In Luke 10:30 Jesus said: “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, when he was attacked by robbers. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him and went away, leaving him half dead. 31 A priest happened to be going down the same road, and when he saw the man, he passed by on the other side. 32 So too, a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. 33 But a Samaritan, as he traveled, came where the man was; and when he saw him, he took pity on him. 34 He went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he put the man on his own donkey, brought him to an inn and took care of him. 35 The next day he took out two denarii[c] 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.’ 36 “Which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?” 37 The expert in the law replied, “The one who had mercy on him.” Jesus told him, “Go and do likewise.”
Three people had an opportunity to be involved in saving a man’s life. Only one took advantage of the opportunity. Only one took responsibility to be a good neighbor and friend. Only one person’s actions honored God. Only one person became a difference maker.
Imagine being the man lying by the side of the road. Imagine how terrified you would be to think that this was the way your life would end, that your body would just be found alongside the road, like trash that had been discarded. Imagine how you would long for the comfort of a family member or friend to be with you in that bleak moment. Imagine the physical pain that comes with being beaten. Maybe there were broken legs or punctured lungs. Maybe he had tried to get up and walk but fell back down, defeated and terrified. Imagine the emotional wounds that result from having people walk by you without stopping; people who didn’t think you were valuable enough, that you were worth stopping for, that you were worth trying to save. Imagine having that happen not once, but twice. Would there even be a third person to pass by before it was too late?
Thank God a third person did pass by, and even though it was a Samaritan, someone considered an enemy of the Jews, he “saw” the man. The phrase, “He took pity on him,” means he was moved in his heart to be a difference maker. I am sure the half-dead man looked awful. I doubt he smelled very good by this point. His clothes would have been torn and bloodied. He would have been covered in sweat. He may have had to use the bathroom by this point. I don’t know if that is TMI on a Sunday morning, but I’m just helping us understand the guy wasn’t just lying there in good condition. Just the sight of the man would have been repulsive. The Good Samaritan may have been nauseated by the sight, but he didn’t let what he saw keep him from doing something. He let the sight move him to action.
Verse 34 says, “He went to him.” Getting close can be costly, friends. Getting close has implications beyond just knowing about the situation. Getting close means, you are committed to move from knowing to doing. But I have come to tell you today that Getting close is the only way a difference can be made.
He bandaged his wounds. I’m guessing he tore his own clothing to make bandages to fit the bill. That moment was the beginning of a series of personal investments.
Remember, the Good Samaritan was headed somewhere, but he resigned himself to the reality that what was immediately in front of him was more important than anything he was headed to do. His plans would wait. He had a new priority. He got the man up somehow on his personal donkey and took him to an inn.
We see the words, “The next day,” in the text which tell us that the Good Samaritan spent the night with the man. He was going to make sure he made it through, that he was headed in the right direction.
The investment continued when he opened his wallet and took out the money to pay for the stay at the inn. Look at his words to the innkeeper again: ‘Look after him,’ he said, ‘and when I return, I will reimburse you for any extra expense you may have.’
The Good Samaritan couldn’t stay, but he offered to pay not only for the man’s lodging, but for any expense the innkeeper might incur. In that moment, he was handing the man a blank check. He had no idea exactly what he was getting into, just how much it could wind up costing him, but what a difference was made in that man’s life that day.
Three people encountered the dying man. Two were indifferent and did nothing. One made all the difference. It just takes one person to make all the difference. One person’s obedience and repentance can spark a revival. One person getting on fire in worship and letting God have His way can cause others to get hungry for God. One person’s sacrificial prayer life can produce miracles that create real faith in people’s lives. One person’s desire to see a youth group grow or a kids ministry grow can create an enthusiasm that is contagious. One person’s obedience to start a new ministry can become the stuff that generations will be talking about for decade. One person’s love for a child without parents can change the whole trajectory of that kid’s life. One person’s willingness to witness to a friend could result in the conversion of the next Billy Graham. Difference makers are simply people who make up their mind to make a positive difference in someone’s life.
You have one life to live. You have talents and resources to steward. You have networks of influence. You have a God-given destiny to live out and none of it will ever include indifferently walking by people who are hurt, broken, bloodied and bruised. Indifference and Christianity are incompatible. You cannot have a Christ-like compassion and distance yourself from people in need.
Dramatic change, radical transformation all begins with one person. One person who dares to believe God…One person who dares to be used of God…One person who dares to speak out for God…One person who dares to exercise faith in God…One person who boldly expresses the love of God…One person can change someone’s world. Be the difference for someone today.
