Kindness

Being truly kind is usually not convenient.  We are often tested with an opportunity to be kind at the busiest or most inopportune times in our lives.  If you heard about a classmate who was filing for bankruptcy, what would you do?  Would you go out of your way to do all that you could?  Would you do anything at all or would you gossip about it?  What about a church member?  If you heard that a church member was desperately in need of help with their children, would you offer your time or your resources?  What if you were driving through a dodgy part of town and saw someone being beat up and left for dead in the gutter?  Would you stop?  Would you get out of your car, put yourself in danger and help that person?  WHAT WOULD YOU DO?!

A certain lawyer asked Jesus “Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?”, in response, Jesus asked “What is written in the law and what is your reading of it?”, the lawyer replied “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength and with all your mind and your neighbor as yourself.”  Jesus said “You answered rightly”, but the lawyer said “Who is my neighbor?”   It is here that Jesus begins to tell the parable of the Good Samaritan (please refer to Luke 10:30 – 36).

There are three things that stand out to us in this parable.  1) The kindness of the Samaritan, 2) the kindness of the innkeeper and 3) the charge that was left to us by Christ.

1)      The Samaritan.  The half-dead man was seen by three different men.  It is important to note that the man was a Jew and appeared to be dead, which according to the law deemed him unclean to touch.  A priest sees the man and assumes, without looking, that he is dead.  He crosses the road to pass the man by.  A Levite sees the man, looks him over and without close investigation, assumes he is dead and passes him by.  However, when a Samaritan sees the man, in spite of the danger, the difference of their ethnicities and his own limited resources, he stops.  The Samaritan stops, looks and investigates, he does what the victim’s own people would not do.  He had rationed out oil and wine for his journey and yet he used his provisions and camel to tend to the half-dead man’s wounds and transport him to safety. 

 

2)      The Innkeeper.  The Innkeeper shows another form of kindness.  The Samaritan leaves the half-dead man after one day and leaves two Denarii (roughly 28 days’ worth of money, think of it as 28 days of hotel fees or around $2800).  The Samaritan trusted the Innkeeper to care for the man until he returned and expected him to pay for any additional expenses.  This Innkeeper used all his resources, time and effort to heal this man.

 

3)      Our Charge.  Likewise, we are called to be Innkeepers.  Like the Innkeeper, Jesus has given us Denarii in the form of time, homes, money, talents, spiritual gifts, etc. to be used in service to others.  As the Samaritan brought the half-dead man to the Innkeeper, Jesus will present individuals in need at our doorstep.  Can we be trusted?  Will we use all of our resources to help?  Or will we be too inconvenienced or too preoccupied to stop, look and investigate.

 

When we live our lives filled with kindness, these acts draw the attention of others to the abnormality of the situation.  Kindness is not a normal human attribute, we are conditioned to pay only what we owe and give only what is required.  God does not operate that way, He gives us far more than we deserve.  His loving kindness bestowed upon us through endless grace is the source of our ability to be kind.  Kindness reveals the full countenance of God within us and imparts His favor.

To being wise,

Meredith, Jennifer and Marisa