When Broken on the Road to Jericho

The problem with a man who falls among thieves on the Road to Jericho is that he can lose himself and forget who he is. Remember the one who was bound up and carried on someone else’s beast. He was laid in a bed and his wounds were washed and wrapped. His rent was paid and he was left in the care of the innkeeper while the Good Samaritan went on his way. The Good Samaritan had other business to tend to, after all. He hadn’t gone out that morning in search of a broken and beaten man on the Road to Jericho. He had been on the way to fulfill his own errand. Perhaps he had been on his way to market. He might have been on his way to see about his lands and cattle. Perhaps he had been on his way to a feast with friends. Whatever it was that took that Samaritan on down the road that day, he stopped and cared for a wounded man that had been left for dead by both a Priest and a Levite (after having already been robbed and beaten). Who could blame him for continuing on his way to live his life? It could be that when the wounded man began to feel better, he looked around and wondered about the one who made his salvation possible. Could he have pined over having been left behind instead of going to the feast? Did he resent not being taken along with his benefactor to enjoy the sights of the market or the fat of the land? It’s unlikely, in such an obvious tale, meant to teach us to be the Good Neighbor. It’s more likely in our own lives, as we take for granted what is given to us by the various Good Samaritans who tend our wounds in times of need. Speaking from experience; we sometimes confuse our Good Samaritan with a best friend, a Prince Charming or someone else of the like. Sometimes, we come to expect to be taken to the ball, the market or the feast. Someone comes to the rescue, when we’re wounded and needy, and somewhere along the line we develop a sense of entitlement. This is a foolish thing to do. A Good Samaritan is not your soul mate, your best friend forever, your king, or your god. He is a Good Samaritan. And you are simply a broken man on the Road to Jericho. Don’t forget it.