Recognition. Then… discomfort. He moves to the other side of the road.
And he crossed to the other side.
Now before you judge him too quickly — some scholars suggest he may have feared that the man was already dead. Under Jewish law, touching a dead body made you ceremonially unclean. He would have…
Recognition. Then… discomfort. He moves to the other side of the road.
And he crossed to the other side.
Now before you judge him too quickly — some scholars suggest he may have feared that the man was already dead. Under Jewish law, touching a dead body made you ceremonially unclean. He would have been disqualified from serving in the Temple.
So perhaps he told himself: I can't risk my calling. I have responsibilities. I'll pray for him.
But notice what his theology cost that man in the dirt.