Oh, to Be a Brother

“But a certain Samaritan, who was on a journey, came upon him; and when he saw him, he felt compassion, and came to him, and bandaged up his wounds, pouring oil and wine on them; and he put him on his own beast, and brought him to an inn, and took care of him.” Luke 10:33-34

Years ago in the Phillippines, I heard a story (which is similar to a story that others have told in other parts of the world) of a man who parked his car in his office complex in downtown Manila. A street boy was nearby and asked if he could watch the man’s car while he was in the office.

Several hours later, when the man came back to get his nice Mercedes, he paid the boy some loose change and was surprised when the boy asked if someone had given him the car. The man replied, “Well, yes, my brother gave it to me.”

The lad responded, “I wish I could be a brother like that.”

The man was amazed at the statement, and asked if the boy would like a ride. The boy jumped up in the front seat and as they drove down the road, the man had to roll down the windows because the little boy was so smelly.

The boy then asked, “Sir, could we go get my little brother and give him a ride, too?” The man agreed, and followed the boy’s direction to a poor slum area of Manila called Tondo. The little boy ran down a filthy alleyway and few minutes later came back with his little brother on his back. He was crippled!

As they drove and talked, the man found out the brother had a crippling accident and because his family was so poor, they could not get him the medical care he needed.

The businessman said, “My brother is a doctor. Why don’t we go see him and find out what he can do for your little brother?” After the examination they found that with a simple operation, the younger brother would be able to walk again. The operation was performed and the little boy was able to walk.

Why did all this happen? Simply because of the unselfishness of someone caring for someone else, rather than for himself. So, might we have the words on our lips, “I wish I could be a brother (or mother, father, sister, fellow worker) like that.”

- Doug Nichols
Action International Ministries