ROAD TO JERICHO: Francesco Bassano "The Good Samaritan," c. 1575; The Samaritan, upon encountering the disabled man, washed his wounds, bandaged them, carried the man on his donkey to a nearby inn and paid for the innkeeper to care for him until he returned.

Exceptional Parent Magazine has been pleading on behalf of a population, who, through no fault or even option of their own, is incapable. They have been accomplishing this galactic task for 50 years, more recently under the leadership of Editor-in-Chief Dr. Richard Rader. For those who cannot express the following sentiment for themselves, I advocate for them with a resounding "thank you" Exceptional Parent Magazine, and thank you, Dr. Rader.

Before we bask in the successes of the past 50 years, I'm certain that Exceptional Parent Magazine will be first in line to acknowledge that the task is not yet complete. That is, of course, until the day all genetic defects and disabilities no longer exist. A state of being which some attribute to one of the benefits of Heaven. But, until then, along with Exceptional Parent Magazine, Dr. Rader and all of the parents of those who have been blessed with a special needs family member, and me, we press on.

In the New Testament, Jesus related a remarkable story of a special needs person and offered a prescription for how we are to behave :

On one occasion an expert in the law stood up to test Jesus. "Teacher," he asked, "what must I do to inherit eternal life?"

"What is written in the Law?" Jesus replied. "How do you read it?"

ith all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind’; and, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’”

“You have answered correctly,” Jesus replied. “Do this and you will live.”

But he wanted to justify himself, so he asked Jesus, "And who is my neighbor?"

THE METAPHORICAL “ROAD” IS LONG

WHICH IS A GOOD THING, BECAUSE IT AFFORDS US EVEN MORE OPPORTUNITIES TO BE GOOD NEIGHBORS.

As the parable progresses, Jesus relates the story of a Jewish man, who while traveling alone on a desolate road between Jerusalem and Jericho, was beaten, robbed and left for dead. The disabled man was then encountered by three different passersby who happened to intersect with him on the road. A Jewish priest, a Levite and a Samaritan. First a brief lesson in first century Palestinian culture. Samaritans and Jews hated each other and were very unlikely to come to each other's aid. The priest and the Levite were from the same culture as the disabled man. The Samaritan was not.

In contrast to the Samaritan, who would have been considered a heathen to both men, the priest and Levite were considered to be righteous, upstanding pillars of society. They knew and taught the Scripture.

When both men saw the disabled man lying on the road, they both crossed to the other side. The Samaritan, however, upon encountering the man washed his wounds, bandaged them, carried the man on his donkey to a nearby inn and paid for the innkeeper to care for him until he returned. Jesus then asked the expert in the law, "Which one of these three men was a neighbor?"

The learned man said, "The one who showed mercy.

" Jesus responded, "Go and do likewise."

These words were spoken 2000 years ago. The question for us today is how in the world did we ever get this far as a civilized people “crossing

The metaphor for the man on the road comes in many shapes, sizes, ages and genders. The man in the road sometimes has an IQ of 160, and more often, much less than that. He may wear a suit and tie or even tattered, dirty clothing. He, many times, has two legs but sometimes one or none. Communicative skills? Who knows? I’ve heard the man on the road, in a very articulate manner say, “Can you please help me?” As an emergency room physician, who often has the honor and privilege to care for special needs patients, many times gets no more than a squeak, drool or scream. I simply translate that into a “Can you please help me?”

The metaphorical "road" is long. Which is a good thing, because it affords us even more opportunities to be good neighbors.

The road is long. Don't cross to the other side. •

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Dr. Carl Lange is an Emergency Medicine physician practicing in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He is Board Certified by the American Board of Surgery and works with University of Pittsburgh Physicians at The University of Pittsburgh Medical Center.