The World Mission from the Parable of Good Samaritan

Read Luke 10: 25-൩൭
The parable of Good Samaritan is a classical narration told by Jesus in the New Testament. It is found in the gospel of Luke only. We find this parable is a part of dialogue between Jesus and a lawyer. The lawyer asked Jesus what he needed to do to inherit the eternal life. Jesus gave him the first table of the law: “Love God with whole heart. Then He added the second table of the law: Love your neighbor as yourself”. When the lawyer again asked Jesus to tell him who his neighbor is, He gave him the illustration of Good Samaritan.
The mission of God is all about eternal life through Jesus Christ. If so, this parable is an absolute example which portrays three major principals for a complete mission.
1. Reaching mission
2. Receiving mission
3. Restoring mission
In the story of Good Samaritan, A Jew was attacked and robbed. He was left on the roadside with wounds. The priest and the Levite who passed by the wounded man did not do anything for him. But the Samaritan had cared for him. The whole humanity is attacked by sin and lay wounded on the road to hell. As true Christians, Jesus is our way and we are journeying against the hell to heaven. As we walk, we can’t just ignore wounded ones on our way.

The Reaching mission - Luke 10: 30-33
The verb “reach” means to stretch out or put forth. The first mission of the Good Samaritan was to reach the wounded man. But the religious people were reluctant to take care of the wounded man. To the Jews, faith seemed to be the product of reading the scriptures, worshipping in the temple and pious living. Therefore, Jesus caricatures the Priest and the Levite in the parable of Good Samaritan to show the futility of religious practices. Jesus was against the intellectual and religious spirituality. He showed practical spirituality throughout His life. In Jesus’ view, the journey to the temple does not take one to God. But straying from the way to the temple, and reaching the wounded man is the spirituality of Jesus.
In the book of Genesis, God was taking the initiative to reach out Adam and Eve when they sinned. The most important purpose of Jesus coming to the world was to reach the fallen humankind. Therefore the mission of God is to reach the sinners in spite of their caste, color, region, religion. The church is a divine community. It has the responsibility to be part of eternal plan of God to reach the sinners with the love of Christ. It is mainly a spiritual intervention of a believer to share the Gospel and win the souls. But it is also an act of rescuing humanity from the socio, economic, political and religious oppressive structures of the world. Jesus is concerned all the aspects of human life. He is not only interested in the religious life alone. He loves to take care of one’s physical needs as well. Therefore the church must reach people with physical, economical and political needs.

The Receiving mission – Luke 10:34-35
According to the Old Testament, priest and Levite is a mediator between God and man (Exodus 19:5-6). They are appointed by God to represent God to man. But both of them were interested only in the matters of ceremonial purity. They rejected to help the wounded man. They valued their opportunity to serve God’s temple more than they valued their obligation to serve the beaten and bloody man. The religious personalities did not find out the robbers to bring them under justice. Therefore the wounded man lost his human rights and social justice. The religious leaders were not able to help the helpless man with the law also. When ceremonialism meant more than humanity, the Godly character fails in us.
But the Good Samaritan was not satisfied with reaching the wounded man. He went over to him, poured oil and wine on his wounds and bandaged them. He could have gone after giving some first aid medicines. He put one more step that is to accept him with his wounds and helplessness. He put the wounded man on his own animal and took him to an inn. Accepting someone in his painful conditions require a Christ minded character. The wounded man was probably a Jew. The Jews and the Samaritans mutually hated one another. Jews will not use the same cups and bowls that Samaritans use (John 4: 7-9). But the Good Samaritan received him as he is. He was also ready to spend his time and health. He also spent the resources like medicines for wounds, donkey for carrying him to the inn, and money for taking care of him. Jesus too gave up all he had and took the nature of a servant (Phil 2: 6-11). Jesus gave up His life on the cross of Calvary to receive the fallen humanity in to the Kingdom of God. When we give up something for someone, we actually accept him. The receiving mission is very important. But it is not the final step of Good Samaritan’s mission.

The Restoring Mission - Luke 10: 35-37
The Good Samaritan’s mission did not end by reaching and receiving the wounded man. His third step was to restore his life into the normal stage. The Good Samaritan took him to an inn, where he took care of him. The next day he took out two silver coins and gave them to the innkeeper. ‘Take care of him,’ he told the innkeeper, and when I come back this way, I will pay you whatever else you spend on him.” The Good Samaritan could do all these things because he took pity on him. Until we are filled with compassion and love, we cannot reach, receive and restore someone. If anyone says “I love God” yet hates his brother, he is a liar. For anyone who does not love his brother, whom he has seen, cannot love God, whom he has not seen. (1 John 4:20). The beauty of Christ- centered life is in loving others as ourselves. I believe that love is not an emotion but an action. Love cannot stay in the heart, it always wants to transform in to an action to help the fellow-human. In this parable love for Jesus means that meeting the wounded man’s need. When we love God we can see only the affliction and agony of our neighbor.
The Good Samaritan might have felt that he had done his duty when he deposited the wounded man at the inn. But he remained with him, inconvenienced himself by delaying his journey, and cared him throughout the night. It was not all what Good Samaritan could do to the man. The wounded man had been robbed, and had no money with him. Therefore, before continuing journey, he left two silver coins with the innkeeper. Then he promised that when he returns he would reimburse for any extra expenses the wounded man might have it.
The restoring mission has two dimensions. They are spiritual and physical. A man needs to have spiritual restoration of salvation. Men also need to have physical restoration. It is to bring out the marginalized and downtrodden people out of injustice and social discriminations in the world. Restoring mission is the dream and desire of God. The Bible says, Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves, for the rights of all who are destitute. Speak up and judge fairly, defend the rights of the poor and needy. That’s where you really love God (Pro 31:8-9).
Jesus stops this parable with a strong statement that ‘Go and do likewise’. Is this still sound in your heart? Then Go and do likewise.
The Christian mission is complete when the world church is united to apply this threefold (reach, receive and restore) strategies in world mission today.

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