This reminds me of the parable Jesus told of the lost sheep. If one goes astray, the shepherd will leave the rest of the flock to go search for him. When he finds him, he carries him home and calls for a time of rejoicing. The similarity I see between these two passages of Scripture is that the beat up man was leaving the city, Jerusalem, as the lost sheep had left the flock. They were both alone. No longer in the midst of their own. But the Lord comes as a Good Samaritan and as the Good Shepherd to find and rescue those who are lost and wounded.

 

What motivates Him to do this? His love and compassion. The Bible says that the Good Samaritan felt compassion on the wounded man when he saw him. The Shepherd rejoiced in finding the lost sheep. He wasn't mad, he didn't beat the sheep, but carried him home on his shoulders, rejoicing. Jesus said the Son of man came to seek and save the lost. (Luke 19:10). He does this because of His great love for us. This love is not just for the sinner, but also for His own who have become separated from the flock. Do you know of one who has lost their way? Maybe it's you, who while traveling away from a prior place, came upon an attack of some type, or simply got lost. These ones the Lord is looking for in order to bring healing, and to carry to a place of recovery.

 

Once we are healed, we can offer this same search and rescue compassion on others. Whether we are out searching for them, or simply come upon them while we are on our journey, we care for the hurt and wounded with a compassionate and rejoicing heart, We put them on our donkey/shoulders and carry them until they are free from harm and in a place where recovery and healing can occur.

 

The compassion of the Lord is not simple pity. It's not comfort He gives so you can stay in a place of being a victim. His compassion is powerful enough to deliver you from your circumstance. It binds up your wounds and removes you from your victim positioning. It brings you to the resting place. The place where you can rest as your body heals itself. The physical body was designed to heal itself, The spiritual body is meant to do the same thing.

 

Today, allow the compassion of the Lord to flow through you. It brings rest, which brings strength and health. Allow it to raise you up out of the victim's bed. Receive the powerful deliverance that the Lord's compassion brings. Jesus used His own blood to wash you, and His own body to bandage you. If you will receive Him, He pours out the Holy Spirit upon you, anointing you, so you may not only fully recover, but help others as well.