thieves, which stripped him of his raiment, and wounded him, and departed, leaving him half dead. And by chance there came down a certain priest that way: and when he saw him, he passed by on the other side. And likewise a Levite, when he was at the place, came and looked on him, and passed by on the other side. But a certain Samaritan, as he journeyed, came where he was: and when he saw him...had compassion on him, And went to him, and bound up his wounds, pouring in oil and wine, and set him on his own beast, and brought him to an inn, and took care of him. And on the morrow when he departed, he took out two pence, and gave them to the host, and said unto him, Take care of him; and whatsoever thou spendest more, when I come again, I will repay thee. Luke 10:30-35.

There are those who would say the "victim" in that parable was "foolhardy" because he traveled alone. However, he wasn't any more foolhardy than the priest, the Levite and the Samaritan who followed along behind him. (We just have to get some kind of "you deserved it" poke at people, don't we?) So anyone who traveled that area alone would indeed be "foolhardy", would they not? Got what he "deserved", didn't he? He had no one but himself to blame for his sad plight, right? One is almost assured that those were the thoughts of those who came along after him and saw him lying there, stripped, wounded and left for dead (without remembering that, they, themselves were also travelling alone).

When Jesus spoke this parable, it was in answer to questions posed by a lawyer who sought to "tempt" (translated from ekpeirazo--to test thoroughly) Jesus. He had first asked Jesus, "What shall I do to inherit eternal life?" Jesus knew "The Law" and answered him with a question, "What is written in the law? how readest thou?" The lawyer answered, "Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy strength, and with all thy mind; and thy neighbour as thyself." Jesus assured him that he was correct: "Thou hast answered right: this do, and thou shalt live."

Mighty nice sounding sentiment, isn't it? "Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy strength, and with all thy mind; and thy neighbor as thyself." And it's true, except the lawyer took it a step further (scripture says he was out to "justify himself"--defend his own selfishness toward any who were not Jews): "And who is my neighbour?" he asked of Jesus.

Strict orthodox Jews wore little leather boxes around their wrists (and one around their forehead) called "phylacteries". Inside these little leather boxes were four scriptures: Exodus 13:1-10, Exodus 13:11-16, Deuteronomy 6:4-9, and Deuteronomy 11:13-21. Jesus said in Matthew 23:5, But all their works they do for to be seen of men: they make broad their phylacteries, and enlarge the borders of their garments. In other words, they made their phylacteries larger to draw attention to themselves and the greatness of their own obedience to "The Law". (Like some Christians do today--they want everyone to "see" how perfect, or how important a Christian they perceive themselves to be.) However, when Jesus answered the lawyer, "What is written in the law? how readest thou?" He knew the Jews had added Leviticus 19:18 to strictly define who their "neighbors" were: Thou shalt not avenge, nor bear any grudge against the children of thy people, but thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself: I am the Lord. This, to them, meant that their "neighbors" were other Jews only, not anyone of any other race or culture.

The parable of The Good Samaritan tells that the first to come by and see the fallen man was a priest. Noblest of noble offices, yet he passed by on the other side. Of course, he was justified in not touching the man, wasn't he? I mean, the man "looked dead" and to touch him would render the priest "unclean"--unable to perform his priestly duties. Dead or not, the priest wasn't going to get close enough to find out! "Don't get ME involved!" The next person to come by was a Levite. The Levites were set apart as ministers (servants) of religion: scribes of the sacred books. They were known as "cautious" or "careful". He may have been aware of a common tactic of thieves in that region: to have a "decoy" laid out as a victim, only for the rest of the outlaw band to surround him and cause him harm. Still, to have been known as a "cautious" or "careful" person, he got closer to the wounded man than the priest, who passed by on the other side. The Levite came and looked on him, and passed by on the other side. He was curious, but still it was, "Don't get ME involved!" Next to come by was the Samaritan. In Come, See A Man, we learned of the Jews' dislike of the Samaritans. Those listening to Jesus relate the parable may have thought, "Oh, HERE comes THE wicked one of this story!" What a surprise they got!

The Samaritan may well have been a frequent visitor to the area and of good report--it was for sure he had a compassionate heart: But a certain Samaritan, as he journeyed, came where he was: and when he saw him, he had compassion on him... He wasn't a member of the Jews' community or their "country club" or their "social set"--to the Jews he was an outcast. Yet, he had compassion on the fallen man--even though they were "enemies"--yet the victim was still a human being in dire need of assistance. His time was no less valuable to him than to the others who passed by but refused to "get involved". Yet he not only doctored the stranger's wounds, put him on his own beast, and took him with him, but he also secured a place for the traveler to be safe. Then the following morning, he left money with the innkeeper to take care of the man, with the assurance that he would reimburse the innkeeper when next he came back that way if there were any additional charges.

Brothers and Sisters, each of us is a traveler on this journey called "Life". It is a rare thing indeed to meet someone who can truthfully say they have never needed the assistance of anyone--so rare, that I doubt it possible. Yet we forget all that when we see someone else in need, don't we? As we can observe from passing by traffic accidents--we are willing to strain our necks to "see" what is going on, but don't ask us to pull over and render any aid. We've got things to do and places to be, don't we? Don't think for a moment that I'm pointing just to you and you and you--look at all these fingers pointing right back to me! How many of us, as travelers on this journey of life, are willing to answer the call of compassion? Suppose Pharaoh's daughter had merely performed her "duty" when she found the baby boy among the reeds that day? (Exodus 2:5,6) Her "duty" was to turn him over to her dad's henchmen. She went beyond "duty"--she exercised true compassion. The Lord told Zechariah to tell the people: Execute true judgment, and shew mercy and compassions every man to his brother: And oppress not the widow, nor the fatherless, the stranger, nor the poor; and let none of you imagine evil against his brother in your heart. (Zechariah 7:8-10) And there came a leper to him, beseeching him, and kneeling down to him, and saying unto him, If thou wilt, thou canst make me clean. And Jesus, moved with compassion, put forth his hand, and touched him, and saith unto him, I will; be thou clean. And as soon as he had spoken, immediately the leprosy departed from him, and he was cleansed. (Mark 1:40-42) We still treat people who are different (whatever the reason for it) as "lepers", don't we? That day, near the city of Nain, Jesus didn't have to bother with that widow on her way to bury her only son. Had that been us who passed by, our attitude would have been, "Get over it!" or "So? Death is a part of life." Don't we have the most convenient little catch phrases to cover our cold-heartedness? Scripture tells us that Jesus had compassion on her, and said unto her, Weep not. And he came and touched the bier: and they that bare him stood still. And he said, Young man, I say unto thee, Arise. And he that was dead sat up, and began to speak. And he delivered him to his mother. (Luke 7:12-15) But whoso hath this world's good, and seeth his brother have need, and shutteth up his bowels of compassion from him, how dwelleth the love of God in him? My little children, let us not love in word, neither in tongue; but in deed and in truth. And hereby we know that we are of the truth, and shall assure our hearts before him. I John 3:17-19. *...let us not love in word...but in deed and in truth.* You know, that old "Actions speak louder than words" thing.

I am thankful the Lord loves me enough to allow me to learn. I recently went through a series of somewhat unpleasant events that came up unexpectedly. I found myself in a position wherein I direly needed help and it seemed as if suddenly those I had counted as "friends" were scarce as could be! One afternoon, when the days' load had seemed especially heavy, and after I had spent time in prayer, I lay down to rest. As I lay there, certain thoughts began to steal into my mind (my conscience began to deal with ME): Pat, what limitations did you place on YOUR service to others, when you've told them, "Let me know if there is anything I can do to help?" Were you TRULY willing to do ANYthing? Are you remembering times in your own life when you have been judgmental towards others in their times of trouble? When you were warm and well fed, did you reach out to share your warmth and food with those who were cold and hungry? Haven't you always been quick to say, "I'll be sure to pray for you," but how many times did you reach beyond that promise to see if there was more you could do? Yes, prayer IS vital and there is no greater honor than for folks to take the time to hold our name up in prayer. But friends, there comes a time when we must go beyond prayer, or mere well wishes: "Gee, I sure hope things work out for you." Then we turn and leave those folks in the same condition we found them. Yes, it IS noble to pray for someone, but consider this: if I have two coats, and I see a person without one, what good have I done that person to merely say to them, "I'll pray that you get warm soon." Most of the time, our attitude towards others is, "Well, if they'd had any foresight..." or "Well, they brought it upon themselves, you know!"

Who knows what went through the minds of the travelers that day as they passed by the fallen stranger in what we call the "Parable of the Good Samaritan"? What we DO know is what they did and did not do! They each had the opportunity for direct input into improving his lot, didn't they? There may have been others who passed by, Jesus only mentioned the three. What we do KNOW is that out of however many saw the victim, only ONE answered the call of true compassion--"putting legs on well wishes"!

As we passed through this time of trial, there were many opportunities for me to examine my own heart and I quickly came to realize that I, too, had sunk 'way too far in merely performing my "Christian duty", too many times! I like to think I have a "giving heart", but oh, the times I could have gone by a person's house, even if I didn't have any money (it's not the ONLY way to help, thank you) to give them. Perhaps I could have washed their clothing; vacuumed their house, tended their pets, cooked them some meals, maybe even held them in my arms and cried with them, or simply sat and listened to them. And yes, there are times I could have written a letter of encouragement, even if I had no money to send, to those who are not local. But again, it was simply easier to "pray" and then go about my own affairs--I had "performed my Christian duty". May I tell you of what I was convicted the most in my heart? DUTY is NOT compassion and compassion is MORE THAN just "wishes"--it is ACTION! Wherever, however, whenever it is possible for me to help someone, I'd better be about my Father's business and do so. He hasn't done what He's done for me out of DUTY--it is LOVE. Had He not had compassion on my lost and undone state, I'd still be wallowing in the mirey clay of sin! And so would you!

As He has always done, the Lord met our every need. Distant brothers and sisters in Christ began to respond to our call for prayer; several of them sent cards and gifts to further encourage us. We thank the Lord for each of them, and we thank Him also for the value of the lessons He allowed us to learn. It truly is our heart's desire to be genuinely compassionate, not in word only, but also in deed. We determined to more fully and completely examine each opportunity that presents itself in our pathway, and to do ALL that is within our power to render true Christian service. This is not for the praise of mankind, but to more completely commit ourselves to the Will of Christ--reaching out with ALL that is within us for Him.

Yes, we are ALL travelers in this journey of life. What are we doing for Christ along the way? Are we "Christians" because we "say so" or are we Christians by that which we do for others? No, we are NOT saved by "works" or "good deeds", but it is through those works and good deeds that we can truly reach out and touch the heart and lives of those in need. Our Lord wants "optimum performance" from us, not the minimum of mere "duty". As travelers on this road of life, each of us have numerous opportunities to reach out to others, and through the CHRIST-like love we show them, compel them to Christ because we went beyond mere "duty".
(all emphasis on scriptures, such as bold, underline or uppercase, is mine) "The Traveler" Copyright © 2002 by Patricia Sikes. All Rights Reserved.

Lord, Teach My Feet The Way To Go

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