Rescued from the Ditch - Maynard Force

Rescued from the Ditch

A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and he fell among robbers, who stripped him and beat him, and departed, leaving him half-dead. Now by chance a priest was going down the road; and when he saw him he passed by on the other side. So likewise a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. But a Samaritan, as he journeyed, came to where he was; and when he saw him, he had compassion, and went to him and bound up his wounds, pouring on oil and wine; then he set him on his own beast and brought him to an inn, and took care of him, And the next day he took out two denarii and gave them to the innkeeper, saying, “Take care of him; and whatever more you spend, I will repay you when I come back.” Luke 10 :30-35.

For the sake of simplicity we will divide our text according to the four groups of characters that we meet with here, namely, a certain man, some robbers, a priest and a Levite, and a certain Samaritan.

It is interesting to notice that none of the characters are given any specific names. Therefore we shall try to identify them, or at least classify them, as we proceed with our message.

A WAYFARING MAN
“A man,” as the first character is called, could well be any man. It is far more impressive that Scripture did not give him a name for many names could be inserted here. Perhaps even the name you carry would be as fitting as any.

The man was “going down from Jerusalem to Jericho.” These two cities are indeed very significant. Jerusalem was by far the most important city in the land. Within its walls was the temple of the living God. It was here that the Lord met with His people in a special way and where God’s people had a chance to fellowship together. There was no place on all the earth where the people felt they were closer to God than in Jerusalem. The place was looked upon as holy ground. Besides, Jerusalem was built on a mountain, signifying also its importance.

Jericho, on the other hand, was located sixteen miles away, down in the Jordan valley, hundreds of feet below sea level. It had long been known for its wickedness. This was the first city that the Israelites destroyed after they set foot on the promised land. Before leaving the place Joshua cursed it and pronounced judgment upon whoever would rebuild it.

The certain man, we read, “was going down” from Jerusalem to Jericho. He was leaving the city of God and the fellowship of God’s people to go to a place that had been cursed. He, like so many in our day, was making his way “down.” The going must have been easy for the earth’s pull of gravity was in his favor. He no doubt had many dreams which he hoped to have realized on this journey.

His journey, like so many others, ended in the ditch. He proved to be an easy victim of the robber gang that was operating along this highway. The two words, “down” and “fell” give a very descriptive account of what happened to him. He kept going “down” until he “fell.” There his journey suddenly came to an abrupt stop. The ditch is indeed a place where many a journey has suddenly ended.

THE ROBBERS

The second group of characters that we meet with are the robbers. The exact number is not given, but there were enough to do the job. They were on the constant lookout for some wealthy Jerusalem citizen who would be making his way down this lonely road. At an unsuspected moment they pounced upon their victim and did their gruesome job.

These robbers are a type of the robber-ring that is at work in the world today. Satan, public enemy No. 1, with his host of demons are on the sharp lookout for any fool who may stroll out of a spiritual Jerusalem. He and his gang work on the basis of twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week, and 365 days a year. No one who has ventured outside of a Jerusalem has been missed by this gang. It is surprising how quickly Satan and his demons can work. If the setting is right they can complete their task in a moment of time.

The robbers of our text did three things to the man. First, they “stripped him.” His covering was worth something so they must take that. The righteousness of Christ, which is the robe of every Christian, is the first thing Satan and his gang are after.

They also “stripped” him of all his other valuables. Jerusalem citizens are rich in faith. He who has faith has all, and this, too, the robber ring must have. When the Apostle Paul came to the end of his earthly journey he took inventory of his possessions and wrote, “I have kept the faith” (2 Tim. 4 :7). That was the only thing Paul felt was worth keeping.

Another valuable possession that Satan and his followers have stripped from many a careless soul is their purpose in life. God has a plan for every Christian’s life. It is a wonderful plan with a real purpose for living. This Satan is after and has succeeded in stealing from all who drift away from a spiritual Jerusalem.

“Stripped” is a very descriptive word. It well describes an individual who falls prey to Satan. Satan always leaves his victims stripped of all that is worth while.

The second thing that the robbers did to the man in our text was to “beat him.” They struck the poor man until he was nearly dead. Blow after blow upon his unprotected head left him senseless. He could no longer think clearly when they were through with him. All who have been struck by the satanic robbers of our day are also left in a silly stupor. Some have been left in such a sad state that they do not even care about their own salvation. They no longer realize they are dying an eternal death. Some are in such a sad plight they no longer regain consciousness. Surely any soul with a normal capacity to think would seek first “his kingdom and his righteousness” (Matt. 6 :33).

The third thing these robbers did was to leave him. They “departed, leaving him half dead.” They did not care what happened to him now. Death soon follows after the satanic robbers are through. Robbers and death are closely connected. A half dead man does not have much time to live, for there is just a short interval before death takes over. There in the ditch, agonizing in the throes of death, absolutely helpless and friendless, lies the man who once had so much hope and aspiration.

THE PRIEST AND THE LEVITE

The priest and the Levite were the first upon the scene after the tragedy. Both these men were representatives of the law and stood for the finest and best that the law could produce. They were giving their full time in the service of the temple, one as a priest and the other as an assistant. No man could be a priest unless he was in perfect health, for no one with blemishes could attain to this office.

The man in the ditch had his hope revived when he heard the approaching steps of these representatives of the law. Through his blurred eyes he could dimly see what a true specimen of manhood should be like. No matter how much he strove to be like them it did him no good. He was a victim of robbers and had lost all his strength.

The Law, which came after the fall of man, and also is the first to reach a fallen sinner, cannot save him. “If a law had been given which could make alive, then righteousness would indeed be by the law” (Gal. 3:21). But “what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do,” God, sending “his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh” (Rom. 8:3, 4). Therefore, the purpose of the law is not to save. All who hope to be saved through it are sorely disappointed. God’s law shows us what we should be and thus makes sin exceedingly sinful. “If it had not been for the law I should not have known sin” (Rom. 7:7). “Through the commandment sin might become exceedingly sinful” (Rom. 7:13). The law merely prepares us for the one and only one who can save us. “So that the law is become our tutor to bring us unto Christ” (Gal. 3:24).

The man was in far worse agony after the priest and the Levite had left him than he was before. All hope for rescue was now gone and his misery was intensified. He had seen what he should be, but he had no power to change himself. His case, as far as he could see it, was hopeless.

A SAMARITAN

The last, and by far the greatest, character in our text is the “Samaritan.” It is interesting to note that our first character was an unnamed man, and the last one an unnamed Samaritan. The “Samaritan” is a type of Christ. He is compared to a Samaritan because they were a despised people for “Jews have no dealings with Samaritans” (John 4:9). Jesus also was “despised and rejected by men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief.”

The “Samaritan” as he journeyed, came “where he was.” No journey was ever more important than the one Jesus Christ made to this earth. He came to meet us where we were. The ages of eternity will echo with praises from the redeemed that Jesus Christ condescended to make this journey. It ended on the cross, which has since become the common meeting place of all sinners. “He came to his own home, and his own people received him not. But to all who received him, who believed in his name, he gave the power to become children of God” (John 1:11, 12).

The Samaritan “had compassion.” There was nothing in the man that merited this help. No mention is even made about his pitiful cries. The man in the ditch had been “stripped” so he had nothing to offer and therefore could strike no bargain. That which caused the Samaritan to help him came from his own tender heart. The love that he had in his heart constrained him to stop and moved him to action. How well this compares with our God. “In this is love, not that we loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the expiation for our sins” (1 John 4:10).
The Samaritan “went to him.” He did not expect the dying man to come to him. He let the meeting place be in the ditch where the man had fallen. There at the very spot where he had been “stripped” the Samaritan and the man meet. It is also in the ditch that Christ meets the poor sinner. For “the Son of man came not to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many” (Matt. 20:28).

The Samaritan first “bound up his wounds.” He did not come to scold the man or to reprimand him for his carelessness, but rather to help him. He took care of the bleeding wounds first for they were the cause of his gradual death. Christ our Saviour also attends first to the cause of our death, namely, our sins. He deals gently with these horrible gashes that are sapping the life out of us. Fear not, dear friend, when Christ touches your sins. He does so to help you. Let not your pride prevent Him from continuing. Remember the wounds can never be healed unless He binds them. The binding of the wounds may be a hurtful process but while He is doing it, console yourself with the promise, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9).

The Samaritan also poured “oil and wine on the wounds.” He had with him that which was needed for healing. Christ our great Physician has a balm that will heal any wound. Every person whom He has attended will vouch for the healing power of His salve. Let me give you one sample of this balm that has brought quick healing to many a dying soul. “Come to me, all who labor and are heavy-laden, and I will give you rest” (Matt. 11:28). No prescription is needed to get this cure. It is free for the taking. There are many more similar soothing verses where this one came from. Just open your Bible and you will find them.

The Samaritan also “set him on his own beast.” He gave up his seat to the man in the ditch. Gently, he picked him up from the rough rocks upon which he had fallen and placed him in his own private seat. How well this act compares with what Christ did for fallen sinners. He came to this earth in order to change places with the sinner. “For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God” (2 Cor. 5:21). Every sinner that Jesus saves He actually lifts up to His place. Thus the redeemed become “heirs, heirs of God, and fellow heirs with Christ” (Rom. 8:17). Ponder these words for they are loaded with blessings. In short, it means that all who belong to Christ belong to those whom He saves. That is what is meant by “fellow heirs with Christ.” This is indeed an exalted seat to sit in for one who has been stripped and found dying in the ditch.

The Samaritan further brought the helpless man “to an inn and took care of him.” An inn is a place where one can find shelter and nourishment. It is not a permanent place to stay like a home, but rather a rallying point for weary travelers. Christ, our Good Samaritan, has arranged a similar place of fellowship for all those whom He redeems. We call our inn the church. Here Christ can nourish us and give us fellowship with other travelers who seek shelter from this cold world. In this place people come and go. New ones are brought here and older ones leave for their permanent home. The “inn” is indeed a precious place.

The Samaritan paid the bill. “He took out two denarii and gave them to the innkeeper and said, ‘Take care of him.’” Christ also expects all those whom He has redeemed to be properly cared for. He has made ample provision for everyone so that not one needs to suffer. The church is the place where Christ provides for needs. His request to those in authority is, “Take care of him.” “Feed my lambs,” and “Feed my sheep” (John 21:15, 17), were similar requests given concerning the rescued ones.

The last thing the Samaritan did was to make a promise that he would return. His parting words were, “I will repay you when I come back.” He would return some day. What comforting words these must have been to the man who had been rescued. Each day became a day of expectation. The Samaritan did not say when he would come but he did say he was coming. Our Saviour also promised before he left this earth that He would return. “I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also” (John 14:3). Jesus, like the Samaritan, did not tell us when He would return, but we know the time is drawing nigh. This present moment is the closest we have ever come to that time, One of these days He will be back. What a glorious day! The robber gang will then be destroyed. Then all those who have been rescued from the ditch will go to be forever with the Lord. In the words of Scripture, our hearts cry out, “Amen. Come, Lord Jesus!” (Rev. 22:20).