What Made the Good Samaritan Good?: Awakening to Life’s Brutal Realities

Almost everyone knows what a Good Samaritan is—someone who helps those in need, especially strangers. But in Jesus’ day, it was a contradiction in terms. Samaritans weren’t good; they were half-breeds and heretics. To the Jews, a Samaritan was more likely to be the villain than the hero.

The Parable of the Good Samaritan is set on the Jericho Road. Finding a robbery victim there wouldn’t be unusual. A Samaritan helping such a victim would be. So, what made the Good Samaritan good? Our answer is in the subtitle: Awakening To Life’s Brutal Realities. We explore four of them:

• Life is hard
• You are going to die
• The world does not revolve around you
• You are not in control

These realities come in various forms and at different times but are common to all of us. They can’t be avoided, but if properly understood and dealt with, they can be changed from stumbling blocks into stepping stones.