a not-so-good samaritan

on thursday, there was a man standing in front of the atomic employee credit union, in waverly. the man seemed "normal" (whatever that means- he had on jeans, a plaid shirt and a hat), he had a book-bag and he held a large piece of cardboard that said, "CHILLICOTHE." obviously, the man was in distress, or at least needed a ride. my first instinct was to pick him up and give him a lift to chillicothe, but i resisted and kept driving. what if he was an axe-murderer or something?okay-seriously, what are the chances of that. he was probably just a guy that needed a ride, right. for some reason, i felt guilty for the rest of the day. i'm not sure why. regardless, i should have picked him up and enjoyed some company during my drive.

sadly, by sunday, i had forgotten about the stranded man-until i was reminded at church.

steve's message was about wealth (the condition in which we have more than enough of what we need in order to live life to the full) and discussed luke 12:13-21. he also briefly referenced "the parable of the good samaritan" in luke. i read the parable later that night. it says:

25 And behold, a lawyer stood up to put him to the test, saying, “Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?” 26 He said to him, “What is written in the Law? How do you read it?” 27 And he answered, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself.” 28 And he said to him, “You have answered correctly; do this, and you will live.”
29 But he, desiring to justify himself, said to Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?” 30 Jesus replied, “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and he fell among robbers, who stripped him and beat him and departed, leaving him half dead. 31 Now by chance a priest was going down that road, and when he saw him he passed by on the other side. 32 So likewise a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. 33 But a Samaritan, as he journeyed, came to where he was, and when he saw him, he had compassion. 34 He went to him and bound up his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he set him on his own animal and brought him to an inn and took care of him. 35 And the next day he took out two denarii [1] and gave them to the innkeeper, saying, ‘Take care of him, and whatever more you spend, I will repay you when I come back.’ 36 Which of these three, do you think, proved to be a neighbor to the man who fell among the robbers?” 37 He said, “The one who showed him mercy.” And Jesus said to him, “You go, and do likewise.”

steve suggested that following the parables will make your life more difficult. i agree. not only do i think it makes your life more difficult, but more rewarding. next time, i will be the good samaritan (someone who helps a person in distress) and "go the extra mile" (maybe literally). "a parable doesn't bully us into obedience; it invites us to respond." this was in our notes at church. a question was or is (in reference to luke 12:13-21: "will the wealth that you have lead you to extravagant power or to lavish generosity.
i enjoy meeting new people, regardless of the situation. i gave up the opportunity and ignored him instead. maybe he had an interesting story to tell me or a life lesson to teach me.

i guess i will never know.