The Word

In Luke 10, Jesus is asked "what is the most important commandment?"

He responds that the greatest commandment is to "love the Lord your

God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind"

and the second to "love your neighbor as yourself". Jesus was then

immediately asked who counts as a neighbor and he responds with a

parable or a story lesson that is an example for everyday life.

This Parable of course tells the tale of the Good Samaritan

Luke 10:25-37 ESV

25 And behold, a lawyer stood up to put him to the test, saying,

"Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?" 26 He said to him,

"What is written in the Law? How do you read it?" 27 And he answered,

"You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your

soul and with all your strength and with all your mind, and your

neighbor as yourself." 28 And he said to him, "You have answered

correctly; do this, and you will live." 29 But he, desiring to justify

himself, said to Jesus, "And who is my neighbor?" 30 Jesus replied, "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. 31 Now by chance a priest was going down that road, and when

he saw him he passed by on the other side. 32 So likewise a Levite,

when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side.

33 But a Samaritan, as he journeyed, came to where he was, and when

he saw him, he had compassion. 34 He went to him and bound up his

wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he set him on his own animal

and brought him to an inn and took care of him. 35 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.' 36 Which of these three, do you think, proved to be a neighbor

to the man who fell among the robbers?" 37 He said, "The one who

showed him mercy." And Jesus said to him, "You go, and do likewise."

The Weapon

Emergency situations and disasters can take many forms. Hurricanes,

floods, fires, earthquakes, car accidents and missing persons situations

are not just the makings of television news stories. These events can

occur at any time. The first responders to an accident or emergency

often are not trained professionals but citizens and community

members who are already on the scene.

No matter where or what kind of incident it is, paramedics and police

officers tend to always use the term "bystander."

But bystander is a passive word. It means what it says; that the person

is standing by—simply near what is happening. A bystander doesn't

help. He watches. A bystander isn't useful. She just gets in the way.

The thing is: most people don't really act that way. They jump in and

help when the going gets tough. A witness comes forward and tells the

authorities what he saw. A Good Samaritan pulls the injured to safety

or tries to stop the bleeding. Whatever needs to be done usually gets

done by the person on the street or the patient's coworkers. Most

people don't just stand by.

Your life and the lives of others may depend on your ability to respond

during an emergency situation. As a first responder to an emergency or

accident scene, you may be the only one to provide information and

assistance until the authorities arrive.

If you’ve followed me for any amount of time, you’re very familiar with

the idea of two kinds of first responders. The first is the Professional

First Responders: These are the folks who come to our aid when we

need help. We’re talking about, police officers, firefighters, emergency

medical