And Jesus answering said, A certain man went down
from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell among thieves,
which stripped him of his raiment, and wounded him,
and departed, leaving him half dead.
And by chance there came down a certain priest that
way: and when he saw him, he passed by on the other
side.
And likewise a Levite, when he was at the place, came
and looked on him, and passed by on the other side.
But a certain Samaritan, as he journeyed, came where
he was: and when he saw him, he had compassion on
him,
And went to him, and bound up his wounds, pouring in
oil and wine, and set him on his own beast, and brought
him to an inn, and took care of him.
And on the morrow when he departed, he took out two
pence, and gave them to the host, and said unto him,
Take care of him; and whatsoever thou spendest more,
when I come again, I will repay thee.
Which now of these three, thinkest thou, was neighbour
unto him that fell among the thieves? And he said, He
that shewed mercy on him. Then said Jesus unto him, Go,
and do thou likewise.
Luke 10:30-37
1. Like the man who journeyed from Jerusalem to
Jericho, you are on the journey of life from birth to
death.
With most journeys you know the beginning and the end.
With the journey of life we do not know when or how it will end.
And this know, that if the goodman of the house had known
what hour the thief would come, he would have watched,
and not have suffered his house to be broken through. Be
ye therefore ready also: for the Son of man cometh at an
hour when ye think not.
Luke 12:39-40
For man also knoweth not his time: as the fishes that are
taken in an evil net, and as the birds that are caught in the
snare; so are the sons of men snared in an evil time, when
it falleth suddenly upon them.
Ecclesiastes 9:12
2. Like the man who journeyed from Jerusalem to
Jericho, you are on the journey of life and will
experience various problems on that journey.
Man that is born of a woman is of few days, and full of
trouble. He cometh forth like a flower, and is cut down: he
fleeth also as a shadow, and continueth not.
Job 14:1-2
And Jacob said unto Pharaoh, The days of the years of MY
PILGRIMAGE are an hundred and thirty years: few and
evil have the days of the years of my life been, and have
The Good Samaritan
not attained unto the days of the years of the life of my
fathers in the days of their PILGRIMAGE.
Genesis 47:9
3. Like the man who journeyed from Jerusalem to
Jericho, you are on the journey of life and will need
the help of God in this life.
I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in
me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for
WITHOUT ME YE CAN DO NOTHING.
John 15:5
I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills, from whence cometh
my help. My help cometh from the Lord, which made
heaven and earth.
Psalms 121:1-2
4. Like the man who journeyed from Jerusalem to
Jericho, you are on the journey of life that has many
troubles. God knows your troubles and has sent help
in the form of Jesus Christ.
For while we were still helpless, at the right time Christ
died for the ungodly. For one will hardly die for a righteous
man; though perhaps for the good man someone would
dare even to die. But God demonstrates His own love
toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died
for us.
Romans 5:6-8 (NASB)
5. Like the man who journeyed from Jerusalem to
Jericho, you are on the journey of life on which you
help from need others. The help you need may not
come in the way you expect it.
Sometimes people expect help in a particular way. Naaman,
the Syrian, expected Elijah to help him in a particular way but he
did not. The help you need may not come in the form of money,
medicine, a visa, clothes or even a car, it may come in another
way.
And his servants came near, and spake unto him, and
said, My father, IF THE PROPHET HAD BID THEE DO
SOME GREAT THING, wouldest thou not have done it?
how much rather then, when he saith to thee, Wash, and
be clean?
2 Kings 5:13
6. Like the man who journeyed from Jerusalem to
Jericho, you are on the journey of life. God has sent
someone to pour in the oil. The oil speaks of the Holy
Spirit who has been sent to lead you to Jesus Christ.
God sends the Holy Spirit to convict you.
Nevertheless I tell you the truth; it is expedient for you
that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter will not
come unto you; but if I depart, I will send him unto you.
And when he is come, he will reprove the world of sin, and
of righteousness, and of judgment: Of sin, because they
believe not on me; of righteousness, because I go to my
Father, and ye see me no more; Of judgment, because the
prince of this world is judged.
John 16:7-11
7. Like the man who journeyed from Jerusalem to
Jericho, you are on the journey of life. God has sent
someone to pour in the wine. The red wine speaks of
the Blood of Jesus Christ that is poured out to cleanse
you from your sins. Receive Jesus Christ today and you
will be saved!
But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have
fellowship one with another, and THE BLOOD OF JESUS
CHRIST his Son cleanseth us from all sin.
1 John 1:7
8. Like the man who journeyed from Jerusalem to
Jericho, you are on the journey of life and only
someone who loves you will dare to stop and help you
on such a dangerous road. God sent Jesus Christ into
this dangerous world because of His great love for you.
Do you think it was soldiers who made Jesus Christ go up on
the cross for you? Do you think it was money that motivated
Jesus Christ to pour out His love for you? Only the love of
God made the Good Samaritan stop his journey and attend to a
suffering, wounded and dying man.
The Adopted Korean Baby
I remember a story that was reported in the Korean press.
There was an American family that lived happily in the United
States of America. One of the children in this family, a young
man, had Asian features and it was obvious that he was not an
original member of the family.
One day, this young man, who was now in university asked
his father, “Daddy, how come I have Asian features but you all
don’t? How come I am so different? Where did you get me
from?”
His father answered, “I have been waiting for you to ask this
question. Do you really want to know?”
“Yes I do,” he answered and his father proceeded to tell him.
Many years ago, I was a missionary in Korea when war broke
out between the north and the south. Your mother and I were
fleeing from the communist north to the south. It was a very cold
wintry day. When we passed over a bridge your mother asked
me to stop the car because she heard a baby crying. I refused to
stop because it was too dangerous and there were soldiers behind
us and there was a lot of shooting. But she insisted and I ended
up stopping. We ran from the car and went under a huge bridge.
There, we saw something amazing. A Korean lady had just
given birth to a baby under the bridge. The lady had taken off
all her clothes and wrapped her new baby in her underwear and
other clothes. Then, she had curled herself around the baby to
protect it from the icy cold winter.
The baby was alive and crying but the mother was frozen to
death. That baby was you and your mother gave her life to save
you.
When the young Korean-American man heard this story he
was moved with great emotion and began trembling. He said
to his father, “Please take me to the bridge where you found me.
Please take me to the spot where you discovered me.”
The parents agreed and arranged to take him to the spot where
he was found. When they got to the spot under the bridge, the
young Korean man did something amazing. He took off all his
clothes and lay stark naked on the ground and began crying and
wailing.
He cried, “O Mama, it was cold on that night when you took
off all your clothes and gave them to me. O Mama, it was so cold
when you gave your life for me.
O Mama, I love you and I thank you for dying for me. I will
never forget what you did for me.”
He lay there naked and crying and had to be consoled and
dragged away from that spot under the bridge in Korea.
This story teaches us about the love that makes a person give
his life for another. When the Good Samaritan approached this
dying traveller, he risked his life so that the traveller would have
a chance to live.
Do you think it was policemen or soldiers that made that
woman take off her clothes and freeze to death for her child?
Do you think she did it for financial gain?
Do you think it was soldiers who frightened her to do what
she did? Certainly not! She gave her life because of her great
love for her baby.