Good Samaritan - Luke 10

Sunday I did something that I have talked about doing for over 20 years. I simply told what Jesus said and then sat down. You see, for most of my ministry, I have said that “the lesson of the Good Samaritan is so clear, you could just tell it and sit down.” Up until now, however, I have always gone on to explain the details…(like: how dangerous the route was, who the Priests and Levites were, what it meant to be a Samaritan and the 4 or 5 things he did for the person in need.) These were all good points, for a Bible class. But as far as the message goes, the details seem to have little (if any) affect on whether or not we will take the admonition of Jesus to: “Go and do likewise.”
(By the way, Jesus did not call the Samaritan “good”. We call him that; maybe because the lesson is just so challenging! Oh, and Jesus didn’t say it was a “parable” either.)