Scripture to Read: Luke 10:33–35
Jesus used the most unlikely hero in His story. God had Luke record in Luke 10:33–35, “But a Samaritan, who was on a journey, came upon him; and when he saw him, he felt compassion, 34 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. 35 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.’” This Samaritan was the most unlikely hero because of how the Samaritans were viewed in the days of Jesus. Jesus knew that most of the people listening were shocked when He said the man who helped was a Samaritan. Jews and Samaritans hated each other. Therefore, the Samaritan had more than enough reasons to pass right on by this Jewish man who had been beaten and robbed. But the Samaritan sacrificially loved the Jewish man and cared for him. The money the Samaritan gave the innkeeper would have been enough to care for the Jewish man for two or possibly three weeks. The Samaritan man loved as God had commanded. He loved his neighbor as himself. Like Jesus, the Samaritan was despised by most Jews, but that did not stop him from loving the Jewish man and seeking to heal him from all he had been through. Jesus has called us to love the same way, sacrificially.
Challenge & Application
Why did Jesus choose to use the Samaritan as the hero, and what impact would it have had on the Jewish crowd listening?
What are some ways we can practically love our neighbor as ourselves?
Don’t forget to pray using the A.C.T.S. (Adoration, Confession, Thanksgiving, Supplication) method!