I have always been intrigued by the story of the Good Samaritan… but like many of the parables I was told in Sunday School, it didn’t go far enough, for we were never told how the story ended. The intended lesson was obvious, we are to help all who are in need, but to what extent should we offer our assistance? If the biblical scholars had translated the parable as I have, I wonder how many would be willing to follow the Samaritan’s example… yet isn’t this the example Jesus set for us?
THE GOOD SAMARITAN II
A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, when he fell into the hands of robbers. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him and went away, leaving him half dead. A priest happened to be going down the same road, and when he saw the man, he passed by on the other side. So too, a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. But a Samaritan, as he traveled, came where the man was; and when he saw him, he took pity on him. He went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he put the man on his own donkey, took him to an inn and took care of him. The next day he took out two silver coins and gave them to the innkeeper. `Look after him,’ he said, `and when I return, I will reimburse you for any extra expense you may have.’
Months passed and the Samaritan fell into hard times. He had to sell his home and belongings, but because he was an honest man, he used the money to pay off all of his debts. With only a few silver coins remaining in his pocket, he remembered his promise to the innkeeper and so he returned to Jericho and to the Inn where he had left the wounded man. To his surprise he found the man still lying in the bed where he had left him. The angry innkeeper informed him that because of severe brain damage the man could not be moved… but because he had promised the Samaritan that he would care for the man until his return, he found a doctor that showed them how to keep the man alive. The treatment was expensive, as was the full time nurse required for its administration, but now that the Samaritan had returned, all responsibility for the cost was his. In addition the innkeeper wanted the man out of his Inn immediately or he said he would discontinue the treatment and allow the man to die. In despair the Samaritan fell to his knees in tears, for he knew not what he should do. He prayed earnestly to the Deities of his ancestors, as was his custom… and when he had finished his prayers, he understood in his heart that which was right to do.
Rising to his feet, he handed the Inn-keeper all of the remaining silver coins from his pocket, plus the reins of his donkey, as payment for the debt. Confident in his decision, he walked to the room of the wounded man and carefully began preparing him for an as yet unknown destination. The injured man then opened his eyes and nodded his appreciation to the Samaritan, for the deeds he had done… and as he did so, his Spirit departed from him.
As the Samaritan prepared the mans body for burial, the inn keeper and others from the village came to assist him, for they had witnessed his Compassion and their hearts had been changed because of his actions.
