A story:
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. A priest happened to be going down the same road, and when he saw the man, he passed by on the other side. So too, a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. But a Samaritan, as he traveled, came where the man was; and when he saw him, he took pity on him. (Luke 10)
Some things to consider:
- it's fair to suspect it was probably night, as that is when most robberies occur
- it's fair to suspect this particular road was notorious for criminals
- it's fair to suspect that in the eyes of passerby, this man was merely acting as bait for criminals
- it's fair to suspect that any help offered by passerby will expose them to vulnerability should the attackers returned
After considering some of these things, it's understandable for the priest & Levite to look after their own safety & think to themselves what will happen to me if I help this man?
How radical for this Samaritan to probably think, what will happen to him if I don't?
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