Recently a man was driving down Hwy. 441 from High Springs headed towards Gainesville. While he was driving, he had a flat tire. He had no spare tire and he had no cell phone to call for help. As he waited, a car pulled up. He was hoping that they would help him, but instead they beat him up badly, robbed him, and left him for dead.
Later, a pastor of a prominent local church happened to drive by. He saw the badly beaten man, but because he was in a hurry to attend a church function, he changed lanes and acted as though he had not seen the man.
Shortly after this an active member of another prominent local church was heading to Gainesville to purchase some literature for her Bible Study. She too saw the bleeding man. Because she was a woman and it was getting dark, she too acted as though she had not seen the needy man.
As dusk settled in, a non church-going, non-religious man happened to be headed to Gainesville where he worked as a bar tender. As he approached the bleeding man, he pulled over on the shoulder and got out to help.
Even though it would make him late for his job, he drove the badly beaten man to the Emergency Room. Thankfully the man who had driven him to the hospital, paid for him to receive medical treatment and gave a deposit should the man require an overnight hospital stay.
Early the next morning, the man stopped by the hospital as he was heading home from work. He discovered that the man was admitted into the hospital. Thankfully he would recover, but it would take a few more days in the hospital. Graciously the man paid for his medical expenses.
Fellowship Church, which of the three people acted as a true neighbor to the beaten man in need of help?
May we go and do likewise as followers of Jesus! Plan now to be a true neighbor by participating in The Big Serve on March 27. See Luke 10:25-37 for Jesus’ original telling of this parable.
Seeking to be a true neighbor,
Jeff Powell
