God entered our mess and provided salvation.
How flexible are you?
Years ago, early in our marriage, Cameron and I were in Calcutta for a concert with Yeshua Ministries, and things didn’t quite go to plan. I hadn’t slept well, it was much colder than expected, and I hadn’t packed the right clothes for it.
At one point, I looked at Cameron with a pouting face and exclaimed, “Calcutta is supposed to be the City of Joy, but all my joy has been taken away!”😩
Cameron smiled at my overly dramatic response and probably realised in that moment that I’m not the most easy-going person when things don’t go to plan. I can adapt when needed, but truth be told, I prefer when life sticks to the plan. Tell me I’m not the only one! 😜
Someone who didn’t seem to have that issue was the Good Samaritan. He went out of his way to take care of a total stranger, inconveniencing himself for the good of another.
Not only was it inconvenient, it was messy. The Samaritan’s generosity involved bloody bandages, placing a beaten man on a personal mode of transportation, and an open-ended financial commitment.
The elements we find in the Parable of the Good Samaritan are important, but so are the elements we do not find. For example, there’s no expectation of reciprocity. The only directive we discover is the Samaritan telling the innkeeper to do whatever it takes to care for the beaten man.
The sacrificial, grace-filled generosity demonstrated in the Parable of the Good Samaritan reminds us of God’s generosity. God, who owed us nothing, entered our mess and provided us salvation. We were broken and could do nothing on our own, so He did it all for us. He paid the full cost (Romans 5:8-9).
We get to reflect that generosity toward a broken and lost world. Sometimes, God just puts a need before us, and we respond.
Is it inconvenient? Often. Is it messy? Occasionally. But conditional? Never.
