In the well-known story of the Good Samaritan, two respectful people—a priest and a Levite—pass by a man who has been stripped, beaten, and left half-dead.

He needs help, but they don’t.

Luke 10:33-34 tell us what happens next: “But a Samaritan, as he traveled, came where the man was; and when he saw him, he took pity on him. He went to him and bandaged his wounds…”

The original readers would have been shocked. The Samaritans were considered bad, not good. Previously in Luke’s Gospel, they rejected Jesus. And they were known to have mixed their religion with pagan practices. Plus, they built their own temple, refusing to go to the one in Jerusalem.

But it is a Samaritan who shows the right kind of behaviour. There is no indication that he helps the man only because they agree about everything or have family connections.

He  helps simply because help is needed.

One of the principles we can take from this is to show mercy broadly. 

To anyone in need. This is an expression of our love for God and for other people—even when they’re different.

Show mercy broadly.

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Notes:

–Today’s devotional is a small segment from a study I put together on the full story of The Good Samaritan. You can listen to it here on an episode of The Pulse Podcast.

–Bible quotes are from the NIV.