Yesterday I passed a stranded car on a busy road. It sat there in the left lane by the intersection, refusing to budge even after the lights had turned green; Just another F.O.R.D- Found On Road Dead car, I thought.
I had seen the car from a distance with its hazards on and had moved myself out of the way, briefly alarmed at the risk it was posing to the traffic. I reasoned I should stop to help, but decided assistance must be on the way; besides I had already moved to the fast lane and it would be inconvenient to pull up and then back up. However, it was as I passed the car that I felt the slap of the label on my conscience with the impact not unlike the pending danger the driver would feel if left sitting there too long. The label read “The Priest” and then in separate lettering “The Levite”; just like in the parable, I had passed on to the convenient side, leaving the stranded alone in the car to nowhere.
Ironically, well if you believe in the Divine you would know there is no coincidence in matters such as these; my reading today was from Luke 10 on the Parable of the Good Samaritan.
The Priest and the Levite passed by chance; they were not getting to the temple, nor were they on an official engagement. True they may have had their Levitical garments on, and no one wants blood on official uniforms. Even their calling I would reason was not to minister to the wounded, but to stand in the high place between God and man in matters that are spiritual.
Really who am I kidding?
Really who am I kidding?
We pass by life or life passes us by, either ways it is no way to live.
If we back track we will notice many a wreck, where we passed over to the convenient lane. We want to be known as being neighbourly but are not willing to act one; we want to be known as being helpful but really to ‘love’, requires that we get off our self made heavens and come down to lowly earth. Anyone can be a good neighbour, whether you are Sam, Harry or Tom.
Be willing to get dust on our shoes, knees and hands and only then can we begin to grasp the wonder of what it meant for God to come down as man and be your neighbour (Jn 1:14).
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