Deeper Reflection
I SOMETIMES WONDER, WHEN THE SAMARITAN STOPPED to help the injured man, whether he kept looking around to see if there might be other robbers who would attack him as well. It would have been understandable. I recall that when I served with a church’s homeless ministry in the US, I would continually scan the surroundings even as we gave out lunches to the homeless folks, as the area was known for the occasional stabbing. At other times, some of the homeless guys would be high and one would have to factor that when engaging with them. Another friend who used to distribute food to the needy in a tough neighbourhood went back to her car to find the tyres slashed. A friend’s father who ministered to prisoners once got injured because a prisoner got agitated during a Bible study and hit his head. Thankfully, the injury was not serious.If we are going to meet the needy where they are, then sometimes we will have to accept some risks. However, this is not a call to be reckless. Whenever I walked onto that train station in the US to give out food, I kept my eyes and ears alert to discern whether there might be any heightened threat. If we are going to be in a dodgy area, it is probably wise to go at least in pairs. As a former German commander said, “First reckon, then risk”. But I also recall what a pastor once told me during a mission trip: “The safest place in the world is to be in the centre of God’s will.”