Discipleship in the ditch 

When  you find a friend  in a ditch, you stop to help them, as we explore the parable of the good samaritan we can go further than just helping someone in need.

The first question the lawyer asked Jesus was, "Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?" He is looking for the good life, the meaningful life, the satisfying life, the life which God intended for him to have. The life that is in a right relationship with God and all of his creation.

He asks," How can I get out of the ditches of brokenness, separation, hatred and self-righteousness. How can I pull myself up from this kind of life to a life which is not separated from God and others".

Jesus answers him by asking what does the law say, and the lawyer repeats the law. Jesus tells him to do it, but he still doesn’t understand, so he asks another question about the identity of his neighbour.

And in this parable, Jesus speaks to the obvious question of neighbour and the implied question of how shall I save my life? How do I get myself out of the brokenness of this world?

In Jesus' answer, he tells the lawyer that he cannot get himself out of the brokenness of this world, he cannot save himself, he cannot pull himself up by his bootstraps, he must wait for the good Samaritan, he must wait for the Messiah, he must wait for Jesus.

Can you see this very subtle point Jesus makes as we see this parable from the point of view of salvation? His question stated, "Teacher, what shall I do," notice the I. He wanted to know how he could have the good life, and in a subtle way, Jesus told him that by himself, he could not achieve the good life, but only through the saviour. And then the saviour would show him what was meant by the good life. It is a life of service, sacrifice, and giving of one’s self. Jesus showed him two truths in one parable. Jesus saw him as missing the point, missing the only way of salvation.

It wasn’t what he could do but what Christ could do for him. After he felt the love, service, and caring of Christ, in the parable, Jesus commands him to do likewise to love his neighbour in the same way that Christ loved him. Salvation doesn’t depend on a person’s actions but on the love of Christ. Jesus saw that the lawyer didn’t understand at all why Jesus came to earth. He was so wrapped up in himself that he couldn’t see Christ as the saviour and the Messiah nor love his neighbour.

Jesus said the lawyer didn’t understand what Jesus' mission was about. Jesus came to take the "I" out of the salvation picture. Jesus came, as Luther said, "as God’s Good Samaritan." Jesus came because we cannot pull ourselves out of the brokenness and the bondage of sin that engulfs us daily. We cannot save ourselves no matter how much we try.

"What shall I do to inherit eternal life" What shall I do to live the good life? How shall I live in contentment and harmony with God and us?

"Jesus and the disciples came to a rocky field. Jesus said, ’If each of you would carry away a stone, it would clear space for grain to grow. All the disciples except Peter picked up the heavy stones. Peter felt the whole thing was pointless, so he carried off a pebble. The disciples were hungry. Jesus had mercy and turned the stones into bread for their lunch. Poor Peter. On the way home, they again picked up stones. This time Peter staggered along with the biggest, dreaming of the feast which would be their reward. Jesus had the disciples carry the stones to the banks of the Jordan then he said, ’Let none do good for the hope of reward; throw the stones into the river.

Poor Peter!!"

Service is not done for the reward we expect. The eternal life reward is given to all as a free gift, no strings attached. Our service, our response, and our sacrifice come from a loving heart that Christ loves so much that it cannot help but love in return. The Samaritan received no reward for his service; he loved period.

You and I are to love, period because salvation has been given as a free gift that is already taken care of for us by Jesus. He has removed us from the ditches of life. He has pulled us out of our particular ditches.

Pastor Richard Hoefler says in his book "And He told them a Story", "we are all in one way or another ditch dwellers. And the tragedy is that we so often desperately try to save ourselves, trying to avoid the embarrassment of admitting our helplessness. Sometimes we think the answer is a ladder that will enable us to climb out--a ladder such as technology or science and education. Some think the answer is moral fortitude--becoming so good we will sprout wings and fly out like haloed angels. Many have just given up and applied first aid to our wounds with drugs and drinks. But eventually, you and I will realise the ditch is just too deep, and we must get help from outside ourselves."

And that is just the point Jesus is subtly making to the lawyer and to all those who think they can, by their own efforts, pull themselves out of the ditches of brokenness and bondage to sin. We are wounded by our sin, we are broken by the pain of life and we must admit to ourselves that we need a good Samaritan to come and carry us out of our ditch. Then Christ will come to take us upon his back, the back which shouldered the cross, and carry us out of our ditch into the light, the brightness, the glory of living for him and with him.

Then Jesus will point out to us all the others living in their ditches and ask us to do likewise. We cannot carry them out and give them salvation; however, Jesus asks us to carry those out who are feeling the brokenness of this world, those who have been mugged, robbed, beaten, broken, battered by the forces of this world in which we have no control.

These we are to carry out. These we are to minister to; these are the ones in which we can become like that good Samaritan.