Day 4 A View from the Pit

Luke 10: 30-37

When we read stories and when we watch movies or television we tend to identify ourselves and empathize with certain characters we encounter in the stories or movies. We also do the same coming to Bible stories.  For example, many of us identify ourselves with the older brother in the parable of the Prodigal Son. This is natural because we think we are good people of God.

Coming to the parable of the Good Samaritan, most of us associate ourselves with the Good Samaritan. But I ask you have you ever thought of yourselves being the man who was beaten by the robbers and left for dead? So let’s say that Jesus began the parable like this 

“__________________(your name here) was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and he/she fell among robbers, who stripped him/her and beat him/her and departed, leaving him/her half dead.” (Luke 10:30). So you are lying on the roadside and maybe in a “pit” half dead. (I use the word “pit” because in some of the paintings I have seen the injured man portrayed in a pit right next to the road.)

There you are lying badly beaten in a pit, next to the road, and people are walking by and they look at you and are making comments. You are looking at them hoping they will help you. But all you see is their inaction and all you hear are their comments. What kind of comments? Allow me to use a poem -

The Pit

A man fell into a pit and could not get himself out.

A Subjective person came along and said "I feel for you down there in that pit"

An Objective person came along and said "It’s logical that someone would have fallen down into that pit"

A Christian Scientist came along and said "You only think you’re in the pit"

A Pharisee said "only bad people fall into the pit"

 A Fundamentalist said "You deserve your pit"

Confucius said "If you had listened to me you would not be in that pit"

Buddha said "The pit is only a state of mind"

A Realist said "that is a pit"

A Scientist calculated the pressure necessary to get him out of the pit

A Geologist told him to appreciate the rock strata in the pit

A Tax man asked him if he was paying taxes on the pit

An inspector asked him if he had a permit to dig the pit

An Evasive person came along and avoided the subject of the pit altogether

A Self pitying person said "You haven’t seen anything until you have seen my pit"

A Charismatic said "just confess that you are not in the pit"

An Optimist said "It could be worse"

A Pessimist said "Things will get worse"

Jesus walking along seeing the man in the pit simply knelt down, extended his hand and pulled him out of the pit!                        (Anonymous)

A pit is a dreadful place to be, especially a pit created by our sins.  But the good news is we are not left lying in the pit.

As a hymn goes –

How kind the Good Samaritan

To him who fell among the thieves!

Thus Jesus pities fallen man,

And heals the wounds the soul receives.

(link http://www.ccel.org/ccel/newton/olneyhymns.h1_99.html)

Yes only one person is able and willing to help us from the pit we are in. He does not do this because we are good. He does this because He is good.

Thank you God for sending me your Son who came down to where I am, to lift me from my pit. In His name I thank and praise. Amen!