Cleaning the wounds

A Samaritan traveler who came upon him was moved with compassion at the sight. He approached the victim, poured oil and wine over his wounds...--Luke 10:33-34

The next step in repairing a windshield chip is, you have to clean out the break using a small tool or compressed air. You need to remove excess glass, grit, etc., before you can seal the crack.

What's true of wounded windshields is also true of wounded bodies. The Good Samaritan when he came upon the injured man, he cleaned his wounds with wine. The alcohol in the wine served as a disinfectant. It probably hurt like crazy on the raw wounds, but the pain was necessary to prevent infection. The Good Samaritan then poured oil over the cleansed wounds to soothe and start the healing process.

Jesus deals with our wounded souls in the same way. He pours over us His Precious Blood and Water, flowing from His Pierced Side, to cleanse us. Then He sends the oil of His Holy Spirit to heal us.

Lord Jesus, please, when I start to complain because the process of being cleansed is painful, help me to remember that it is necessary to go through the pain in order to be healed. Amen.