5 Important Attributes of Love from the Samaritan

Jesus once told a story about a Samaritan who was compassionate, as written in the Gospel of Luke 10:25-37. The story was meant to answer a Law expert’s question about who his neighbor was. 

However, the story of the compassionate Samaritan is not merely an answer about who our neighbor is. More deeply than that, this Samaritan gives us a much broader view of loving, which we can follow.  

1. No Discrimination

Jesus replied: "A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho; he fell into the hands of robbers, who not only stripped him of everything, but also beat him and then went away, leaving him half dead.

By chance a priest was going down that road; when he saw the man, he passed by on the other side.

Likewise a Levite came to that place; when he saw him, he passed by on the other side.

Then a Samaritan, who was traveling, came to where he was; and when he saw him, his heart was moved with compassion. – Luke 10:30-33

A priest saw the victim of the robbers lying on the road but stepped aside and passed by on the other side. The same was done by a descendant of Levi. They were both Jews, yet they did not want to help their fellow man, who was also a Jew. 

In complete contrast was the Samaritan. Although he was regarded as lower by the Jews, because they were of mixed descent and not purely Jewish, he was the one who finally helped that dying Jew. He did not discriminate. He still helped the one in need and did not look at ethnicity, race, beliefs, or all those differences .

In the midst of today’s social diversity, are we willing to help people who are different from us? To love without discrimination, without looking at economic status, social status, background, ethnicity, race, religion, appearance, and so on. As followers of Christ, let us follow in Jesus’ footsteps, loving and helping without discrimination. 

2. Loving = Being Willing to Get Involved

He went to him and bandaged his wounds, after pouring oil and wine on them. Then he put the man on his own donkey, brought him to an inn, and took care of him. – Luke 10:34

When the Samaritan saw the victim of the robbers, he did not only feel pity, he stepped in to help him. It is written in the verse above that he cleaned and bandaged the man’s wounds. Then he lifted him onto his donkey, brought him to the inn, and cared for him. The Samaritan was willing to get involved. 

The priest and the Levite understood the word of God about helping others, but they did not do it. The danger is that today we may understand God’s word and perhaps be fluent in quoting verses about love. However, those sentences will become mere words if we ourselves do not put them into practice. 

Is our love no more than mere compassion? Are we reluctant to ‘get our hands dirty’ to be directly involved? Or perhaps, have you only been loving with words all this time, without actions? You may have felt that you were good enough so far, but what if you were asked to be directly involved in loving? Are you willing to go further?

3. Loving Requires Good Financial Management

The next day he gave two denarii to the innkeeper, saying: Take care of him, and if you spend more than this, I will repay you when I return. – Luke 10:35

There is no doubt that the Samaritan had good financial management He was able to arrange and manage his personal finances. I am sure he had already allocated his money to its proper purposes. The Samaritan surely had an emergency fund. That was the money he used to help the robbery victim.

To be able to love, we need to be able to manage our money well. Loving requires sacrifice, whether it is time, energy, or money as well. To love, sometimes we need to go to someone’s house, buy them something, donate money, and so on. How can we love if our finances are a mess, or if we are even in the red every month?

We need to manage our money well. Money is entrusted to us by God. The use of our money should certainly have as its main priority the work of God. After that there should be portions for savings or investments, an emergency fund, insurance, regular expenses, and so on. Spending must be adjusted to income; make sure you manage it all well. 

If we are able to manage our finances well, of course we can love others even better, just as the Samaritan did. He was able to help those in trouble to the fullest. 

4. A Good Reputation Supports Us in Loving to the Fullest

The next day he gave two denarii to the innkeeper, saying: Take care of him, and if you spend more than this, I will repay you when I return. – Luke 10:35

You may be wondering, “Why was the innkeeper willing to continue caring for the wounded man?” He was even told not to hesitate to use his own money if the money given turned out to be insufficient.

Had the Samaritan been to that inn before? Perhaps. Had the Samaritan done something like this before? If the innkeeper was willing to do what the Samaritan asked, it means he was a trustworthy person. Most likely, he had a good name and reputation. 

A good name and reputation will be very useful in many areas such as work, education, and social relationships. How you maintain your reputation today will have an impact on the future. 

And in loving, this good reputation is also important. People will trust us more. So when we do good, we are supported instead of being suspected. What is your reputation like in the eyes of others today?

5. Generosity: The Main Requirement for Loving

Jesus replied: "A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho; he fell into the hands of robbers, who not only stripped him of everything, but also beat him and then went away, leaving him half dead. – Luke 10:30

The Samaritan did not know how long the wounded man would need to be cared for because of the robbery. But from the phrase “half dead,” we can assume that his treatment and care would take quite a long time. And the longer it took, the more hospitalization costs would be needed.

Besides the considerable amount of money required, there was one important thing this Samaritan had, namely generosity. It takes generosity to pay for the entire care of someone who was “half dead,” whom he did not even know. That is why the title of this passage in the Bible is written as, “The Good Samaritan.”

The most important and absolute thing that must be present in loving is generosity. Without generosity, we cannot love and help others. Generosity is not always shown by the ability to spend a large amount of money. Helping by giving time and energy also requires generosity. 

If we are not able to help on our own, generosity will still move us to help. For example, by finding help from others. Let us have generous hearts, to always help others. 

In the last verse there is an answer to the question of who our neighbor is. 

Which of these three, in your opinion, was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of the robbers?" The man answered, "The one who showed him mercy." Jesus said to him, "Go, and do likewise!" – Luke 10: 36-37

From the passage above we know that everyone is our neighbor. No matter what race or nation they come from. There are many things we can learn from the way the Samaritan loved. Love does not discriminate and is willing to get involved. Besides that, loving also requires good financial management, a good reputation, and generosity to help. 

Let us make this world a more beautiful place by loving. 

Bear one another’s burdens! In this way you will fulfill the law of Christ. – Galatians 6:2

References:

www.crosswalk.com/family/career/the-parable-of-the-good-samaritan-5-lessons-learned.html

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