Who was that Masked Man?

In the old black and white television show, “The Lone Ranger”, a man, formerly a Texas Ranger, would go from place to place with his faithful friend, Tonto, helping people overcome run-ins with outlaws.

He wore a mask to protect his anonymity. Once the problem was solved and the bad guys were put away he would command his horse with “Hy-O Silver, away!” and ride off into the sunset.

Soon after he had left town someone would say; “Who was that masked man?” The answer was always, “Why, that’s the Lone Ranger.”

The bible mentions an occasion in which Jesus was talking to a religious man about the command: “Love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, and with all your mind,' and 'your neighbor as yourself.'" 

In an effort to find a loophole in those two commands, the man, well versed in the Holy Writings, asked this question, "And who is my neighbor?"

This prompted Jesus to tell this story[i] about a man who had true compassion. Though he wasn’t a masked man, he too was anonymous, for no one but God knows his name to this day. Here’s the story:

A certain man went down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell among thieves, who stripped him of his clothing, wounded him, and departed, leaving him half dead. Now by chance a certain priest came down that road. And when he saw him, he passed by on the other side. Likewise a Levite, when he arrived at the place, came and looked, and passed by on the other side. But a certain Samaritan, as he journeyed, came where he was. And when he saw him, he had compassion. So he went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine; and he set him on his own animal, brought him to an inn, and took care of him. On the next day, when he departed, he took out two denarii (valuable coins)[ii], gave them to the innkeeper, and said to him, 'Take care of him; and whatever more you spend, when I come again, I will repay you.' So which of these three do you think was neighbor to him who fell among the thieves?"

And he said, "He who showed mercy on him."

Then Jesus said to him, "Go and do likewise."

Here are some observations about this “good Samaritan.”

• He would have been the most unlikely to succeed in being a prospect to help this “certain man” who was probably Jewish. The problem was that the Jews and Samaritans were always at outs with each other.[iii] It is strange that two very religious men would have left the afflicted man die because they had no compassion and didn’t want to be tainted by touching him. Both the Levite and the Priest “passed him by,” They thought they had “better things to do” but not the Samaritan man. The Samaritan was probably not as well versed in the religion of the Old Testament but paid more attention to its teachings than they. 
  
  
• He was compassionate. This is always where helping others always starts. It starts when our heart becomes burdened by the plight of another. Without a compassionate heart we will always be more interested in getting where we’re going and keeping our own hands clean than we are in helping someone who is hurting.
  
  
• He was present. The first man “saw” him but passed by on the other side of the road. The second man actually “came and looked” but also passed by on the other side of the road. But the Samaritan actually “came where he was.” Ezekiel put it like this: “I sat where they sat.”[iv] The Samaritan didn’t just stop and gawk, but “went to him.”
  
  
• He got his hands dirty. Helping others in a crisis is not white collar work even if you might be a white collar worker. If we really want to make a difference in people’s lives then we’ll have to get down and dirty with them sometimes.  He was willing to bear the man up with all of his strength and set him upon his beast. While the afflicted man rode the Samaritan’s animal, the Samaritan would have to walk the rest of the way to the nearest Inn.
  
  
• He provided for the man's healing. He poured medicine on his wounds, bandaged him, and took him to an inn to nurture him.
  
  
• He paid for his care. Jesus said, “Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” The Samaritan truly showed how much he cared by the price he was willing to pay. He paid the innkeeper two days wages for the cost of lodging and told him he would pay any other costs which might incur. 
  This man was destitute after being robbed and could pay absolutely nothing. He was at the mercy of this good Samaritan but the Samaritan came through with all that was needed.
  
  
• He promised to come back. He said, “…when I return.” We don’t know if it was already in his plans to come back through that way or not. He does not say when he would return but he promised that he would do so. Having seen this man’s character and his compassion, we can be sure that he did come back just as he said he would.
  
  
• He followed through in every detail. He did not leave unfinished meeting any need of this injured and deprived man. He brought everything to completion. There was no need left unattended to, no detail left unnoticed, no sacrifice left unmade, no cost left unpaid, no distance left untravelled, and no promise left unfulfilled.

There is much we can learn from this story about having compassion on others who have experienced disasters in their lives. We have seen many of these kinds of people in the last couple of weeks in the Gulf Coastal areas of Texas and Louisiana. Thank God, there are still plenty of Good Samaritans out there. Many of them never planned to do what they’ve done for others in the last several days but when crunch time came they rose up to the occasion to help those in need. These are individuals who never asked “Who is my neighbor.” They already knew that the people they were looking at, regardless of nationality, skin color or background were indeed their neighbors.

But we still haven’t answered the question of who the real mystery man is. Who is there who really always does the loving thing – even for those whom others would say, “They’re not worth it?”

The answer: Jesus Christ.

He left heaven and came to this cold, dark, murky, sinful world to where we live.

He had compassion for me and for you in our desperate condition – those of us who were “sinners, poor and needy, weak and wounded sick and sore.” We were “thirsty,” “weary, heavy laden, lost and ruined by the fall”[v] but he came to our rescue.

He provided for our healing. We were sickened and near death because of our sin against God. Jesus came and poured in the wine of his blood and the oil of the Holy Spirit into our lives so that we might be healed.

He paid what we could never pay ourselves. We owed an insurmountable debt to God but he covered the cost through his death on the cross.

He promised he would return, saying: “I will come again and receive you to myself; that where I am, there you may be also.”[vi]

He completed his work. “He is also able to save to the uttermost those who come to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them.” Just before he died on the cross he uttered; “It is finished.”[vii] He did not fail to perform one little bit of everything that was required for our redemption.

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[i] Luke 10.25-37

[ii] Denarii is the plural form of the word Denarius, a Roman coin which contained approximately 1/8 ounces of silver. It may not sound like very much to you or me but it was originally the price of 10 donkeys (later 16). In the bible (Matthew 20.2), it was the amount paid to a common laborer for a day’s work.

[iii] John 4.9

[iv] Ezekiel 3.15

[v] I Will Arise and Go to Jesus – song written by William Walker

[vi] John 14.3

[vii] Hebrews 7.25