In the tenth chapter of the Gospel of Luke there is recorded a parable by Christ Jesus that has undoubtedly been the inspiration of many deeds of kindness of which the world has never heard, but which, nevertheless, have had an influence upon the lives of many. It will be remembered that when a certain lawyer sought the Master and asked what he should do to inherit eternal life, Jesus, after questioning him on the law and in reply to his further query, "Who is my neighbour?" related the parable of the good Samaritan, which all Christians have come to regard as an enduring example of unselfed love.
It is well worth while for all who are journeying along the path marked out by our Way-shower to ponder the lessons to be drawn from a prayerful study of this beautiful story. Regardless of where one may be, or of what one may be doing, one may see a parallel enactment of this scene. It has its counterpart in the constant activity of human thought, in the incidents of each day. One does not need to single out an individual as the priest or the Levite, who, seeing the plight of the unfortunate wayfarer, "passed by on the other side." How often comes before us the spectacle of someone who has suffered the loss of health, position, or loved ones, and because of great concern for our own problems and eagerness to get to our own destination, that is, to make our own demonstrations, we give only a passing thought of pity to our brother wayfarer!
Yet we are all journeying along the same highway from the material sense of life to the spiritual reality of being. Many times the thieving and murderous beliefs of the carnal mind assail and strip us of the garments of right thinking about God and His idea, man, leaving us naked, wounded, and lonely by the wayside. Then, how compassionate we should feel toward our brother, who may have become involved in difficulty through a similar weakness or by yielding to temptation!
