And Jesus answering said, A certain man went down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell among thieves, which stripped him of his raiment, and wounded him, and departed, leaving him half dead.

And by chance there came down a certain priest that way: and when he saw him, he passed by on the other side.

And likewise a Levite, when he was at the place, came and looked on him, and passed by on the other side.

But a certain Samaritan, as he journeyed, came where he was: and when he saw him, he had compassion on him,

And went to him, and bound up his wounds, pouring in oil and wine, and set him on his own beast, and brought him to an inn, and took care of him.

And on the morrow when he departed, he took out two pence, and gave them to the host, and said unto him, Take care of him; and whatsoever thou spendest more, when I come again, I will repay thee.

Which now of these three, thinkest thou, was neighbour unto him that fell among the thieves?

And he said, He that shewed mercy on him. Then said Jesus unto him, Go, and do thou likewise.  Luke 10:30-37

On an seemingly  ordinary Veterans Day six years ago, the most notable aspect of the day was the miserable weather. The  usually gentle southern breezes of Middle Tennessee  were replaced by a fierce Canadian wind biting and  gnawing at the very bones of anyone, who ventured out for a quick run to the car.  It was late afternoon, and my husband Mike left the office for home.  Preoccupied with the daily grind, the last thing Mike expected, was he was about to become a “Good Samaritan” and  care for one who was unfortunate to have “fallen among thieves”.

Mike had a business meeting scheduled  early the next morning in Chattanooga, Tennessee, a city two hours south of us, by way of the I-65 and I-24 thru the hills and mountain pass leading to the Tennessee-Alabama-Georgia border. Leaving work early, he stopped at home to retrieve his overnight suitcase and computer bag, Mike was preoccupied with stress.  The past few months had been unusually difficult. It seemed to him, he had been abandoned by even God.

Continue reading →