Get off the donkey

I would guess that almost everyone has heard the term "good Samaritan".  And a lot of folks know that it comes from one of the most well known Parables in the Bible, the story of the good Samaritan.  And if not all, then most of those folks would say that the story is about "helping others" or some spin-off of that general idea. 

Actually, helping others is only partially correct.  The story of the good Samaritan is a story within a story.  And the message sent through the stories as a whole picture is to love our neighbors as we love ourselves (something else many are quite familiar with).   And, the bottom line message is to get off the donkey.

Let's start with this thing about neighbors.  Study will show that it's not talking about neighbor-neighbors.  Nor does it distinguish between "good" neighbors and "bad" neighbors, or who is a neighbor and who isn't one, or how many neighbors, or any other quantifying or qualifying information....which bottoms out to mean...the neighbor He is talking about means anyone.  So, simply put, we are to love any other person as we love ourselves.

Thus, there are some radical truths about neighbors and helping others:

1. My neighbor is anyone in need.
2. My neighbor is wounded (in some way, just like we all are)
3. My empathy is not enough  (feeling their pain does nothing for them at all)
4. If I want a real life, I've go to get off my donkey.........

clearly, my life isn't going to be real if I don't do something, and I can't do anything as long as I am still on the donkey.  After all, the real good Samaritan had to get off of his donkey to help the person he was helping.

a special thanks to Tim Sutherland