Maputo 6/1/2014
Temperatures were in the high 30s when I went for lunch, I guess about 37C.
Even walking from the office to the restaurant was torture.
Sprawled between two parked vehicles, his head barely in the shade I saw him. He could not have been there last night, otherwise the vehicles would not have parked the way they did.
He was laying in an awkward position, somewhat on his back, with his upper body resting on his left side, left arm slung out and the other resting on his body.
He is very still, and from where I am walking I cannot see whether he is breathing or not. In the full sun, head barely in the shade.
Locals were passing by, as I was, on all side, perhaps casting a cursory glance in his direction. A traffic policeman merely 20m away from him, surely he must have seen him, someone must have told him.
And I felt just like one of the travelers passing by the injured man on the road to Jerusalem. Who is going to be his Samaritan? He is laying there next to the road, clothes barely covering him, his pants below his hips. He looks lifeless, with skin barely covering his bones. I have never seen anyone as thin as him before. He is clearly malnourished.
I imagined him stopping and struggling down the road, his strength finally giving way where he fell. I do not know if he is dead, but there is nothing I could, or want to do, neither does his countrymen want to get involved. They are scared to look his way, much less touch him.
I pray that one Samaritan come his way, to help him, to rescue him, or arrange for his lifeless body to be taken to the morgue.
Luke 10:30 ->
...Jesus said "A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, when he fell into the hands of robbers. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him and went away, leaving him half dead.
A priest happened to be going down the same road, and when he saw the man, he passed by on the other side.
So too, a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. But a Samaritan as he traveled, came where the man was; and when he saw him, he took pity on him. He went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he put the man on his own donkey, took him to an inn and took care of him. The next day he took out two silver coins and give them to the inn-keeper. 'Look after him', he said, and when I return, I will reimburse you for any extra expense you may have.
Which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of the robbers?"
The expert in the law replied:
'The one who had mercy on him'.
Jesus told him: "Go and do likewise."
But I did not do likewise, I walked by on the other side, and I felt bad doing it. I felt bad for him.
But I was not going to help him in this country, but I also do not think that at this stage I would have done anything different in South Africa. I just don't want to get involved. But I am compelled by someone, something, the Holy Spirit, to act, to do something. But I am too scared to get involved, too scared that he has some sort of disease that I will catch when I touch him, too scared that he will cost me some of my time, or money or resources, or whatever.
I just don't know what to do but I will try to listen to the Holy Spirit. I will try to do what He tells me to do. I am not sure if I have the confidence to do it, but I am willing to learn (I think).
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