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5 Love Lessons from the Parable of the Good

Samaritan
CHRISTIAN INSPIRATION ·  PARABLE LESSONS

The Good Samaritan is a popular and powerful parable that teaches the
foundation of what it means to live a Christian life. But do we keep the spirit of
the Good Samaritan message alive in our daily lives? Do we put into practice
the key lessons it represents?

Contents   show  
THE PARABLE OF THE GOOD SAMARITAN SUMMARY:

The  Parable of the Good Samaritan  (also listed below), is in the Gospel of Luke
10:25-37 NIV.

When Jesus explained that the way to eternal life is to love God and love our
neighbors as ourselves, he was questioned about the definition of ‘neighbor’. He
used the parable to explain what being a neighbor entails.

At the time, the Samaritans and Jewish people didn’t associate with one another.
In the parable, a Jewish man was stripped, beaten, robbed, and left half-dead
lying in the street. He was ignored by a passing priest and Levite, both of whom
should have been his friends. The least likely person to help him was the
Samaritan, but he was the only one who stopped, thus being a true neighbor.
THE IDIOM GOOD SAMARITAN

The widely-recognized idiom ‘Good Samaritan’ originated from this parable. A

Good Samaritan represents a person who does a good deed for someone in need,
particularly when he hasn’t been asked for help and there’s no reward for doing
so.

WHAT IS THE MORAL LESSON OF THE PARABLE OF

THE GOOD SAMARITAN?

The Parable of the Good Samaritan teaches us several lessons, but the heart of
the message is to love one another even if… You’ll see that this message is
inherent in all five lessons discussed below.

HOW DOES THE GOOD SAMARITAN RELATE TO LIFE

TODAY?

Conflict, mistrust, and hate still exist today between groups of people. We still
see prejudices and segregated neighborhoods. People still disassociate with
others based on all sorts of self-righteous criteria.

The message of the Parable of the Good Samaritan is as relevant today as it was
more than two thousand years ago. We are called to help those in need, EVEN
IF. We are called to help even if the person is Jewish and we’re Samaritan.
We’re called to help even if the person doesn’t look like us, speak our language,
or believe in our God. We’re called to help even if the person has snubbed us or
hurt us. We are called to help those in need. Period.

This challenge was no easier for those who heard Jesus speak the words than it
is for us today. If it seems to be an impossible task, remember that with God all
things are possible!

THE GOOD SAMARITAN MESSAGE

While the overarching message of the Good Samaritan is to Love One Another
Even If, there are several specific messages that apply to everyday life.
Following are five takeaways to encourage your Christian journey.
1. LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF MEANS LOVE
‘EVERYONE’

The Samaritan and the fallen man were enemies by the world’s standard, but
Jesus doesn’t ask anything of us that’s based on a worldly standard. He doesn’t
care if we’ve allowed hate in our hearts. He made it very clear, we’re to love
one another:

A new command I give you:  Love  one  another. As I have  loved you, so you

must  love  one  another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if

you  love  one  another.

John 13:34-35 NIV

He actually said we MUST love one another. By stopping to help the hurt man,
the Samaritan showed the kind of love we are all called to show.

When we reach out in love and kindness toward those the world tells us to hate,
we show our love for Jesus.

2. HELPING THE PERSON WHO NEEDS HELP IS HELPING

CHRIST

Jesus described that when we help those in need (like the Samaritan did), we’re
actually helping Him. When we see someone in need, we’re seeing a ‘brother or
sister’ of Jesus. Wouldn’t we help Jesus’ family?

34 
“Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my

Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom  prepared for you since the creation of the

world.  35  For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you

gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in,   36  I needed clothes
and you clothed me,  I was sick and you looked after me,  I was in prison and you came

to visit me.’

37 
“Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed

you, or thirsty and give you something to drink?  38  When did we see you a stranger and

invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you?  39  When did we see you sick or in

prison and go to visit you?’

40 
“The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these

brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’

Matthew 25:34-40 NIV

3. THE ONLY THING THAT MATTERS IS WHAT YOU DO

Be devoted to  one  another  in  love. Honor  one  another  above yourselves.

Romans 12:10 NIV

The Samaritan likely had things to do and places to be. He had a life and
obligations. He may have been inconvenienced to help the hurt man, but he
wasn’t deterred. He put his life aside for the moment and did what was required
to make sure the man got the help he needed.

When God calls, do we listen? When he puts a circumstance in our path, do we

walk around it, as the priest and Levite did, or take it on, as the Samaritan did?
Do we let our obligations and worldly wishes get in the way of loving our
neighbors as Jesus asked of us?
A good intention that is never acted upon is worth nothing in God’s Kingdom.
What matters to Jesus is the action we take in the form of the help and support
we give to those in need.

4. DON’T LET LABELS FOOL YOU

Most people would feel disappointed to see a priest walk past a person dying in
the street. The label of ‘priest’ elevates that person to a high standard in our
mind, so we would expect the priest to help someone who was hurt. A priest, by
definition, is not necessarily a Christian. In a similar way, someone whose ideas,
culture, and race are different than yours is not, by definition, your enemy. It’s
only by looking at the actions of someone that we get a glimpse of their true
character.

Actions speak louder than any label, so don’t judge a person by their title or
appearance. People are not always who they seem to be.

Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep’s  clothing, but inwardly they

are ferocious wolves.

Matthew 7:15 NIV

5. DON’T SEARCH FOR A REWARD

There was no obvious benefit for the Samaritan to help the fallen man. Our
human nature makes us more willing to be inconvenienced or help someone
when there’s a reward at stake. Maybe the reward is impressing someone or
bringing attention to ourselves. Maybe we think our good deed could bring a
financial reward.

When there’s something in it for you, your actions aren’t in the spirit of the
Good Samaritan message. The best reward that comes from helping someone
when there’s nothing in it for you is knowing that your actions are pleasing to
God by caring for His people.
I the  Lord  search the heart and examine the mind, to  reward  each person according to

their conduct, according to what their deeds deserve.

Jeremiah 17:10 NIV

THE PARABLE OF THE GOOD SAMARITAN

Online version can be found at  Luke 10:25-37 NIV .

On one occasion an expert in the law stood up to test Jesus. “Teacher,” he

25 

asked, “what must I do to inherit eternal life?”

26 
“What is written in the Law?”  he replied.  “How do you read it?”

He answered, “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all
27 

your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind’ [c ];  and, ‘Love
your neighbor as yourself.’ [d] ”

28 
“You have answered correctly,”  Jesus replied.  “Do this and you will live.”

But he wanted to justify himself,  so he asked Jesus, “And who is my

29 

neighbor?”

In reply Jesus said:  “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho,
30 

when he was attacked by robbers. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him
and went away, leaving him half dead.  31  A priest happened to be going down
the same road, and when he saw the man, he passed by on the other side.   32  So
too, a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other
side.  33  But a Samaritan,  as he traveled, came where the man was; and when
he saw him, he took pity on him.  34  He went to him and bandaged his wounds,
pouring on oil and wine. Then he put the man on his own donkey, brought
him to an inn and took care of him.  35  The next day he took out two
denarii [e ]   and gave them to the innkeeper. ‘Look after him,’ he said, ‘and
when I return, I will reimburse you for any extra expense you may have.’
 “Which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into
36 

the hands of robbers?”

37 
The expert in the law replied, “The one who had mercy on him.”

Jesus told him,  “Go and do likewise.”

LUKE 10 25 37 COMMENTARY

There are several reputable Bible commentaries to help you get the most
understanding and impact from reading your Bible. My personal go-to
is Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary. You can find several  free
commentaries  through  Christianity.com .

If you want to purchase a physical copy of a commentary or other study tools,

here’s a link to Bible commentaries on  Amazon .* (Note: This affiliate link
results in no extra cost for you.)

Follow the link for free  Matthew Henry Concise Commentary on Luke 10:25-37 .
You’ll be able to switch to another commentary once you’re there.

MORE PARABLES!

Do you love the parables like I do? If so, you may enjoy reading life lessons on
these others:

 6 Lessons from a Mustard Seed

 3 Lessons The Prodigal Son Parable Can Teach You About Life
 4 Lessons from the Parable of the Hidden Treasure
 The Parable of the Talents Teaches Us 5 Life Lessons
 3 Ways the Parable of the Lost Sheep Shows How Much Jesus Loves Us
 More parable lessons are underway. See them all  HERE !

SO TELL ME…
What’s your biggest takeaway from the Parable of the Good Samaritan
message? Leave me a comment or email me
at Shirley@FindingGodAmongUs.com to get the conversation started.

Do you love the parables and Christian Inspiration? 

Yes, Sign me up!

Image: Sarwer e Kainat Welfare from Pexels

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