Passing by on the other side

"...he passed by on the other side..." (Luke 10:31)

Above is just a piece of Luke 10:31. The reason I posted just that part is for application. All walks of life know the story of the good Samaritan. Most of us see if from the standpoint of making sure we take care of those we might despise the most. Although I believe that is the major theme of the passage I wanted to dive in more specifically.

Two times in this passage the above phrase is used. The question is who is this person that passes by? It is non other than a priest and a temple assistant. These people were very religious and new the Law. They also despised the Samaritans so much that it was hard to even look at one.

Jesus focus here is not what they did but what they didn't do. These people that were suppose to be God's followers failed to meet a need. We can find ourselves in this same spot. Have you ever passed someone homeless and though about how they got to that point? Have you ever thought it was something they did? Have you ever been asked for money by someone that misused it? After doing all of this we tend to become hard and use this as an excuse to not help. They will buy drugs or alcohol with it. The list could go on.

The question is who are we? I see us being the one "passing by on the other side". We purposely go out of our way to avoid helping those we think are helpless. Jesus calls us to be obedient to God and that is it. If we give and it is misused that is not our worry. We can give carefully and with forethought and still serve. I could go on and on about this. I think the point really is : Don't be the one that passes by on the other side.