A certain woman went down from Washington to Richmond and ran over a spike, which punctured her tire and left her stranded by the side of the road. After raising the hood of her car and tying a scarf to her radio antenna, she locked the doors and sat in the car, praying for the Lord to send help. By chance, a limousine passed with a bumper sticker that read, “Smile, God Loves You!” When the occupants saw the stranded woman, they passed by in the far lane — without stopping or even smiling.
Likewise, a sports car sped by with a bumper sticker that read, “Honk If You Love Jesus!” The man who was driving passed by in the far lane without honking and without using his cell phone to tell the local law enforcement about the woman’s dilemma.
But then, a working class man, as he traveled to his job, came to the spot where the woman was, and when he saw her raised hood, scarf, and flat tire, he had compassion on her. He stopped his old beat-up pickup — which had no bumper sticker — and crossed the four-lane highway, and offered to change the tire. The woman opened the door and gave him the key to the trunk. The man took out the spare tire, jacked up the car, removed the flat tire, and replaced it with the spare.
When he finished, the woman tried to pay him. He refused the money, saying, “If my wife were stranded on the highway with a flat tire, I’d want some Good Samaritan to stop and help her out.” He returned to his bumper-stickerless truck, smile, honked at her, and drove on his way. Which one of these was the true neighbor to the woman who had a flat tire?
This “parable” puts a modern touch on Luke 10:25-37. The take away here is that Christians are charged with letting their light shine. This means taking advantage of moments to help others. This is ordained by God. Proverbs 19:17 says, “He who has pity on the poor lends to the Lord, And He will pay back what he has given.” The New Testament continues this beautiful thread of kindness by saying, “But do not forget to do good and to share, for with such sacrifices God is well pleased” (Hebrews 13:16). Love people and help when you can.
Kyle Campbell