The Good Samaritan

Heart Prep

Jesus, show me how my life can be what You want it to be.

Luke 10:36-37  “Which of these three do you think proved to be a neighbor to the man who fell
into the robbers’ hands? And he said, The one who showed mercy toward him.
Then Jesus said to him, Go and do the same.”

Picture this:  A man is traveling, gets mugged and beaten, and is left for dead.  A priest -- think of a preacher -- is walking down the road, sees him, and crosses to the other side of the road to go around him. The man is still lying in the ditch, almost dead.  Next, a Levite, an assistant to the priests –- imagine a deacon or a youth pastor -- sees him, also crosses to the other side of the road and keeps on going, leaving the man for dead. Next, a Samaritan, who is traveling by, sees him. Now, the Hebrew people viewed people from the region of Samaria very poorly, because they were half Jew and half Gentile.  But it is the Samaritan who has compassion on the man and stops, cleans his wounds and bandages them up, then puts him on his own horse, and takes him to the nearest inn for care. He tells the innkeeper he will pay for whatever the man needs, and leaves money for that purpose.

At the telling of this parable, Jesus was with His disciples and was answering a question from a lawyer. He finished answering the question and told the lawyer to love his neighbor as himself, and then He told the story of the Samaritan.  Afterward, He explained to all of those listening that the man in the ditch, broken and bleeding, is their neighbor, and they are to be like the Samaritan, showing mercy to one another and giving for their needs.  

The priest and the Levite would both have been teachers in the Synagogue and were esteemed to be the religious ones, but they failed the test. The faith God is looking for is not just a faith of words, but of actions.  He wants His followers to love others and care for them. In fact, He says “By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another” (John 13:35).

Life Application

Challenge: Read the entire story of the Good Samaritan in Luke 10:30-37.

Does your life show that you are a follower of Christ because of your love for others?

What are the changes you need to make in yourself and in your life in order to show more love to others?

Plan and carry out a project that follows the command of Jesus to do as the Samaritan did.