The Subway Samaritan

Last Saturday morning, I woke up and had some time with the Lord, praying and reading the Word.  Then,  I headed out to go to where I minister to South Asians.  I live in Manhattan and need to take a subway to Queens in order to do this.  As usual, I was running late.  

At the subway station, the subway was running late.  "Great, just what I needed!", I thought sarcastically.  While waiting for the train, I overheard a lady on her cell phone.  She was making a call to someone with whom she had an appointment to explain that she would be late.  I remember thinking that, even though she disliked being late, she sounded patient.  Patient Lady seemed like a nice person.

Well, the subway finally came and it was kind of full, but Patient Lady and I both got on.  She went one way on the train and I another.   There were only 2 available seats and they were next to each other.  Right next to one of these seats was a drunk man.  His empty whisky bottle was sticking out of his coat pocket, his hat and glasses were on the subway floor near his feet and he was completely passed out.

Thankful that I did not have to sit directly next to Passed Out Drunk Man, I sat one seat over.  After sitting I realized that he was swaying with the motion of the train.  People sitting across from the man were watching him sway towards me.  All I could think were things like: "I hope he doesn't fall onto me!" or "What if he vomits, or has lice or something?  I can't go do ministry if I am dirty."

Then it happened!  He fell onto me!  Even though we had one seat between us, his head fell right onto my shoulder!  I winced and gently pushed him back up.  He briefly woke up, looked around and passed out again.  Now, I was living in fear of him falling again.  Everyone was looking at me.  I imagined that some looked at me with pity and others with mild curiosity.  No one spoke.  They all just watched my little drama and I knew they all could tell what I was thinking because I had zero poker face.

At the next stop, one of the girls sitting across from me left the subway car, I immediately got up and grabbed her seat.  Then, something amazing happened.    Patient Lady came down to our side of the train and sat RIGHT NEXT to Passed Out Drunk Man!  She picked up his hat and glasses and gently spoke to him, "I believe these are yours.".  As he sleepily awoke, she handed him his things.  He took them from her and passed out again.  She then laid a hand on his shoulder - yes she voluntarily touched him - and she appeared to be praying!

During the remainder of my subway ride, he fell on her several times - as he had done with me, but  she would gently sit him upright and continue sitting there and pat his arm with her hand.  Patient Lady looked like she was in absolute peace.  Our eyes met briefly, and she looked at me with total peace and zero judgment.  This made me feel really bad - I felt like I deserved a judgmental stare for being so self-consumed, not a patient, peaceful look.

And THAT is when Jesus' story of the Good Samaritan came to mind.  You know the parable  where the beat up man is in the gutter and all of the religious people - the priest and rabbi - walk to the OTHER SIDE OF THE SUBWAY- I mean, the other side of the road?  And I suddenly realized that I was Religious Lady running off to "do ministry" who was too busy to be contaminated by a drunk man.  But Patient Lady - who I now call the "Subway Samaritan" - was also late for a meeting, but she took time to show love and care to Passed Out Drunk Man.  

I realized that I had just lived a parable but I was playing the role of the ugliest character!  I didn't want the Passed Out Drunk Man to touch me; Subway Samaritan willingly touched him.  I didn't want to sit  near him; Subway Samaritan willingly sat RIGHT NEXT to him.  I was too selfish to think about him; Subway Samaritan let go of herself to show kindness to him.  And Subway Samaritan did not look at me with judgment.  She treated me with the same patience she showed to Passed Out Drunk Man.

So, my prayer is that I would be someone who lives ministry instead of someone who does ministry.  I want to be someone who sees opportunities that God gives me to love and care for people.  I pray that I would especially take notice of these opportunities when they do not fit into my schedule or when they are unpleasant or risky.  

And I thank the Lord for showing me that I am often not like the Good Samaritan, but more like the busy religious people in that parable. And I also thank Him for looking at me gently, just like the Subway Samaritan did.  I thank Him for being just as patient with me as she was with both me and Passed Out Drunk Man.

I pray that the Lord would keep Transforming Tammy into the image of His Son!  Amen.