"Passing" Good

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Luke 10:25-37 And behold, a certain lawyer stood up and tested Him, saying, “Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?” He said to him, “What is written in the law? What is your reading of it?” So he answered and said, “ ‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, and with all your mind,’ and ‘your neighbor as yourself.’ And He said to him, “You have answered rightly; do this and you will live.” But he, wanting to justify himself, said to Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?”

Then Jesus answered and said: “A certain man went down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell among thieves, who stripped him of his clothing, wounded him, and departed, leaving him half dead. Now by chance a certain priest came down that road. And when he saw him, he passed by on the other side. Likewise a Levite, when he arrived at the place, came and looked, and passed by on the other side. 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.’ So which of these three do you think was neighbor to him who fell among the thieves?” And he said, “He who showed mercy on him.” Then Jesus said to him, “Go and do likewise.”

What It Is Speaking to Me

I know that is a lot more verses than are normally part of the devotional, but it is hard to talk about this story without context. We don't know the name of the Good Samaritan in this story. But the Samaritan was good for several reasons: because he stopped, because he helped, because he paid for the care. These are all apparent. But he was first "good" because he looked.

He looked at who he was passing. There are all sorts of ministries named after the Good Samaritan, and there is nothing wrong with that. But the Samaritan wasn't good because he was a minister. In fact, the "ministers" that passed by failed to be good. The Samaritan did good WHILE he was passing.

God has opportunities for us to do good while we are "passing" — while we are going about our day. The Samaritan didn't stop doing his business. He didn't start a Jericho roadside ministry. He didn't even stay with the man at the inn while he recovered. He went on with his business. Sometimes I think we can overcomplicate doing good, or we second-guess doing good because we fear what it all might entail. But instead, what if we simply looked for good we can do while we are "passing" by? A small good, a "passing" effort, can still change lives.

What Is It Saying to You?

Who do you "pass" by regularly?Who have you seen that perhaps you could do good for?How do you keep your eyes open to see who God puts in your path?

What Are We Going to Do About It?

Identify one "neighbor" — a coworker, a stranger you see regularly, someone you've noticed — and take one small step toward them this week.