In reply Jesus said: “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, when he was attacked by robbers. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him and went away, leaving him half dead.” Luke 10:30
“He was obviously a reckless and foolhardy character. People seldom attempted the Jerusalem to Jericho road alone if they were carrying goods or valuables. Seeking safety in numbers, they travelled in convoys or caravans. This man found no one but himself to blame for the plight in which he found himself.”
William Barclay in The Gospel of Luke, Revised Edition (DSBS; Philadelphia: Westminster, 1975) 139.
The more we dig into this parable the more we learn.
Not only have we sugarcoated the Samaritan labeling him good, when in antiquity, he would have been considered bad, we miss the character of the traveler because we don’t know much about the road he was navigating.
It’s almost if Jesus is saying “A guy made a stupid decision and it resulted in his demise.”
What would this stir in his listeners? If we put ourselves in their shoes, it stirs notions like, “The guy got what he deserved.” Or we might reason, “It serves him right to be in that plight, because he made a crazy choice.”
This adds to the lesson for all of us about generosity.
Got wants us to make margin to help people who make stupid decisions. Think about that in light of what Jesus did for you and me. No wonder He wants us to stop and help such people. It is precisely the help He gave to us.