There was distinct racial strain between Jews and Samaritans (John 4:9). They did not frequently interact with one another; and in some cases, outright hostility and hatred existed. But Jesus, early in his ministry, taught the Samaritans the truth of God. He ministered to the “Samaritan woman” and to the people of Samaria (John 4). Jesus is our best example in all things. The woman did not expect to find favour and help from a Jew. She got more help than she ever expected from Jesus.
The parable of Jesus in our Fire Scripture reveals that there has been serious discrimination from time immemorial. Jesus came to provide solution to the problems of mankind. Through Him, all forms of prejudice and segregation were destroyed and removed. The man who was attacked by thieves was a Jew. He was assaulted, wounded and left half dead. He needed help. There were probably more Jews than Samaritans around, and one would have expected that the man would get help quickly from one of the Jews. His expected source of assistance was from a fellow Jew, but the man got an unpleasant surprise. A priest passed by the road, saw the half-dead man and just passed by, offering no help. One would have thought that a religious and God-fearing personality like the priest would be the man’s source of help, but the priest could not be bothered. After this, a Levite came along, but he only looked at the wounded and half-dead man and also passed, making no effort to rescue the victim of attack by thieves. After this, a Samaritan passed by the place, saw the man and had compassion on him. He put his love and compassion into action. He poured oil and wine on the wound and bandaged it. He then put the man on his donkey and took him to an inn where he paid for the man to be given treatment and care, promising to pay whatever more he needed to pay when returning from his trip. The Samaritan’s love destroyed the barrier of racial discrimination. The man got help from an unexpected source.
Beloved, Jesus is our best example. Be an imitator of Jesus. Say no to racial discrimination, ethnicity, tribalism and all other kinds of prejudice and segregation.
