Mercy to the Wounded

Everybody is broken in some way, in some place. Some people’s wounds have been healed. Some wounds have been the point of contact through which they met Jesus. Some are ongoing reasons for dependency on Him. Some people’s wounds will be your opportunity to lead them to Jesus. Some will be your opportunity to serve Him while serving them.

Don’t let wounds become places infected with offence or fear or unbelief or unforgiveness or doubt. Don’t let others’ wounds be reason to distance yourself from being a willing servant to your Lord.

But wanting to justify himself, he asked Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?”

Jesus took up the question and said: “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho and fell into the hands of robbers. They stripped him, beat him up, and fled, leaving him half dead. A priest happened to be going down that road. When he saw him, he passed by on the other side. In the same way, a Levite, when he arrived at the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. But a Samaritan on his journey came up to him, and when he saw the man, he had compassion. He went over to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he put him on his own animal, brought him to an inn, and took care of him. The next day he took out two denarii, gave them to the innkeeper, and said, ‘Take care of him. When I come back I’ll reimburse you for whatever extra you spend.’

“Which of these three do you think proved to be a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of the robbers?”

“The one who showed mercy to him,” he said.

Then Jesus told him, “Go and do the same.”
(Luke 10:29-37 HCSB ©®)