Compassion Isn’t Convenient - It’s Christlike
In Luke 10, Jesus is asked a seemingly spiritual question: “What must I do to inherit eternal life?” His answer leads us into one of His most powerful parables—the story of the Good Samaritan. But don’t let the familiarity of the tale rob it of its impact. Jesus wasn’t just telling a nice story; He was redefining what it means to live a compassionate life.
The story is shocking, not because a man is beaten and left for dead, but because those who should have stopped to help—a priest and a Levite—didn’t. Instead, the hero is a Samaritan, someone viewed as an outsider, even an enemy, by Jewish society. Yet it’s this outsider who feels compassion, takes the risk, gets his hands dirty, and gives generously to restore a stranger.
That’s the heart of compassion. It’s not pity from a distance. It’s love with sleeves rolled up. It’s mercy in motion. The Samaritan doesn’t just see the need—he meets it. And that’s what Jesus commands us to do: “Go and do likewise.”
Today, our roads are still full of people lying in ditches—figuratively and literally. The homeless, the addicted, the refugee, the elderly, the outcast. Jesus is still asking us, “Who was the neighbor?” and calling us to respond not with theory, but action.
Compassion means cost. It might mean our time, our comfort, our resources, or our reputation. But Jesus never called us to convenience—He called us to cross-bearing. He called us to be the neighbor.
The Samaritan didn’t serve because he was planning a service project. He served because compassion moved him. Likewise, Jesus didn’t merely do acts of service—He lived a life of service. He was compassion in the flesh. And He invites us into that same way of life.
So ask yourself: Who are the marginalized around you? Who’s in your path today?
Don’t just pass by. Don’t just pray for them from a distance. Stop. See. Serve.
Let compassion move you.
Because every time we stoop to lift someone up, Jesus says we’re lifting Him.
“Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.”
Hi! I’m Jo!
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