Matthew Hellman - Testimony from The Christian Science Journal, June 2007
The book of Luke says that a certain lawyer tested Jesus, asking, “Master, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?” When Jesus threw the question back to him and asked the man what he thought the answer might be, the lawyer responded by saying that Jewish law stated, “Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy strength, and with all thy mind; and thy neighbour as thyself.” The lawyer then asked Jesus, “And who is my neighbour?” In reply, Jesus told the man a parable—the parable of the good Samaritan (see Luke 10:25–37). Today, even thousands of years later, this story has given me such inspiration.
Jesus started the parable by introducing us to a man who was traveling from Jerusalem to Jericho. On his way down, thieves attacked him and left him on the road half dead, stripped of all his clothes. As he lay there, a priest and a Levite passed by on the opposite side of the road, not helping the stranger. But then a Samaritan man came. When he saw the injured man, he went over to him and helped him; he cleaned the man’s wound, set him on his donkey, and took him to an inn. As the Samaritan left the next day, he told the innkeeper, “Take care of him; and whatsoever thou spendest more, when I come again, I will repay thee” (Luke 10:35).
This parable has always struck home with me, but I didn’t fully appreciate the significance of it until a road trip last year. In August, my mother, brother, and I moved my sister from Alaska to Vermont where my sister was going to begin her master’s degree program at a university. After a week of packing up and sightseeing in Alaska, we headed south in my sister’s Honda CRV, with a trailer attached. This trip was to be one of the most remarkable experiences I have had. We did tons of sightseeing, and naturally, heading down one of the most deserted roads, the Alaskan-Canadian highway, we saw a plethora of wildlife. The views were gorgeous, and our whole family traveled harmoniously throughout the trip.
After a couple of weeks of traveling, we entered the state of Montana through the stunning Rocky Mountains. However, once you drive away from the mountainous area, you find the other side of Montana—the rolling hills of farms and ranches. As we were traveling through this rural area, one of the tires on our trailer blew. We pulled off to the side of the highway and emptied our trunk to find the tools to fix our tire.
Next we had to figure out how to change a tire (never having done this before) and with no road service in the region to assist us. It was very hot, treeless, and barren, and the few cars that passed by wouldn’t stop to help us. Finally, a car on the opposite side of the highway crossed over the median and pulled off right behind our car. The man jumped out of his car and immediately pulled out his tools. Without hesitation, he changed the tire, directed us to the nearest town, and said that he had not intended to leave his ranch but had received a phone call that led him to take this route to take care of his business.
One thing that makes the parable of the Good Samaritan so remarkable is that a Samaritan man helped a Jewish man. It is said that the Samaritans and the Jews hated each other. But in Jesus’ parable, the Samaritan helped the Jewish man regardless of his ethnic or religious background, because he needed help. Although the man who pulled off the road to help us didn’t hate us, he saw our need and was willing to stop when others wouldn’t. Not too long ago, it was more common for people to pull over and help their neighbor in distress. But I think that the media today have instilled fear in so many people that they’re fearful of everything. Or they’re too much in a hurry. The fact that the man even pulled over, just like the Samaritan, showed his receptivity to divine Love’s guidance.
Mary Baker Eddy wrote in Science and Health,
The rich in spirit help the poor in one grand brother-hood, all having the same Principle, or Father; and blessed is that man who seeth his brother’s need and supplieth it, seeking his own in another’s good (p. 518)
The fact that God supplied our needs and gave us our own good Samaritan, was something we were overwhelmingly grateful for.
Later that day, when our family arrived at a town where we could have the tires checked, we were told that the other, older trailer tire was still good and didn’t need to be changed. So we drove on.
That night while we were driving to make up for lost time, our faith and trust in God was again challenged. This time, we were driving in the middle of absolutely nowhere, surrounded by barren farmland. Suddenly, the other trailer tire went flat. I immediately affirmed God’s omnipotent and omnipresent care, and we proceeded to make the change in complete darkness, on a two-lane isolated road that wasn’t completely flat. As we were taking the tire off, a car pulled up behind us and offered us light. The driver had no idea how to fix a tire, but he left his lights on for us, and we were able to fix the tire ourselves. This was another example of charity and humility. Just as we finished up, a woman drove up and asked if she could help in some way. We thanked her, but told her we had completed the job.
What this showed me was that we are each linked to our Maker, and we naturally express our love for others through our reflection of Him. The willingness of the people to help us was what really struck home to me. Never before had I seen strangers, like the Samaritan, so eager to help others in times of need. Not only were these people eager to help us, they literally had compassion on us and took care of us. That is something I will never forget. Now, when I see someone I barely know, I don’t hesitate to help in some way. “Live to love” is my new philosophy.
This experience has brought new meaning into my life. I’ve learned that when we love God and also our fellow “neighbor,” each of us is on the road to eternal life.
TCSJ
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This article reminds me of Jesus’ challenge to “take no thought for your life.” We’re able to “take no thought” through an absolute trust that all our needs are provided for every minute. There is no reason to worry about future needs - God provides every moment, when we’re open to recieving!