“But a certain Samaritan, as he journeyed, came where he was. And when he saw him, he had compassion. 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. On the next day, when 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.’”
Luke 10:33-35 NKJV
One thing that we all have in common is that we all have a journey. We all go from one place to the next, physically, mentally, and emotionally. And during our journey’s we come across people who appear to be in need. Let’s be realistic; sure there are times in our lives when we’ve turned a blind eye or ear and just minded our own business, and there are also times that we’ve looked upon others with compassion but was not equipped to help in any way, and it probably made us feel aweful. There are also times when we’ve looked upon others making judgement calls about their situation that God must be repaying them for some wrongdoing in their life.
This Samaritan man, not only came across this man in need; his heart was not only moved by his circumstances, but he was prepared to help. Not just partially, but completely. First he bandaged his wounds pouring on oil and wine. Oil has been known to speed up the healing process when applied to wounds. It can also lessen pain, slow down bleeding, reduce inflammation and has many other qualities including the prevention of scar tissue formation allowing the skin cells and tissue to grow.
While oil can heal, wine can be used to clean wounds due to its prominent antioxidant and antiseptic properties. Together oil and wine are a powerful tag team to anyone in need of such aid.
Not only was this Samaritan traveling on his journey with tools for cleansing and healing but he also was prepared to carry the weight of someone else’s load. How often have we attempt to lend a hand and provide care and upliftment to someone in need but had no intention of carrying their load. Galatians 6:2 NKJV says “Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.” Can you imagine if God only treated our wounds and never carried us in times when we couldn’t pick ourselves up? Christ didn’t only come to show us compassion by cleaning us up, but he came to bear our load. Psalm 55:22 NKJV says “Cast your burden on the Lord, And He shall sustain you; …”
The scripture says that the Samaritan didn’t stop at carring the load of the man but that he brought the man to an inn and took care of him. Whatever journey this Samaritan was on, he made a decision that this man was important enough to stop what he was doing and where he was going, to give the man his attention. The scripture goes on to tell us that the next day the Samaritan had to leave but left the equivalent of 2 days wages with the innkeeper to take care of the man; and the innkeeper was kind enough to agree to give the Samaritan a line of credit to be repayed so that the innkeeper would continue to take care of the man until he was well.
That innkeeper sounds a lot like the Holy Spirit. Christ paid the price to save us and when he had to leave he sent us the Holy Spirit, an extension of himself, to take care of us, continue the healing process, our renewal process for as long as it took, day after day, guiding us, keeping us. Christ has committed to ensuring our wellbeing, but he didn’t leave us out there. He took up our load and brought us to the inn, the Kingdom, the body of Christ, where we would be taken care of until he returns.
Imagine the difference we can make in others lives if we are willing to do the same. If we are willing to not just give others a temporary fix but to fully attend to the needs of the members of the body of Christ as Christ did for us. I say members because it takes complete trust for a man to go with a stranger to be taken care of, leaving behind fear, anxiety, pride, and disbelief. This man believed in the Samaritan and allowed himself to be moved. What a faith filled moment when we acknowledged that God was passing by and we made the decision to trust and believe. Offering nothing but our lives and trusting God for healing and renewal.
There is truly a lesson about life in Christ, granted by the moments we encounter along our journey. Be prepared to “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations [help the people to learn of Me, believe in Me, and obey My words], baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe everything that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always [remaining with you perpetually—regardless of circumstance, and on every occasion], even to the end of the age.”
Matthew 28:19-20 AMP
Be blessed,
G.M.
G.M. Sunshine 