Daily Devotional

There were three men that passed the dying man that day ... the priest, the Levite and the Samaritan. The priest represented the hypocritical men that stood in the public places to boast and brag about their works. They would fast to be seen by men, pray in public to appear holy, but within their hearts ... hypocrites.

The Levites were the priests assistants. They, who knew what manual labour was, would help the priests in bringing the wood and other necessities for the sacrifices. They knew how to work. But when it came to helping one man drenched in blood, they turned aside and walked away.

The Samaritan came along, a man who was hated by the Jews and by the very same man lying half-dead on the floor. But, despite this, the Samaritan reached out and saved the man.

Lets get back to our day. At the moment, we see unemployment on the rise. Beggars line our streets because they, too, fell among a thief. This thief stripped them of their future, and made them believe that they would amount to nothing. This same robber took all these people had and made them turn to a life that pleased the thief. Then the thief left, leaving them terribly wounded and half-dead, in every sense of the word.

The priests drive by these beggars, but they turn the other cheek. The Levites followed shortly, but they accelerated, hoping that the dirty beggars would not come near them. But a Samaritan came along and did not look upon the mans condition. He did not look at the scruffy beard or the dirty old rags. But, with a loving heart, reaches out and helps the poor beggar.

My friend — who are you today? Are you the priest, the Levite or the Samaritan?