“Slow Down Long Enough To Serve”

          An ethics professor at Princeton Seminary asked for volunteers for an extra assignment. At two o'clock, fifteen students gathered at Speer Library. There he divided the group of fifteen into three groups of five each. He gave envelopes to the first group of five, telling them to proceed immediately across campus to Stewart Hall and that they had fifteen minutes to get there. If they didn't arrive on time it would affect their grade. This he called the "High Hurry" group. A minute or two later he handed out envelopes to five others. Their instructions were also to go over to Stewart Hall, but they were given forty-five minutes. They were the "Medium Hurry" group. After they departed he gave the last of the envelopes with instructions to the third group, the "Low Hurry" group. They were given three hours to arrive at Stewart Hall. Now, unknown to any of these students, the teacher had arranged for three students from the Princeton University Drama Department to meet them along the way, acting as people in great need. In front of Alexander Hall one of the drama students was going around covering his head with his hands and moaning out loud as though in great pain. As the seminary students passed by Miller Chapel on their way to Stewart Hall they found a fellow who was on the steps lying face down as if unconscious. And finally on the very steps of Stewart Hall the third drama student was acting out a seizure. It's interesting that of the first group no one stopped; of the second, two of the five stopped; and of the third group all five stopped.

In Luke 10:30-37, the Bible says, “Then Jesus answered and said: “A certain man went down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell among thieves, who stripped him of his clothing, wounded him, and departed, leaving him half dead. ³¹Now by chance a certain priest came down that road. And when he saw him, he passed by on the other side. ³²Likewise a Levite, when he arrived at the place, came and looked, and passed by on the other side. ³³But a certain Samar-itan, as he journeyed, came where he was. And when he saw him, he had compassion. ³⁴So he went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine; and he set him on his own animal, brought him to an inn, and took care of him. ³⁵On the next day, when he
departed, he took out two denarii, gave them to the innkeeper, and said to him, ‘Take care of him; and whatever more you spend, when I come again, I will repay you.’ ³⁶So which of these three do you think was neighbor to him who fell among the thieves?” ³⁷And he said, “He who showed mercy on him.” Then Jesus said to him, “Go and do likewise.”

          We aren’t privy to every thought and intent Jesus had in mind as He contrasted the priest, the Levite and the Samaritan in the preceding parable. Certainly, one element could be that the first two were in too big of a hurry to be helpful. Such is the case with many in today’s world.

          Some things are more important than speed and productivity. It has been said that it is better to “wear out” or “burn out” than to “rust out.” While this may be true in certain ways, it is also better to slow down long enough so as to not miss really significant moments in life. Situations where we might be of great help and encouragement to another are too often lost because of our pace of living. They become little more than a blur in our wake.

Slowing down long enough to serve is so often what Jesus did. If we follow in His steps, at least we ourselves will not be guilty of running past those in need in the same mad rush as everyone else.