Jesus’ parable about the Good Samaritan is probably one of his most famous ones! It is vivid, provocative, and compelling. A quick recap: a man gets mugged and left for dead- a priest and temple-worker pass him on the other side as they travel along that same road. But a despised Samaritan comes riding by, sees the dying man, stops and gets off his donkey to help.
The speaker for our Good Friday Breakfast, Reggie McNeal, used this enduring parable to inspire and challenge those in attendance to go and do something to “love your neighbor as you love yourself.” He got a good chuckle as he retold this story for us, reminding us that no one got help until somebody got off their donkey.
But he also got us thinking when he urged us to consider the ways that helping others is also a way to help ourselves. Sometimes we pass by people in need because we only consider the cost, but maybe if we got off our donkey, we’d find that helping others helps us too.
Sometimes we’re unsure if we want to get off our donkey. It can seem safer to stay put, keeps life less messy and we’ll get to where we’re going faster. But if we hear what Jesus is saying – those who love their neighbor will inherit eternal life – then staying on our donkey is actually bad for us. For Jesus, his invitation to get off our donkey and give mercy is a way to begin experiencing life with God now.
Loving our neighbor as we love ourselves is the primary way we express our love for God and experience heaven on earth. We’ll know we’re ready to be with our merciful God in heaven when we’re getting off our donkey, putting our feet on the earth and getting our hands dirty in loving those we see in need – like Jesus did.
Reggie shared five questions for us at the Good Friday Breakfast as a way to help us hear what the merciful Lord is inviting us to do with him in our community:
- What do I want to do to help others?
- What behaviors will support the help I want to give?
- What do I bring to the table?
- What is my scorecard?
- What do I need to learn?
We are all busy like the priest, temple-servant, and Samaritan, we all have places to go and things to do. But what breaks your heart? What catches your eye and compels you to get off your donkey to help somebody? What beliefs or behaviors might you want to start reconsidering so that you can be more helpful?
Have you taken stock of yourself – what are your talents and resources that you could use to really help others in need? What would a win look like for you and those you help?
And what don’t you know yet that is keeping you from getting off your donkey and helping yourself as you help others? Maybe reading Reggie McNeal’s book, Get Off Your Donkey: Help Somebody and Help Yourself is a great next step?
Or maybe you’d be interested in his book that we were giving away at the Good Friday Breakfast, Kingdom Come: Why We Must Give Up Our Obsession with Fixing the Church–and What We Should Do Instead – his reflections on the ways Christians can work together in our communities for the gospel of the kingdom of God that Christ Jesus proclaimed.
If you’re wanting to mature as a Christian and a leader in your community, then you’ll want to read this book by McNeal, Practicing Greatness: 7 Disciplines of Extraordinary Spiritual Leaders.
Sometimes what makes you a leader is being the first one to get off your donkey and help somebody. Sometimes what makes you a leader is taking the road less traveled, asking different questions, seeking a different kingdom.
May the faithfulness of God, the hopefulness of Christ Jesus, and the love of their Holy Spirit spur you on towards courageous mercy in your community.
