It seems lately I keep going back to the story of the Good Samaritan in Luke chapter 10. In fact, yesterday alone I spent hours pouring over those verses wondering what God wants me to see in that chapter.
Like everyone else, I’m familiar with the story, but this time it was different for me. This time, I saw Jesus in the person of The Good Samaritan.
It starts off with an expert of the law asking Jesus a question. The Bible tells us that he was hoping to justify himself when he asked “Who is my neighbor?”
As Jesus begins to explain, we see the character of Christ unfolding in the details of the story. The only one by Whom we are justified:
He approaches the man – Luke 19:10, “The Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost.”
He was a Samaritan – Isaiah 53:3, “He was despised and rejected by men.”
He bandaged his wounds – Psalm 143:3 “He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds.”
He poured oil on him – Psalm 23, “You anointed my head with oil.” (to set apart as holy)
He poured wine on him – Ephesians 5:18, “And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit.” (to fill with the Spirit)
He paid the man’s debt – 1 Corinthians 6:20, “For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s.”
He said he would return, and when he did, he would repay them yet again – “For the Son of man shall come in the glory of his Father with his angels; and then he shall reward every man according to his works.”
And so, the point of His story wasn’t justification by works (notice the man’s question started out that way), it’s a reminder of the One Who saves us by grace. A reminder that each one of us have been broken and bruised. We’ve been left for dead so to speak by a thief who comes to kill and to steal and destroy, but by God’s grace our Savior came that we might have life to the fullest.
“Go and do likewise,” He said.
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Tilling the Soil
Read Luke 10:25-37 where we find the story of The Good Samaritan.
Planting Hope
The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full. (John 10:10, KJV)
Darlene Schacht and her husband Michael live in Manitoba Canada where the summers are beautiful and the winters are cold. Together they’ve come to learn that relationships aren’t always easy, but that marriage, the way God intended it to be, is a treasure worth fighting for.
She began her publishing journey about twelve years ago when she pioneered one of the first online magazines for Christian women, known at the time as “Christian Women Online Magazine.” After three years, Darlene left CWO to blog as a solo author at Time-Warp Wife Ministries.
It was also during this transition that she worked alongside actress Candace Cameron Bure to write the NYT Best-Selling book, Reshaping it All: Motivation for Spiritual and Physical Fitness. Reshaping it All was the winner of both the 2011 USA Best Book Awards and the 2012 Christian Reading Retailers Choice Awards.
Author of more than 15 books, Darlene continues to write and to minister to her readers through her blog at TimeWarpWife.com.
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You are loved by an almighty God,
Darlene Schacht
The Time-Warp Wife