Luke 10:25-37 ~ The Good Samaritan
In the parable of the Good Samaritan, a lawyer asked Jesus what he should do to inherit eternal life. Jesus replied with the story of a man lying robbed and wounded by the side of a road. A priest and Levite (both, on the face of it, men of God with high status) walked by the wounded man but did not help him.
But a man from Samaria (no one special in the scheme of things) saw him and took pity. He had compassion for him. So he patched him up and took him to an inn, gave the innkeeper money for his care, and even promised to return with more money if needed. The Samaritan not only showed a significantly warm heart, but he also went the extra mile with his care.
Jesus says that it is what is in people’s hearts that God cares about, not how they present or perceive themselves to be – whether that be better than they are or worse than they are. Because if you have a warm heart, God can help you mold out any faults of character you might have.
Although he was otherwise quite ordinary, the good Samaritan showed himself as an exceptionally kind, compassionate, and generous person.
God searches the whole earth for people like him who genuinely care about others, but they need not be perfect in their attitudes, actions or thoughts. Because none of us is perfect, we are all works in progress; God is the potter, we are the clay.
However, although God does not expect us to be perfect, he does expect us to keep trying to be. And he rejoices in our ongoing acts of kindness and compassion and the gradual reduction of flaws in our persona.
So forgive yourself for your weaknesses and imperfections because God has, and turn your face towards Him and see how you can help those around you who are struggling.
Then, little by little, as we work with God to iron out our various shortcomings and continue with acts of kindness, we will eventually realise that our life is filling up with more compassion, peace, and joy – and the hope of more of this to come in eternity.
You might enjoy reading other parables:
The parable of the vine and branches
The parable of the lost sheep
The parable of the prodigal son
The parable of the talents
Jesus turns water into wine parable
The parable of the sower
