40 Days of Life | Day 29 | The Good Samaritan

“The guilty one is not he who commits the sin, but the one who causes the darkness.” Victor Hugo, Les Miserables

This message from Les Miserables reminds me of the Good Samaritan in Luke 10. A lawyer challenges Jesus’ teaching on loving your neighbor. He asks Jesus, “who is my neighbor?” Jesus responds with the parable of the Good Samaritan:

A man is robbed and left for dead. Three men pass by the man, a Priest, a Levite and a Samaritan. The first two walked on the other side of the road, avoiding the man in need. The Samaritan offers immediate help and additional aid. Jesus asks the lawyer, “‘Which of these three, do you think, proved to be a neighbor to the man who fell among the robbers?’ He said, ‘The one who showed him mercy.’ And Jesus said to him, ‘You go, and do likewise.’”

Jesus does not mention the robber again. Instead, the focus is on different responses to injustice. This theme is present throughout the Bible. There is a level of accountability assumed with awareness of needs and evil deeds. Silence condones. And allowing darkness may cause others to stumble.

It’s easy to say: “I would never do _________, but I wouldn’t tell someone else not to do it.” Yet, we sometimes turn a blind eye to another’s actions, knowing they will experience the consequences we ourselves have the wisdom to avoid.

To love your neighbor as yourself is to get involved in the messy aspects of life. It means calling out the black and white where others may only see gray. Showing mercy and compassion rather than avoidance.

When have you been apathetic to the needs of others? Where have you ignored evil, hoping that someone else would address it? Who is the neighbor that you’ve overlooked? How might you show mercy to someone who desires light but is pulled by darkness? These are the questions I wrestle with, and I hope you will too.

40 Days of Life | Day 28 | Life and the Church

40 Days of Life | Day 27 | The Patient

40 Days of Life | Day 25 | Redemption

40 Days of Life | Day 22 | Reproductive Rights

40 Days of Life | Day 20 | Fasting From Selfish Desires

40 Days of Life | Day 18 | Integrity

40 Days of Life | Day 16 | Sight for the Blind

40 Days of Life | Day 15 | Listen

40 Days of Life | Day 13 | Testimony

40 Days of Life | Day 12 | Value of Life

40 Days of Life | Day 10 | Real Belief

40 Days of Life | Day 9 | Love or Truth