Day 24 — The Good Samaritan

“‘Which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?’ ‘The one who showed him mercy,’ replied the expert in the law. Then Jesus told him, ‘Go and do likewise.’”

— Luke 10:36–37 (BSB)

An expert in God’s law came to test Jesus. He knew God’s command: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” But he wanted to find a loophole. So he asked, “And who is my neighbor?” Maybe he hoped Jesus would give him a short list, so he wouldn’t have to love everybody.

So Jesus told a story.

A man was walking along a lonely road from Jerusalem to Jericho. Robbers attacked him, took everything he had, beat him up and left him lying by the road, half dead.

Soon a priest came down the road. Surely he would help! But when he saw the hurt man, he crossed to the other side and kept walking. Then a Levite, someone who helped in God’s temple, came by. He looked, and he also crossed over and walked on.

Then a Samaritan came along. Remember, Jews and Samaritans didn’t get along at all. The people listening to Jesus would have expected the Samaritan to be the bad guy in the story!

But when the Samaritan saw the man, “he had compassion.” He knelt down, cleaned and bandaged his wounds, put him on his own donkey and took him to an inn. He took care of him all night. The next day, he paid the innkeeper and said, “Take care of him. If it costs more, I’ll pay you when I come back.”

Then Jesus asked, “Which of these three was a neighbor to the hurt man?” The expert had to answer, “The one who showed him mercy.” And Jesus said, “Go and do likewise.”

Do you see what Jesus did? The man asked, “Who do I have to love?” Jesus turned the question around: “Who needs you to be a neighbor to them?” Your neighbor isn’t just someone who lives near you or someone you like. It’s anyone who needs help, even someone different from you, even someone you don’t get along with.

Being a neighbor costs something. The Samaritan gave his time, his money and his comfort. But that’s what love does.

Think about it: Who is someone in your life who needs you to be a “good Samaritan” to them?

Try this: Look for someone who needs help today, and don’t walk by on the other side. Stop and help.

Dear Jesus, thank You for showing me what it means to be a good neighbor. Help me not to walk past people who need help. Give me a heart full of compassion, even for people who are different from me. Help me go and do likewise. In Your name, Amen.