On one occasion an expert in the law stood up to test Jesus.  He was not seeking the truth.  He was not really trying to discover the way of God.  His purpose was to trick Jesus, to lead Him to discredit Himself by giving an unusual answer that would drive people against Him.  The lawyer asked two questions:  How do we inherit eternal life and who is my neighbor?  When the lawyer asked the second question, Jesus answered and drove the point home to the human heart by doing what He had done so often – He gave an illustration – He told the story of The Good Samaritan.

In this story, Jesus makes the point that we must be careful not to put work, religious traditions, and busyness before helping others. In verse 31 we find a Priest who placed his religious work and ceremony before the welfare of the seriously injured man.  In verse 32 there is a Levite who placed his own safety before compassion.  

In contrast, the Good Samaritan placed compassion beyond everything:  prejudice, opinion, work, time, energy, and money.  This is such an important example of living and loving like Jesus, or maybe like the Samaritan.  As hard as it may be sometimes, we need to step back and consider what God would have us do in any situation.  Reach out and help someone today.

Read Philippians 2:3-5 and consider the attitude of Jesus.