The first question which the priest and the Levite asked was: “If I stop to help this man, what will happen to me?” But the good Samaritan reversed the question: “If I do not stop to help this man, what will happen to him?”

Martin Luther King Jr. 

I recently read an article about a young couple who felt led to stand on a college campus with signs by their side. One sign read, “Mom Hugs” and the other read, “Dad Hugs.” The young wife told the reporter that at the end of the day they were exhausted and suffering from sore arms, shoulders, and ribs, but they left with their hearts full. They were amazed at the response of the college students and their painful stories.

Days prior to reading that article, I saw a video of a young man named Zachery. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Zach reached what he described as “a personal breaking point.” He wanted to find a way to let others know they’re not alone in struggling with issues like depression and anxiety. The video showed Zach standing on a roadside blindfolded while holding a placard with the words, “If you feel heartbroken or empty, Hug me,” written on it. At the end of the day, he had listened to one heartbreaking story after another and had given multiple hugs, many holding the embrace for several minutes. Both stories are visuals of a world in dire need of love—and a hug! 

The quote from Martin Luther King, Jr. is in reference to the story of the Good Samaritan found in Luke 10. In this story, Jesus is asked by a lawyer, “What shall I do to inherit eternal life?” Jesus answers his question with a question, asking the lawyer what the Word says about inheriting eternal life. The lawyer responds by quoting scripture, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength, and with all your mind; and your neighbor as yourself.” (NASB)

Jesus tells him that he has answered correctly. But, the lawyer wishing to justify himself, asked, “And who is my neighbor?” Typical of Jesus, He answers with an allegory, a word picture, as we would say today. Jesus describes a man traveling along a road, having been robbed, beaten, and left for dead. Jesus tells of three men also traveling the same road that day. Each had a different response as they approached the poor helpless man lying along the roadside. If you’ve read the story, you know that “the lawyer treated the wounded man as a topic for discussion, the robbers, as an object to exploit, the priest, as a problem to avoid; and the Levite, as an object of curiosity. Only the Samaritan treated him as a person to love” (NASB Life Application Study Bible).

The young couple on the college campus sidewalk and Zach standing along the roadside all responded to those robbed of love and peace and beaten down by the world as the Good Samaritan responded to the helpless man along the roadside, they treated each one as a person to love.

Because of His love for mankind, God gave His Son’s life. Since Jesus gave His life, certainly you and I can give our love—and our hugs! Perhaps as Christians, we should stop to ask ourselves this Valentine’s Day and in the coming year, “If I do not stop to help this man/woman, what will happen to him/her?” 

We cannot do great things on this earth, only small things with great love.

Mother Teresa

Happy Valentine’s Day!

Dianne