I was inspired to write this entry after watching the movie, Paper Angels. The movie’s protagonist was a young boy who was a compassionate giver. And as such, I felt inclined to write about another compassionate giver, but from the Bible. Compassion is defined as the feeling that arises when you are confronted with another's suffering and feel motivated to relieve that suffering. Luke 10:30-37 tells a story that many of us may have heard before, “The Parable of the Good Samaritan”. However, it wasn’t until recently that I fully understood the depth and impact of this story. Now, to fully understand the message behind this story, we need a little background information. SO, LET’S GO.

It was around the time after the death of King Solomon that the nation of Israel split into two kingdoms (1 Kings 12; 2 Chronicles 10). The Northern Kingdom of Israel and The Southern Kingdom of Judah. King Jeroboam controlled the Northern Kingdom of Israel, where he ruled over ten tribes, while King Rehoboam (Solomon’s son) reigned over the tribes of Judah, Benjamin, and Levi in the Southern Kingdom of Judah. The capital of the Southern Kingdom became Jerusalem, and the capital of the Northern Kingdom became Samaria.

Out of the Northern Kingdom came Samaritans, half-Jews, and half Gentiles, who were said to have a compromised morality. The Samaritans were known for being vile and wicked people who practiced heavy idolatry. In the story, a man was travelling from Jerusalem to Jericho. While on his journey, he was robbed, beaten, and left to die. Shortly after this, a priest followed by a Levite came travelling down the same road, and when they saw the beaten stranger, they ignored him, passed him by, and continued on their journey. Afterward, a Samaritan man came travelling along the same road. When he saw the wounded man, he stopped to help him. The Samaritan dressed the man’s wounds, placed him on his donkey, carried him to an inn, paid for the inn, and took care of him.

The priest and Levite were both servants and workers in God’s Temple in Jerusalem and were perceived to have a higher morality than the other people in the kingdoms. However, it is ironic that the people who were supposed to be ‘just’ and ‘righteous’ were the ones who turned a blind eye to someone in need? Both men failed to display the love of Christ. So, what does this tell us about them? It tells us that the Levite and the priest were displaying a Pharisee-like mentality. They were not actively practicing what they preached, and their roles in serving and working in God’s Temple became mostly ritualistic. Whereas the priest and Levite saw the man's situation as a problem to avoid, the Samaritan man saw a person in need of attention.

The Samaritan man despite the pre-conceived notations of who he was supposed to be, showed what the love of Christ meant. He allowed his day to be interrupted to help someone in need. He never stopped to consider the inconvenience or the expense of helping this stranger. He didn’t ask or wanted praise. He instead gave his time, resources, and energy to help this man he probably would never see again. This is what we call sacrificial service. Too often people just want to be served and not to serve.

The parable of the Good Samaritan demonstrates to us that anyone can give. It doesn’t matter who we are or who we think we are. We are all in a position to help someone else as there is true greatness in serving others. For even scripture shares that the Son of Man didn’t come to earth to be served, but to serve and give his life as a ransom for many (Mark 10:45). So, let’s all take a leaf from the Samaritan man. Don’t see people in need and some it up as a problem to avoid but rather see it as someone who needs attention because truly isn’t this exactly what Christ has called us to do; to love our neighbours as ourselves (Matthew 22:37-39).

"…Lets us not love in word or in tongue BUT in action and in truth". 

- 1 John 3:17-18