The Parable of the Good Samaritan
On one occasion an expert in the law stood up to test Jesus. “Teacher,” he asked, “what must I do to inherit eternal life?”
“What is written in the Law?” he replied. “How do you read it?”
He answered, “‘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, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’
“You have answered correctly,” Jesus replied. “Do this and you will live.”
But he wanted to justify himself, so he asked Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?”
In reply Jesus said: “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, when he was attacked by robbers. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him and went away, leaving him half dead. A priest happened to be going down the same road, and when he saw the man, he passed by on the other side. So too, a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. But a Samaritan, as he traveled, came where the man was; and when he saw him, he took pity on him. He went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he put the man on his own donkey, brought him to an inn and took care of him. The next day he took out two denarii and gave them to the innkeeper. ‘Look after him,’ he said, ‘and when I return, I will reimburse you for any extra expense you may have.’
“Which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?”
The expert in the law replied, “The one who had mercy on him.”
Jesus told him, “Go and do likewise.”
Each person that came across the victim in this parable had a different response. Those responses are the same choices we have when we encounter an injustice. Let's take a look:
- The Expert of the Law viewed the victim as a topic to discuss. We too can have this same response when we hear of an injustice. When we take this approach we are indifferent. The world of human trafficking may seem so far away that it seems like it's not our problem. But the truth is it is happening right here in our own backyard. It has been identified in all 50 US states. When we are made aware of in an injustice, but choose not to take any action we are choosing the side of the oppressor. I saw a quote on pinterest that said "Let's stop reading statistics and start changing them." We can only talk about something for so long before we have to decide to do something about it.
- The robbers saw the victim as an object to exploit. This could not be more true in the world of human trafficking. Traffickers don't see a girl as a person made in the image of God and being of infinite value. She becomes an object with no worth other than bringing them money. They see her as a means to make a profit. Greed and power takes over any sense of morality.
- The priest and the Levite both saw the victim as a problem to avoid. Sometimes we look away and choose to ignore. We bury our head in the sand and hope the problem will go away on it's own. We don't want to be inconvenienced. It takes time and effort to get involved. Some problems can be emotionally taxing as well. Our response often becomes: "I don't have time for that." or " Someone else will take care of it." If this tends to be your response perhaps pray for God to soften your heart in this area. If human trafficking doesn't pierce your heart ask God to open your eyes to another injustice.
- The Samaritan was the only one who saw the victim as a person to rescue. This too should be our response. Our hearts should break for the things that break God's heart. Don't allow yourself to become crippled by the thought that this problem is too big for you to make a difference. Do what you can. Educate yourself. Tell others that slavery still exists. Research the organizations in your area that are fighting against human trafficking. Sign up to receive their emails. Volunteer or donate to one of them. Start a human trafficking page on pinterest. And don't forget to pray.
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