The Good Samaritan
The Good Samaritan
The story of The Good Samaritan was written over 2000 years ago. The story is about race, unfortunately, this story still needs to be told today. The question was asked “how can I be righteous?†The answer given? “Love your neighbors.†Then another question was asked; “who is my neighbor?†The answer, “a Samaritan.â€
Let’s have a definition of terms:
Neighbor: Same race as you and a majority of the people. Someone who looks like you, same culture and traditions.
Samaritan: Different race as you. A minority and a stranger in a strange land, a foreigner and one who is a minority. Someone who does not look like you and someone with different cultures and different traditions.
I suppose this group of people could have a bigger proportion of a criminal element especially because they have a harder time assimilating and being accepted by the majority of people. The Samaritans of that day were called “dogs†by the majority of the people and were even enslaved and tortured.
The Samaritan became the neighbor!
Now fast forward 2000 years and to a land called “America, the home of the free and brave.†And let’s ask ourselves if we can say “Black lives matter.†We know all lives matter, we know kids matter, we can say “the poor and under privilege matter,†we can say “the elder matter.â€
Can we not say “black lives matter?†Can we take ourselves back just a few years that are still in my life time? And I am only 55. Are there any group of people other than black people that were told they had to sit in the back of the bus? Ask Rosa Parks, she remembers.
Are there any other colors or people that were told “no coloreds allowed?†That word so offensive. Can you imagine a time where black men were not allowed to play in a collage or professional football or basketball game? Ask Jackie Robertson, he remembers.
Can you imagine a delivery man unable to knock on a white person’s front door and must knock on the back door and when refusing so was arrested? Ask Sidney Poitier, he remembers. Can you imagine being a little girl and not allowed to go inside an ice cream parlor and get a soda? Ask Condoleezza Rice she can.
Can you imagine a little girl having to sleep outside on the porch because her skin was too dark? Ask Oprah, she can.
I am not saying this is the currant situation. And even though some of the people that allowed these atrocities are still alive, I am not saying they are still accruing in mass, but they still happen. I am not saying it is anyone’s fault today, which had no part of that in the past.
I am saying that the message from the majority to the minority should be “your life matters.†“You matter.†The message from the majority to the minority should be “you have been redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you.â€
The apostle Peter said that. “You have been redeemed from the empty way of life handed down from your fore fathers.†Redeemed means; bought back or rescued. The majority should tell the minority “you are my neighbor.â€
Love thy neighbor as thy self would begin to cure all our ills. Love never fails! Treat strangers as angels.â€