Jesus taught many wonderful and powerful parables.  One of His most famous ones is The Parable of the Good Samaritan.  Let’s take a few minutes tonight to revisit it.

The purpose of this parable is to teach us the importance of loving our neighbors.  A life spent doing good for others is a life well-lived.  This parable teaches us how important it is to help others, especially those who are hurting.

The parable begins with a man being assaulted.  He has been beaten, almost to death (ver. 30).  Fortunately, a priest happens along (ver. 31).  The priests were the official ministers and leaders of worship in Israel.  They were to be compassionate and benevolent men, just like the God whom they served.  Unfortunately, the priest did not fulfill his duty to be compassionate, but instead, when he saw the man in need of help, he crossed the road and kept going.

Then, good fortune smiled upon this man again.  Another man came along, this time a Levite (ver. 32).  The Levites were the assistants to the priests.  Surely, he would help this man.  But it was not to be.  Like the priest before him, he too passed on the other side.  The conduct of these men was disgraceful and showed that they were self-centered men who did not care about others.  The fact that they were religious men made their actions even more deplorable.

Right when it appears that all is lost and that this man would die all alone on a dangerous and desolate road, a Samaritan came along (ver. 33).  There was an immediate difference between this man and the two religious men who came before him—he had compassion for the fallen man.

The word compassion means, “to be moved as to one’s inwards” (Vine).   Compassion, then, works from the inside out.  It has to do with having sympathy for those who are hurting.  As we examine our lives to determine if we are neighborly, we should ask ourselves, “Am I a person with compassion for others?”  “Do I care about my fellow man, regardless of his background or ethnicity?”  This is the heart of Christianity.  We are commanded to care about others.

Philippians 2:3-4 (ESV)
³ Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. ⁴ Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others.

The priest and the Levite in this parable obviously neglected to care for the man in need.   We must never fail to do so.  It begins with realizing the worth of every other person we meet in life.  People are important.  What people?  All people!  Everyone you ever meet will be a person with feelings just like you; a person who is valuable in the eyes of God just like you are; a person with a soul just like yours.

So, when we find people who need help, we should have compassion for them, and, like the good Samaritan, we should follow that compassion up with action (vers. 34-35).  Do you know the difference between sympathy and compassion?  Sympathy just feels, while compassion acts.   Do you have compassion for people?  Do you give a helping hand to others in need?  We have all probably failed to do so at some point.  Let’s make a habit of being like the good Samaritan and do good when someone we meet needs help.

As you wind down for the night, think about these things.