![]() Leprosy was the most feared disease in New Testament culture. The Samaritan made a personal touch that ministered healing to the injured man. Very often, meeting the needs of others can be messy. The Samaritan bandaged up the man’s wounds and poured oil and wine on his injuries. We will move from simply “seeing” a person’s need, to acting on their behalf, from a heart of compassion. What changed? Someone brought us hope by telling us about Jesus! Remembering our past will cause us to be compassionate for those who are still separated from God and in spiritual need. We were separated from God and had no hope ( Ephesians 2:11-13). ![]() According to Ephesians 2:1-3, we were “dead in our trespasses and sins.” We lived according to this world, in disobedience to God. As believers, we must never forget what our condition used to be before we met Christ. Most likely, the Samaritan had suffered rejection in his own life, so he had personal experiences that moved him to act with compassion. Having hard hearts, the priest and the Levite walked on by unaffected by his plight. Jesus told His disciples that a heart hardened by unbelief prevented them from having spiritual insight ( Mark 8:17-21).Īll three of the men in Luke 10 – the priest, the Levite, and the Samaritan – saw the man lying by the side of the road. How many times do we pass by people without consciously seeing them? We throw up a hand to wave, or call out “good morning,” but we don’t really take time to see the person. We Must See Others with the Eyes of Our Heart The merciful response of the good Samaritan illustrates seven principles we need to incorporate into our lives, so that when we “happen upon” others by God’s sovereign plan, we will be ready to listen to the Holy Spirit as He prompts us to speak and act. People without Christ are in great need they have been robbed of the truth and are victims of our enemy’s desire to steal, kill and destroy. ![]() On the next day he took out two denarii and gave them to the innkeeper and said, ‘Take care of him and whatever more you spend, when I return I will repay you.’ 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.’”įrom a gospel perspective, the man lying on the side of the road represents an unbeliever – someone who does not have personal relationship with Jesus. But a Samaritan, who was on a journey, came upon him and when he saw him, he felt compassion and came to him and bandaged up his wounds, pouring oil and wine on them and he put him on his own beast, and brought him to an inn and took care of him. Likewise a Levite also, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. And by chance a priest was going down on that road, and when he saw him, he passed by on the other side. Luke 10:30-37 – “Jesus replied and said, ‘A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell among robbers, and they stripped him and beat him, and went away leaving him half dead. While the emphasis is on meeting a person’s physical needs, I believe the greater application is acting in response to the spiritual need for salvation.Ī close examination of this parable will teach us how to be “gospel-centered good Samaritans.” It’s a parable – a physical story with a spiritual lesson. The story of the Good Samaritan has been told and retold for centuries as an example of how to care for others and meet their needs in obedience to Jesus’ command to love God with all our heart, soul, mind and strength, and to love our neighbors as ourselves.
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