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 HELPING OUR NEEDY BROTHERS by Zac Poonen

In the parable of the Good Samaritan, Jesus taught the importance of helping a brother who we see as being in some need (Luke10:25-37).

There we see a Bible-scholar questioning Jesus on how to inherit eternal life. Jesus replied that it was by loving God wholeheartedly and by loving one's neighbour as oneself. But that Bible-scholar (like many Bible-scholars today), "wanting to justify his lack of love for some kinds of people" (Luke10:29 - Living), asked Jesus who the word 'neighbour' referred to. Jesus replied to his question with a parable.

Jesus spoke of a man who had been beaten up by robbers lying on a road. A priest (an elder in God's house) saw him and ignored him. Everyone in Israel in those days, had descended from Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. So, they were all brothers and sisters, just like we believers are. So, this man lying on the road was a brother of the priest. But the priest saw him and ignored him. He may even have judged him, saying that he should not have been walking alone on a lonely road at night. How quick we can be at times, when we see a fellow-believer suffering, to judge him instead of seeking to help him.

Will the Lord have to say to us one day, "I was hungry but you never gave Me anything to eat. I was thirsty and you gave Me nothing to drink. I was naked and you never clothed Me. I was sick but you never visited Me (Matt.25:42,43). You just sang songs to Me and preached sermons to Me, but never helped me in My need." That priest was more eager to get to the meeting in Jerusalem on time than to help his needy brother. Jesus has warned us that many people who even preach in meetings regularly can still go to Hell finally (Matt.7:22,23).

Then, a Levite (a brother in God's house) also passed by, and he too ignored his needy brother. He also failed the test. He too wanted to get to the meeting on time. These two men wanted to go to the meeting to hear God speaking to them. But they didn’t realise that God had already spoken to them on their way to the meeting to help a needy brother. But they did not have ears to hear what the Lord was saying. And so, their songs and prayers that morning were all worthless to God. God uses the sufferings of godly people very often to test the hearts of those who see them suffer. Consider the story of Job. God tested the hearts of his three friends through Job’s sufferings. And all three failed the test.

Do we see ourselves in that priest and the Levite, in Jesus’ story? If so, let us repent and seek to be radically different in the coming days. The priest and the Levite were old-covenant people. But we claim to have risen to a greater height as new-covenant Christians. If so, we are called to represent Jesus Himself. And we need to ask ourselves whether we are representing Him aright.

Finally, it was a despised Samaritan (symbolizing today, a brother who belongs to a Babylonian denomination, with many incorrect doctrines) who helped that poor, injured man. That Samaritan was not an elder or a preacher. He was just one of those quiet people who are always ready to help anyone who is in need – without letting anyone know about their actions. When he saw that injured man, he realized that such a calamity could have happened to him as well. So he denied himself and spent his time and his money to help his needy brother.

There we see what it means to be a true disciple of the Lord Jesus Christ. It is not by our doctrines that we reflect the nature of Christ but rather by our attitude to the needy brothers who we meet along life’s way. It means being good and loving and merciful to one and all.

May the Lord help us all to go that way at all times. Amen.


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