Luke 10: 36 Which of these three, do you think, was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of the robbers?” 37 He said, “The one who showed him mercy.” Jesus said to him, “Go and do likewise.” [1]
Today we concluded four days of “Parable Prayer” at my church – three prayers a day for four days- “Parable Prayer.” While each of the parables of Jesus evokes different feelings, the one that really kept drawing me back this week is the “Parable of the Good Samaritan.” I can say first hand that being a “Good Samaritan” is not all it’s cracked up to be! I want to tell you a story, a true story about an incident in my life where I felt called to try to live up to the Parable of the Good Samaritan. Truth can be stranger than fiction, so here we go…
I live in Detroit, Michigan in the United States of America. Yes, Detroit – the city that gave birth to the U.S. automobile industry. I can imagine what you are thinking. You probably have heard that Detroit is a rough city with high levels of murder, unemployment and a lot of other negatives. For eight years, at the same time I pastored a church, between 1994 and 2001 I served as an elected member of the Detroit City Council. This is the local legislative body for the city. One summer night while driving home from church, about 9:15 or so in the evening, I drove east on Warren Ave, then south on McClellan, heading for Jefferson Street. I live on Lodge dr. which is the continuation of McClellan south of Jefferson. About two blocks from my street, I saw two men fighting. One was a tall, skinny, light skinned with a reddish brown Afro. The other guy was large with a dark complexion, wearing an over-sized white Tee Shirt. I slowed down, like an idiot to watch them fight -Neither seemed to be getting the better of the other. I was talking on my City of Detroit Car Cell phone. The next thing I knew, the two men pushed away from each other. The tall skinny guy held up both hands. It was getting dark and I was a half a block away from them, so I could not see exactly what was happening. The big man held out his hand like he was pointing at the tall skinny guy. The next thing I knew, I saw a flash of light that looked like fire come from the hand of the big man.
I could not believe what I had just witnessed – the big guy had shot the tall skinny guy at point blank range! I could not have been more than 75 yards from them. The tall skinny guy started walking up the street toward my car. The big guy just stood in the open field where he had fired the gun. I froze. Seated in my car, I told the person I was talking to I had just witnessed a shooting. The tall skinny guy with the reddish brown afro staggered up the street toward my car. I put the car in reverse and slowly backed up the block. Every now and then I would look up to see where the shooter was. As the tall, skinny fellow got closer, I realized he had been shot in the throat, I imagine the “Adam’s apple.” The blood was not gushing yet, but steady.
I started thinking about the “Good Samaritan.” I called 911 and reported the shooting and asked for the police. The tall skinny guy kept walking toward me. I think he wanted to lay on the hood of my car. I wanted to get out of the car, but I was afraid of the shooter. I was sure he saw me, and now he had disappeared. I backed up the car and at Kercheval Street turned the corner and parked in front of a church. The tall, skinny guy fell out exhausted and bleeding on the ground in the curb lane. I swung my car around to protect him from on-coming traffic.
After what seemed like an eternity a nurse on her way home – a white woman, jumped out of her car and frantically performed CPR on the man in the street. I felt bad, and still feel bad that I did not do more to help him, but I was fearful the shooter had seen me and would try to shoot me as well. I stayed with the man until the ambulance came and took him away. When the police finally showed up, I gave them my name and told them what I had seen. I never heard again from the police, so I assume the fellow survived the shooting. The whole time I kept thinking about the Parable of the Good Samaritan and what would Jesus think about my behavior toward the man who had been shot? Would the Lord be upset with me because I did not get out of the car and try to staunch the flow of blood? Would the Lord be mad at me because I did not hold his hand? Yes, I called the police, and yes, I called for an ambulance and waited with the man, but had I done enough?
After giving my statement to the police officer, I made my way home-all of two blocks, and kept thinking to myself, this “Good Samaritan” stuff is not all it is cracked up to be! Even tonight as I pen this little missive, I still wonder did I let the Lord down in not doing more for the man in the street.
Nick
Rev. Dr. Nicholas Hood III
[1] The Holy Bible: New Revised Standard Version. 1989 (Lk 10:25–37). Nashville: Thomas Nelson Publishers.
Nicholas Hood III MInistries 
REV.HOOD you did a good thing to sit there with him and block traffic. Also your godly presence prevented him from further harm, you have done so much good in this community, God is never disappointed in his saints! keep up the good work you good!
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God works through many people; you were one of many who helped this man, by being the first to call for help, the nurse who performed CPR; the paramedics arrived and assisted him, and the police that took your statement. You stayed with and shielded the man the entire time. There is always “more” you think you could have done, but short of hurling yourself in front of the bullet(!), you were a Good Samaritan.
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