The Hitch Hiker

A Series on the parables of Jesus
(Click on the link below to read the verses.)
Luke 10:25-37 

[During the first century, it was common for a rabbi to use parables when teaching their disciples. The parables of Jesus were stories that he told to illustrate spiritual truth using some element from everyday life. Jesus used seeds, fish, trees, bread - things people could easily relate to – for a “teachable moment”.]

  

My worst hitch hiking experience came at the end of spring break in 1970. Because of a personal crisis at the time, I decided to delay my return to school at Michigan Tech. As a result, I didn’t have a ride back which is significant because it was a 450-mile trip. And, for some unknown reason, I decided to hitch hike!

 

If you’re at all familiar with northern Michigan and the upper peninsula of Michigan, you understand that it is a vast region of either heavily wooded forests or open wilderness with very little traffic. Thankfully, a trucker picked me up and gave me some cardboard to make a sign with “MTU” on it.

 

But, when he dropped me off in the middle of nowhere in the upper peninsula with a foot and a half of snow still on the ground, my prospects were bad. Did I mention that the UP was not heavily traveled? And I was still 250 miles from Tech.

 

Jesus told a parable about a Jewish traveler. He was walking by himself on a stretch of road that was surrounded by harsh hills and rugged wilderness. It was dangerous not only because of the terrain, but also because robbers often attacked people along the trail. That’s exactly what happened to him.

 

The traveler was beaten, stripped and left for dead. Two people walked past him without helping - a priest and a Levite. Finally, a Samaritan came along, took compassion on the traveler and stopped to help him. What’s so remarkable about this is that Jews and Samaritans had hated each other for centuries.

 

The setting of this parable was when an expert of the law had asked Jesus, “What must I do to inherit eternal life?” When Jesus had finished telling the parable, he asked the expert which of the three had been a neighbor to the beaten man. The expert couldn’t even bring himself to say it was the Samaritan.

 

³⁷ The man replied, “The one who showed him mercy.”

Then Jesus said, “Yes, now go and do the same.”         NLT

 

On the surface, it appears that Jesus’ parable didn’t answer the original question about inheriting eternal life. But it does. In Matthew 25, Jesus told a parable to explain who would enter the kingdom of heaven.

 

³⁷ “Then these righteous ones will reply, ‘Lord, when did we ever see you hungry and feed you? Or thirsty and give you something to drink? ³⁸ Or a stranger and show you hospitality? Or naked and give you clothing? ³⁹ When did we ever see you sick or in prison and visit you?’

⁴⁰ “And the King will say, ‘I tell you the truth, when you did it to one of the least of these my brothers and sisters, you were doing it to me!’       NLT

 

Who is your neighbor? Is it a hitch hiker on a lonely highway? Or is it someone who is hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison? Do you show them mercy… or walk by on the other side of the road?

 

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¹⁵ Anyone with ears to hear should listen and understand!

                                                                                                Matthew 11 NLT

 

Copyright 2022 Joseph B Williams