I Know You Saw Me

Have you ever missed church for a while because life was destroying you? Have you sat in the pew for months numb to worship because inside the enemy had you by the throat? I’m talking about sitting in the parking lot after a morning of listening to gospel music trying to psyche yourself out to put on your best how are you doing brother smile? Your best it’s so good to see you my sister? Just to leave worship just as broken as you came.

Life had been tough my emotions we sore

What about the times people witnessed your brokenness, and you are broken right in front of the people who you assumed would help. The folks that were supposed to help, the folks you’ve seen help others. How do we respond to that?

No one to lean on, no one reached out

In , Jesus is fielding a number of questions, mainly from men who are looking for a loophole into heaven. Prior to that Jesus commissioned the 70, as they returned they understood the power that Jesus even had over the demons and then we shift gears to a question on how one inherits eternal life. Jesus responds to his question with a question, and then he begins to justify himself, typically this is what we do when we really do not want to help someone. We know what we should do, but doing it is another question. Today, I do not want to focus on the peculiarity of the Good Samaritan more-so than I want to focus on the spirit of the Good Samaritan as it pertains to Christ and the blessing of that spirit when we are half dead in life.

I felt half dead, intense pain but no shout

Verse 29 - The lawyer attempted to justify himself, he asked a question he knew the answer to because he was an expert in law. It’s interesting that sometimes, those with the most knowledge have the toughest time applying it.

I pulled into the parking lot, seeing the doors was a strain

All justification does is help us feel better about what we really do not want to do.

But this is the place they said to come when you are feeling in pain

You really do not have to ask who your neighbor is, because you already know. “Don’t play stupid” like my mother used to say, because this is not something you have not learned from the law, and/or in following Jesus.

I walked in and was greeted, How are you today I said good

He was cool with discipleship, he was cool with evangelism, but wait a minute Jesus, before I agree, who is my neighbor.

deep inside was shattered, feeling so misunderstood

Here’s the key if I’m serving God with all my heart, loving my neighbor will not be an issue.

Songs were sang, the tears started to flow

We cannot be conditional on who we choose to help. What if Jesus was conditional about who he offered Salvation to?

I stayed, smiled, like everything

I haven’t seen these people in months and no one has reached out

So Jesus begins this parable, “A certain man went down from Jerusalem to Jericho, fell among thieves, who stripped him of his clothing, wounded him and departed, leaving him half dead.

Let’s take a minute to understand this journey before we go any further.

The journey from Jerusalem to Jericho is trekking across a dry climate. Not just any journey but the journey is a dry one. We might be on a journey like that right now. Blessings are non-existent and life is just dry.

Historically it is recorded that this is about a 18 mile journey, but it’s downhill. There is nothing worse than life taking something from you while life is moving downhill. Seems like everything is spiraling and then I run into thieves who take everything from me and beat me half dead. Life will do this when things are pointing downhill.

Some folks are only on a journey because there are people on that journey that can take advantage of and take from.

This road is also quite narrow. At points, this road is so narrow, a passerby would have to literally step over the body. Given the geography the callousness of the priest and Levite who ignored the victim stand out even more, given the geography.

Just like it's people trying to get to their Jericho, we have some folks that are trying to get back to Jerusalem. See you have to go down to get to Jericho but you have to come up to get to Jerusalem.

The tough part about life traveling downhill, you run into people who are falling downhill as well, and as they are trending downward they do not want to help anyone, they want to take from people. Praise God for the people traveling up.

"But a Samaritan who was on a journey, came upon him; and when he saw him, he felt compassion."

Jesus went up to Jerusalem in , he was leaving Jericho after fellowshipping with Zacchaeus, you might be half dead but there is a blessing traveling up and will see you and have compassion.

The overarching idea with this story is that you can't inherit eternal life without helping one another.

Thank God for the Savior when I’m half dead and people are passing me by. Praise God for the Good Samaritan. We have to understand that it’s the need of the neighbor not the nationality that is important. People in need should not have to go through a security clearance vetting process for folks to have a little compassion on them.

I feel half dead, no more energy to shout

Life, and some people in life will interrupt your journey and rob you of everything you every emotion and piece of energy. Just because someone is on the same journey as you does not mean they posses the same spirit.

Understand that there will be people that will see you in this half dead state and pass you by. Even the people you expect to help you will pass you by.

“Now by chance a certain priest came down that road. And when he saw him, he passed by on the other side.”

Then you will have people who will come to where you are, look at you and then walk away because they want to witness what happened but have no intentions of helping you. Many people would rather see you to talk about you on the other side, than to see you and help you get to the other side.

“A certain priest came down the road”

A lot of times our first response is the church. Let me see if I can get the help I need from the church. Sometimes, we walk right over people instead of helping them like God asked.

"Saw" not only did he see, but he saw in such a way that he was able to realize what was going on.

There's always going to be factors...I believe that people can always justify not helping someone.

"Likewise a Levite, and when he arrived at the place, came and looked, and passed by on the other side."

Do not allow ceremonial purity get in the way of truly exuding the duties of a Christian.

We get so caught up in the rites and rituals we often times think that is enough. Our duty is to help one another.

It's people in here right now that are half dead on their journey from Jerusalem to Jericho.

How can we praise God in the sanctuary and then act like we do not know each other in the parking lot? You can’t pray for me in here and talk about me at Sunday dinner. That is not what Christ intended, he intended for us to help each other!

“But the Samaritan who was on a journey came upon him and when he saw him he felt compassion”.

Thank God for sending people our way that have come from where we are going. They understand, they have been there. I have compassion when I have been through some things. I have compassion when I’ve been left for dead myself. I have compassion when I understand if someone did not help me I would not be here.

“So he went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine and set him on his own animal.”

Wine and Oil - disinfects and provides an ointment. Jesus will clean us up and doctor our wounds. The wound does not determine the anointment, Jesus has a oil for every wound.

I’m so glad my wounds do not determine my anointment.

Understand, you might be half dead on the way to Jericho, but there is a blessing in Jericho.

It's people in here right now that are half dead on their journey from Jerusalem to Jericho.

There is a blessing in Jericho. People are risking their life trying to get to their proverbial Jericho.

Jesus is healing the blind in Jericho

Jesus is restoring people like Zacchaeus in Jericho. People who have given their all to the less fortunate sometimes run into the thieves of life. People who just want to take from you. These people are a part of your journey.

He put the half dead man on his animal, sometimes life will put you in a place where it is too hard to walk. Sometimes we need grace and mercy to carry us. If the man is on the animal that means the good Samaritan had to walk. We have to be willing to get off our high horse to help people find refuge. Little do we know, our journey got easier because Jesus is letting us ride while he walks.

Bringing people to shelter is only one part of the equation. He did not neglect his duty once shelter was found.

Helping people get back to health emotionally or spiritually takes time. Historically the rate of the room was 1/12 of a denariis. Historically the Samaritan paid about two months worth of rent.

Jesus not only stabilizes you, He gives you time to get back on your feet. Then he says what ever you spend over what I've given I will repay. When we help people sometimes we just need to wait on Jesus to return the favor.

Let us not pass over on the other side, when people need help.

I know you see me, you know I’m hurting.

I know you see me, my family is in shambles.

I know you see me, if you can’t help me how about we find someone who can.

I know you see me, in my sickness

I know you see me in my addiction

I know you see me in my stress

Please do not pass by on the other side!

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