I'm double dipping tonight...a friend asked me a long time ago to be a guest blogger on a collaborative blog, so I decided to kill two birds with one stone, and use the post for both blogs.
I sat and waited in the temple that morning. I picked up a Bible and began reading. My fingers opened to the parable of the Good Samaritan....
“And, behold, a certain lawyer stood up, and tempted him, saying, Master, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?
He said unto him, What is written in the law? how readest thou?
And he answering said, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all they heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy strength, and with all thy mind; and thy neighbour as thyself.
And he said unto him, Thou hast answered right: this do, and thou shalt live.
But he, willing to justify himself, said unto Jesus, And who is my neighbour?
And Jesus answering said,
A certain man went down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell among thieves,
which stripped him of his raiment, and wounded him, and departed, leaving him half dead.
And by chance there came down a certain priest that way:
and when he saw him, he passed by on the other side.
And likewise a Levite, when he was at the place, came and looked on him,
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 on him,
And went to him, and bound up his wounds, pouring in oil and wine,
and set him on his own beast, and brought him to an inn, and took care of him.
And on the morrow when he departed, he took out two pence,
and gave them to the host, and said unto him, Take care of him;
and whatsoever thou spendest more, when I come again, I will repay thee.
Which now of these three, thinkest thou, was neighbour unto him that fell among the thieves?
And he said, He that shewed mercy on him. Then said Jesus unto him, Go, and do thou likewise.” (Luke 10:25-37)
To me, the parable of the Good Samaritan is one of the most compelling parables that the Jesus Christ taught. The imagery of a man, robbed, beaten, and left for dead is a severe one, but draws such feelings of sympathy from my heart. Then, the image of the Good Samaritan, a man who was viewed by the Jewish people as inhuman, performing the most humane act of rescue. This parable is usual taught in Sunday School to encourage us to be the kind of person that the Good Samaritan was. But the levels of the parable can quickly show to us that this story is not merely about being good neighbors. The Savior was teaching a parable about the Atonement, about His own merciful redemption for our souls.
We are the “certain man” who traveled from Jerusalem to Jericho. We are the ones who have fallen among “thieves”. These thieves could represent temptations, trials, our own incorrect decisions, or even the effects of living in a mortal world. We lie beside the road, “half dead”. The priest does not help us, the Levite does not heal, not because they will not, perhaps because they cannot. The Savior, the Good Samaritan, is the only one who stops to help, and the only one who can truly heal us. He pours in the oil of forgiveness and the wine of mercy. He forgives us of our weaknesses, our mistakes, and our sins. He comforts us when our trials become too much to bear, and when we have reached the end of our mortal strength. He binds up our wounds with His love and compassion. And not only that, but He takes us to a safe haven, an inn, where we can continue to heal and recover, and where He has paid in advance.
His mercy is beyond comprehension. His love is incredible.
No wonder He admonishes us to “Go, and do thou likewise” (Luke 10:37). There are many who are in need of healing. Figuratively, everyone has experienced being robbed and left for dead, at least once in their lives. How many of them recognize the Good Samaritan?
When have we seen our own friends lie beside the road from Jerusalem to Jericho? When have we walked by, as did the priest and the Levite? There may be those that we can help, but have chosen not see because of the possibly uncomfortable situation it could place us in. It is true that we cannot heal those that are “half dead” , only the Savior can truly heal them . However, we can help begin their process of healing. We can reach out to them and let them know that we are there for them, that we want to help. We can pour in the oil of compassion and the wine of charity. Above all, the most important thing that we can do is to assure them that the Good Samaritan really can heal them, if they will turn to Him for aid.
We are the “certain man” who traveled from Jerusalem to Jericho. We are the ones who have fallen among “thieves”. These thieves could represent temptations, trials, our own incorrect decisions, or even the effects of living in a mortal world. We lie beside the road, “half dead”. The priest does not help us, the Levite does not heal, not because they will not, perhaps because they cannot. The Savior, the Good Samaritan, is the only one who stops to help, and the only one who can truly heal us. He pours in the oil of forgiveness and the wine of mercy. He forgives us of our weaknesses, our mistakes, and our sins. He comforts us when our trials become too much to bear, and when we have reached the end of our mortal strength. He binds up our wounds with His love and compassion. And not only that, but He takes us to a safe haven, an inn, where we can continue to heal and recover, and where He has paid in advance.
His mercy is beyond comprehension. His love is incredible.
No wonder He admonishes us to “Go, and do thou likewise” (Luke 10:37). There are many who are in need of healing. Figuratively, everyone has experienced being robbed and left for dead, at least once in their lives. How many of them recognize the Good Samaritan?
When have we seen our own friends lie beside the road from Jerusalem to Jericho? When have we walked by, as did the priest and the Levite? There may be those that we can help, but have chosen not see because of the possibly uncomfortable situation it could place us in. It is true that we cannot heal those that are “half dead” , only the Savior can truly heal them . However, we can help begin their process of healing. We can reach out to them and let them know that we are there for them, that we want to help. We can pour in the oil of compassion and the wine of charity. Above all, the most important thing that we can do is to assure them that the Good Samaritan really can heal them, if they will turn to Him for aid.
What does this have to do with being a single Mormon girl?
Everything.
Some of the wounds that He so lovingly binds up are wounds of loneliness, heartache and fear for what the future may bring, or not bring. He alone can heal me of these, He alone understands what it feels like to be alone.
And so I turn to Him, as I develop compassion for those around me, and as I learn to lean on Him when I am weak from heartache.
Everything.
Some of the wounds that He so lovingly binds up are wounds of loneliness, heartache and fear for what the future may bring, or not bring. He alone can heal me of these, He alone understands what it feels like to be alone.
And so I turn to Him, as I develop compassion for those around me, and as I learn to lean on Him when I am weak from heartache.
No comments:
Post a Comment