Message Information
- Key Scriptures: Luke 10:25-37, NASB
- Series: Luke (2025-2027), no. 35
- Date: Sunday, October 19, 2025 (Morning)
- Venue: Central Baptist Church — Lawton, Oklahoma
- Speaker: Jared Byrns
- Audio File: Open/Download
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Who Do We Choose to Care About?
Every time I read the story of the Good Samaritan, I think about nature documentaries. That may sound strange, but stick with me.
My children and I especially enjoy nature documentaries. If you have watched many of them, you probably find yourself rooting for one animal over another during a predator-and-prey scene. If a wild dog is chasing a meerkat, I am pulling for the meerkat. I want that cute little meerkat to get away. If you are not familiar with meerkats, they remind me of Africa’s prairie dogs.
But if that wild dog is being chased by a cheetah, I start cheering for the wild dog. I do not want the cheetah to win—at least not until the cheetah gets into a fight with a crocodile. I do not like or trust the crocodile. But suddenly I become Team Crocodile when a python is involved.
It depends on which animal I feel more connected to at the moment. I suppose I am fickle because my loyalty shifts depending on who is facing whom.
The story of the Good Samaritan reminds me of those nature documentaries because we often pick and choose whom we care about based on how attached we feel to them. But Jesus teaches us that we do not get to pick and choose whom we care about. We do not get to pick and choose whom we love.
That was the point the lawyer was trying to avoid.
Luke tells us that a lawyer stood up to test Jesus. This man was an expert in the Old Testament law—or at least in their interpretations of it. He decided to entrap Jesus and asked:
“Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?”
Jesus answered:
“What is written in the Law? How does it read to you?”
The lawyer replied:
“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.”
He brought together two quotations, one from Deuteronomy and one from Leviticus. Jesus told him:
“You have answered correctly; do this and you will live.”
That sounds like a formula for eternal life, does it not? But the point is that none of us can do it perfectly.
Wishing to justify himself—to prove that he was good enough to meet God’s standard—the lawyer asked:
“And who is my neighbor?”
He was looking for a loophole.
Jesus answered with the story of a man traveling from Jerusalem to Jericho who fell among robbers. They stripped him, beat him, and left him half dead. A priest came down the road, saw him, and passed by on the other side. A Levite came to the same place, saw him, and also passed by. Then a Samaritan came upon him, saw him, and felt compassion.
The Samaritan bandaged his wounds, poured oil and wine on them, placed him on his own animal, brought him to an inn, and cared for him. The next day, he gave the innkeeper two denarii and said:
“Take care of him; and whatever more you spend, when I return I will repay you.”
Jesus asked which of the three proved to be a neighbor to the injured man. The lawyer answered:
“The one who showed mercy toward him.”
Jesus said:
“Go and do the same.”
As we have worked through Luke chapters 9 and 10, the focus has been on Jesus preparing His disciples for mission. We have studied the dedication, duty, and sacrifice required as we represent Him and help people come to a saving knowledge of Him.
Two weeks ago, we considered the reasons we have to rejoice as we carry out the mission. Though it involves obligation and duty, it is not drudgery.
At first glance, the Good Samaritan may seem like a change of subject. But this story still belongs within the theme of mission because we cannot fulfill Christ’s mission without love. We cannot represent Him faithfully without demonstrating love—even toward people who are difficult for us to love.
We are all human. Like the nature documentary, there are people we naturally care about more than others. But we do not get to refuse love to anyone.
The Standard We Cannot Reach
The exchange begins with a question about the Law. I suspect this lawyer may have heard Jesus tell the disciples that they were blessed because prophets and kings had died longing to see what they were seeing. Perhaps he felt jealousy or offense on behalf of the respected leaders of previous generations and wanted to push back against Jesus’ claim to be the Messiah.
“What must I do to inherit eternal life?” was a fairly common question for debate. But I do not think God intends the answer to remain uncertain.
The New Testament makes clear that salvation is by grace through faith in Christ and nothing else. Even in the Old Testament, that truth is present because the Law establishes a standard so high that we cannot keep it.
Those in Jesus’ day who thought they kept the Law had to realize, when they understood it correctly, that they could not keep it perfectly. A person might say, “I have never outwardly broken that commandment.” But Jesus addressed the condition of the heart, and suddenly all of us stand guilty.
The lawyer correctly summarized the Law: love God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength, and love your neighbor as yourself.
The order matters. If we reverse it, we develop a distorted understanding of love. People sometimes say the most important thing Christianity teaches is to love your neighbor. In reality, Jesus called that the second greatest commandment.
The first and greatest is to love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength. The second is like it: love your neighbor as yourself.
When we love God first and most, He changes our perspective on what love means. We have tried to teach our children that sometimes they see things other children are allowed to do and think we are simply mean parents. Maybe we are mean parents sometimes, but not most of the time.
A parent who lets a child stay awake until three in the morning and eat nothing but junk food every day is not necessarily loving. That can be neglect. Love sometimes says no. Love establishes boundaries for another person’s good.
Love is not merely a warm, fuzzy feeling, though affection may be part of it. Love seeks the good of the other person.
When we put love for God first, we understand more clearly how to love our neighbor. Quite honestly, we also become more capable of doing it. You and I are not naturally wired to love our neighbors as ourselves. Fallen human nature is selfish.
But when we love God with everything we have, God gives us the capacity to love others in a way we could not otherwise.
Jesus told the lawyer, “Do this and you will live.” It sounds like a recipe for eternal life until we realize that we cannot do it perfectly.
Are there moments when believers love God with everything they have? I think there probably are. But do we do it consistently and perfectly? I do not. My guess is that you do not either.
Are there moments when we love our neighbors as ourselves? Certainly. But do we do it consistently and perfectly? No, because we are fallen, sinful people.
This is not so much a recipe for eternal life as it is a standard. It is like the sign at a theme park: “You must be this tall to ride.” As children, we hated those signs.
God’s Law says, in effect, “You must be this holy to inherit eternal life.” We can never reach that mark on our own.
The lawyer, however, was looking for a loophole. Perhaps he thought he could redefine neighbor so that the command would not apply to everyone. There are people whom we find easier to love than others.
That may sound harsh and unchristian, but it is true. I am better at loving my children than I am at loving strangers at Walmart. I probably should be. But that does not mean I am permitted not to love the strangers at Walmart.
We all have people who are easier to love than others, but we do not get to withhold love. The lawyer asked, “Who is my neighbor?” Jesus answered that we do not get to choose. Our neighbor is whoever is around us with a need.
Again, this is an ordered and prioritized love. We love God first, which means we seek the true good of the other person. Love does not mean always saying yes.
If someone came to the church asking for fifty dollars to buy methamphetamine, the loving response would be no. We have never had anyone ask for that, but if someone did, giving the money would not be love. Sometimes the loving response is the hard response.
Through the Samaritan, Jesus gives us a picture of what loving others looks like as we carry out His mission.
Love Notices and Has Compassion
Love begins with noticing and having compassion.
The injured man was going from Jerusalem to Jericho when robbers stripped him, beat him, and left him half dead. A priest came down the road, saw him, and crossed to the other side. A Levite, one of those who assisted in the temple, came to the same place, saw him, and also crossed over.
There is a repeated pattern: come down the road, see the man, and cross over. Then the Samaritan comes down the road and sees him—and the pattern changes. He does not cross over. He feels compassion.
That is half the battle.
Honestly, noticing is the part I struggle with most. I do not intend to be that way, but I can go through life oblivious. My wife once cut off half her hair to see how many days it would take me to notice. It took at least a couple of hours.
I have a saying I use with the ladies in the office: “You would be amazed what I do not notice.” Kristie and Katie can confirm it. Maybe some of that is part of being a man. I did not say that was an excuse; it is an explanation.
We can become so busy with what we are doing that we put blinders on. We focus on the project and completely miss the person and the need. I am probably the guiltiest person in the room.
But I cannot even give the priest and Levite the excuse that they failed to notice. The text says they saw the man. There was awareness, but no compassion.
The Samaritan saw the need and was affected by it. He was moved to care and act.
That is compassion. We notice a need and are affected to the point that we feel compelled to do something. It is one thing to notice and say, “I feel sorry for you.” It is another thing to respond.
A significant part of our calling as believers is to notice, pay attention, and care in a way that compels us to act.
As we focus on being on mission for Jesus and taking the message of salvation to those around us, we can become so intent on presenting the point, making the argument, or having the conversation that we miss needs all around us.
I am not saying this to scold you. I am saying it because it is what the Word teaches, and I may be the worst offender.
Part of being on mission for Jesus is refusing to see people as distractions from the work. People are the work. People are the ministry.
Love Acts Despite the Reasons Not To
Verse 34 shows that love leads us to serve despite all the reasons not to.
The Samaritan came to the man, bandaged his wounds, poured oil and wine on them, placed him on his own animal, brought him to an inn, and cared for him.
Before he did any of that, I cannot imagine that he did not have an internal conversation about whether he should stop. Sometimes we feel compassion yet still debate whether we should intervene.
This man had many reasons not to help.
First, there was danger. We often paint the priest and Levite as villains. They did not do the right thing, but I do not know that they were necessarily evil. Historical records tell us that the road between Jerusalem and Jericho was notoriously dangerous because of bandits.
The priest, Levite, and Samaritan had no way of knowing whether the injured man was part of a trap. People still fake accidents or roadside emergencies to lure others into stopping. I remember my grandparents talking about a family murdered along Interstate 35 in Oklahoma in a situation like that. You simply do not know.
Perhaps the priest and Levite were not evil; perhaps they were cowardly, if that is any better. But the danger was real. Could the man be part of the trap? If he was innocent, could the robbers still be nearby, waiting for another victim?
Second, there was cost. Helping would require time and effort. The Samaritan eventually paid for the man’s care. There was a real financial cost.
Third, there was his schedule. The Samaritan was traveling somewhere. He had business to conduct and responsibilities to handle. Stopping would interrupt his plans.
Fourth, and perhaps most significant, there was hostility. The wounded man was Jewish, and the man who stopped was Samaritan. Those groups did not get along.
Much of the hostility came from Jewish contempt for Samaritans. They were descendants of Jews who had intermarried with pagan neighbors, and many Jews viewed them as less godly, less valuable, and perhaps nearly subhuman.
Even if this were the kindest Samaritan in the world, why help a man who probably hated him? If he approached the wounded Jew, would the man spit at him? How would he respond?
There were many reasons not to help. But the Samaritan helped anyway.
He bandaged the man’s wounds and treated them with oil and wine. That sounds foreign to us, but wine was used for its cleansing properties and oil to soothe wounds. Travelers may have carried small amounts of both, much like a first-aid kit.
He gave up his own animal. The road was long, winding, and treacherous. It was much easier to ride than walk, but he placed the wounded man on his animal and walked him to an inn.
There were many reasons not to help. When God calls us to serve someone, we are very good at finding reasons not to do it. I know I am.
There is always a reason. But sometimes love calls us to act anyway.
Love Sacrifices to Meet a Need
Verse 35 shows us that love often requires sacrifice.
The next day, the Samaritan took out two denarii and gave them to the innkeeper. Each denarius represented approximately a day’s wages for an unskilled laborer. He handed over two days’ pay and said, in effect, “Feed him, house him, treat his wounds, and do whatever else is necessary. If it costs more, I will pay the rest when I return.”
He essentially wrote a blank check for the man’s care.
How many of us would want to take someone to the hospital, drop him off, and say, “Whatever it costs, I will be responsible when I return”? I do not want to sign up for that.
But that is essentially what this Samaritan did. He assumed responsibility. The injured man no longer carried the cost of his own care. The Samaritan said, “Let me take it.”
Sometimes love calls us to sacrifice in order to meet a need.
Jesus asked which of the three acted as a neighbor to the wounded man. The answer was obvious: the Samaritan, the one who stopped and helped.
Jesus said, “Go and do the same.”
He said that to the lawyer, to those standing nearby, and to His disciples who were no doubt part of the conversation. You and I are also called to this kind of compassion and sacrifice as we represent Christ in a world that needs to hear about Him.
The understanding beneath all of this is that we will never do it perfectly. If you are thinking, “I cannot do that,” you are right. I cannot do it perfectly either.
But our responsibility is to desire this kind of love. As the Holy Spirit works in believers, guides us, and shapes our hearts over time, these actions should become more natural as He makes us more like Christ.
Love Most Clearly Seen in Jesus
The Good Samaritan reflects the love Jesus has shown us.
The Samaritan had compassion on someone who may or may not have deserved it. He had many reasons not to serve, yet he sacrificed out of love anyway.
Can you think of anyone else in Scripture who did those things?
Jesus.
I do not ask trick questions. I am not trying to trip you up.
This kind of love was most clearly exemplified by Jesus Himself.
I believe the story of the Good Samaritan reflects something that truly happened—an event Jesus knew about and used to make His point. It also reflects His own character.
The entire exchange with the lawyer shows that none of us loves God perfectly and none of us loves our neighbor perfectly. Even if we have moments like the Samaritan when we get it right, we cannot do it consistently and perfectly.
The lawyer came trying to trap Jesus. He knew God’s standard but was self-righteous enough to think he could keep it. When confronted with the standard, he tried to nuance or weasel his way out of obedience.
When we read this story honestly, it reveals things in our hearts that do not reflect Jesus. We think, “I am not sure I could do that.” The story exposes where we fall short.
But the good news is that we do not have to justify ourselves as the lawyer tried to do. Jesus knew we could not meet the standard perfectly, but He could.
That is why He looked on us with compassion despite our sin. Everything we recognize in our hearts that does not belong there, Jesus already knows. Even when we discover something new that should not be there, He knew it all along.
Jesus looked on every one of us with compassion. In spite of our sins and every way we fail to meet God’s standard, He saw us.
Philippians 2 speaks of Christ emptying Himself. While seated in the glory of heaven, He was worshiped, served, and adored by angels. He possessed everything exactly as He deserved.
Yet He looked on us with compassion and willingly left that glory, joy, and heavenly fellowship to take on human flesh. He came to earth because He loved us.
He became a man so that He could go to the cross for us. That was an enormous sacrifice, but even coming here to live among us was a sacrifice. We are a handful sometimes.
There are beautiful places in this world, but none compares with the splendor of heaven. He left that glory and came here. He came knowing that the cross awaited Him.
He came with compassion despite our sins. He came to serve and to give His life as a ransom for many despite every reason not to.
Can you think of reasons a person would not want to go to the cross? The beatings, humiliation, pain, rejection, and separation from the Father. There were countless reasons not to go, yet Jesus went willingly.
He made the ultimate sacrifice to meet a need because you and I could not meet it ourselves.
With the sin in our hearts and every way we fall short of God’s standard, there was nothing we could do to make ourselves right with God.
Jesus came and made the ultimate sacrifice so that we could be forgiven. He took responsibility for my sins and yours. He shed His blood and laid down His life to pay for our sins and bear the wrath of God we deserved so that we could go free.
As challenging as this kind of love is, when God’s Word calls us to practice it, we are being asked only to provide a pale reflection of the love Jesus has already shown us.
If you struggle with this as I do, ask the Holy Spirit to work in you and help you love—not merely like the Samaritan, but like Jesus.
If you have never trusted Jesus as your Savior, you have never experienced the forgiveness made possible by His sacrifice and compassion for you. To be right with God, you must understand that Jesus paid for your sins because you could not make yourself right with God. He paid for them in full on the cross and rose again three days later.
Believe that He did what He promised to do and ask Him for forgiveness. He will give it to you.
