MORNING MANNA 4-9-24.
THE GOOD SAMARITAN
“But a certain Samaritan, as he journeyed, came where he was: and when he saw him, he had compassion on him,” Luke 10:33
Ernest Gordon was a British soldier who had become a prisoner of war on the River Kwai. One day he and the other Englishmen came across a train full of wounded Japanese soldiers dying of neglect. Ernest and number of the other officers went to them and changed their bandages. They took water to them and washed them. One of the officers was very offended at this. “Don’t be fools,” he said to them, “these are our enemies.” Ernest Gordon asked if he had ever heard of the parable of the Good Samaritan, how a man had been beaten up and robbed and stripped, and a couple of religious men passed by on the other side ignoring him though he was the same race and religion as they were. Then a half-caste, a heretic, one of their enemies, a Samaritan man came and stopped. His heart was full of compassion and he knelt down and poured wine and oil on the man and clothed him with his own clothes and took him to an inn where he was cared for at the man’s expense until he was recovered. The officer heard the story and then protested, “Yes, but that’s the Bible. These swine are starving us and beating us. They’ve murdered our comrades. They’re our enemies.” Ernest said to him, “Who is my enemy? Isn’t he my neighbour? My enemy is my neighbour,” and back he went to helping these Japanese soldiers.
This parable is given to move us to action – to encourage us to love others as we love ourselves. Having been rescued from sin we ought to respond to the needs of those who know nothing of God’s saving grace. God help us to do all we can while we can. – HDS
David Stone
Lakeway Baptist Church
Humble, Tx
