To truly love God with all your heart, soul, strength, and mind is to also love your neighbor as yourself; these two commands cannot be separated or fulfilled in isolation. The call to love God is not just about personal devotion or religious knowledge, but is proven genuine by the way we extend love and mercy to those around us, especially those who are different or difficult to love. When we try to limit who qualifies as our neighbor, we miss the heart of God, who calls us to a love that knows no boundaries or loopholes. The measure of our love for God is revealed in our willingness to love others, even when it is inconvenient, costly, or uncomfortable. [05:14]
Luke 10:25-28 (ESV)
And behold, a lawyer stood up to put him to the test, saying, “Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?” He said to him, “What is written in the Law? How do you read it?” And he answered, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself.” And he said to him, “You have answered correctly; do this, and you will live.”
Reflection: Who in your life have you been tempted to exclude from your definition of “neighbor”? What would it look like to love them as yourself this week?
Mercy does not ask if someone is worth helping or if their suffering is inconvenient; true compassion moves toward those who are hurting, even when it costs us something. The parable of the Good Samaritan challenges us to see people not as problems or burdens, but as individuals made in God’s image, worthy of our time, resources, and care. The Samaritan’s actions were costly—he risked his safety, spent his own money, and interrupted his plans to help a stranger in need. In a world that often measures people by their usefulness or convenience, God calls us to a different standard: to enter into the suffering of others and carry them, just as Christ carried us. [20:11]
Luke 10:33-35 (ESV)
But a Samaritan, as he journeyed, came to where he was, and when he saw him, he had compassion. He went to him and bound up his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he set him on his own animal and brought him to an inn and took care of him. And the next day he took out two denarii and gave them to the innkeeper, saying, ‘Take care of him, and whatever more you spend, I will repay you when I come back.’
Reflection: When was the last time you allowed your plans or resources to be interrupted for the sake of someone else’s need? Is there a situation before you now where God is calling you to move toward, rather than around, someone’s suffering?
Those who have received God’s mercy are called to extend that same mercy to others, refusing to become dismissive or indifferent to the needs around them. The grace we have received from Christ is not meant to stop with us; it is meant to flow through us to the hurting, the vulnerable, and the overlooked. Mercy is not just a feeling but an action, a costly response that reflects the heart of God. When we see suffering, our first response should not be to ask, “Is this my problem?” but rather, “How can I show the mercy I have received?” The world would look very different if we simply cared for those God puts in our path. [18:12]
1 John 4:20-21 (ESV)
If anyone says, “I love God,” and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen cannot love God whom he has not seen. And this commandment we have from him: whoever loves God must also love his brother.
Reflection: Who is someone in your path right now—at work, in your neighborhood, or even in your family—who needs to experience the mercy you have received from God? What is one practical way you can extend that mercy to them today?
In a culture that measures life by usefulness or convenience, Jesus shows us that every person’s value is determined by the price He paid on the cross. The Good Samaritan’s willingness to pay a personal cost for a stranger’s recovery points us to the ultimate price Jesus paid for us, declaring our worth and the worth of every human soul. No one is a burden or an inconvenience in God’s eyes; each person is an image-bearer, loved and redeemed at great cost. When we are tempted to see others as less valuable or as problems to be avoided, we must remember the cross is their price tag—and ours. [33:29]
Romans 5:8 (ESV)
But God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
Reflection: When you encounter someone whom society might consider a burden or “less valuable,” how can you remind yourself—and them—of the price Christ paid for their life?
When we serve those who are overlooked, hurting, or considered “the least,” we are serving Jesus Himself, who identifies with the suffering and the marginalized. Jesus teaches that whatever we do for the least of these, we do for Him, calling us to a love that is not based on what we can get in return, but on seeing Christ in every person. This kind of love interrupts our schedules, challenges our comfort, and calls us to act even when we feel unqualified or inconvenienced. Real love is costly, and it is in these moments of costly compassion that we most clearly reflect the heart of Christ to the world. [24:50]
Matthew 25:35-40 (ESV)
For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me.’ Then the righteous will answer him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? And when did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? And when did we see you sick or in prison and visit you?’ And the King will answer them, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.’
Reflection: Who is “the least” in your world right now—someone overlooked, hurting, or on the margins? What is one specific way you can serve them this week as if you were serving Jesus Himself?
Today, we explored the profound challenge and invitation found in Jesus’ parable of the Good Samaritan. The story begins with a religious expert seeking to define the boundaries of his responsibility—asking, “Who is my neighbor?”—hoping to limit the scope of his love. But Jesus refuses to let love be boxed in by categories, ethnicity, or convenience. Instead, He tells a story that shatters the boundaries of “us” and “them,” making the despised Samaritan the hero who embodies true neighborly love.
The parable exposes the human tendency to justify indifference, to “other” those who are different, and to measure the value of a life by its usefulness or convenience. The priest and Levite, religious men, pass by the wounded man, perhaps out of fear, busyness, or a sense of self-preservation. Their excuses echo our own: “It’s too risky, too inconvenient, someone else will help, it’s not my problem.” But Jesus points to the Samaritan, who sees not a problem but a person, and who is moved to costly, inconvenient compassion.
This story is not just a call to be nice or charitable. It is a radical redefinition of mercy. Mercy does not ask, “Are they my problem?” or “Are they worth it?” Mercy moves toward suffering, even when it is costly, inconvenient, or when the person in need has nothing to offer in return. Jesus challenges us to see every person—especially those society deems burdensome or without value—as bearing the image of God and worthy of sacrificial love.
But there is a deeper layer: we are first the wounded one in the ditch, helpless and half-dead, and Jesus is the true Good Samaritan who enters our suffering, pays the full cost, and carries us to healing. Because we have received this mercy, we are called to extend it. The cross is our price tag—proof of our value and the measure by which we are to value others.
In a world that measures life by utility and convenience, Jesus calls us to a kingdom ethic: to see, to stop, to carry, and to love, even when it interrupts our plans or costs us dearly. We are to be known by this kind of compassion, for it is the mark of those who have been rescued by Christ and now imitate Him.
Luke 10:25–37 (ESV) — > 25 And behold, a lawyer stood up to put him to the test, saying, “Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?” 26 He said to him, “What is written in the Law? How do you read it?” 27 And he answered, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself.” 28 And he said to him, “You have answered correctly; do this, and you will live.”
> 29 But he, desiring to justify himself, said to Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?” 30 Jesus replied, “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and he fell among robbers, who stripped him and beat him and departed, leaving him half dead. 31 Now by chance a priest was going down that road, and when he saw him he passed by on the other side. 32 So likewise a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. 33 But a Samaritan, as he journeyed, came to where he was, and when he saw him, he had compassion. 34 He went to him and bound up his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he set him on his own animal and brought him to an inn and took care of him. 35 And the next day he took out two denarii and gave them to the innkeeper, saying, ‘Take care of him, and whatever more you spend, I will repay you when I come back.’ 36 Which of these three, do you think, proved to be a neighbor to the man who fell among the robbers?” 37 He said, “The one who showed him mercy.” And Jesus said to him, “You go, and do likewise.”
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