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The Healing Neighbor
Brian Mashburn
October 5, 2014
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The Capacity To Heal People
As we enter into week 4 in our series on Neighboring: the Official Life Changing Strategy of Jesus, we have been following Jesus as he tells the story in Luke 10 that defines what he means when he says "love your neighbor as yourself." The hero in our story has noticed a wounded person, felt compassion for him, and then initiated contact with him in spite of all the social, religious, and racial barriers between them.
And by what happens next, we find out something else about this arch-type of a true neighbor... he was prepared. Think about it. The first thing he did after he "went to him" was to "bandage his wounds." What? He just happened to have bandages? He even had oil and wine handy to pour on them? Now, maybe he just happened to have the oil and wine for other purposes, and maybe he did the good 'ol pull-off-your-shirt-and-tie-it-around-the-wound trick. But I wonder if maybe this guy just always walked around prepared to meet someone in need... just in case.
Regardless of whether it was intentional or not, the character isn't just willing, but prepared adequately to save this man's life. To be a healing agent. And because of it, Jesus exalts him as a model kingdom citizen who is obeying the greatest command that exists in the universe.
Are you prepared? Do you leave your house knowing that it is just a matter of time before you will come across a wounded person? The next time you do, will you "bandage the wounds" or "pass by on the other side"?
I confess I have passed by, even fled from, many wounded people, using the rationalization (to protect me from feeling like I'm not a good Christian), "I'm not equipped to handle that."
This week, we are all forced to ask, "Why not?"