Archive for the ‘Good Samaritan’ Tag
Compassion or Comparison: Learning to See as Jesus Sees
In this ongoing series on Becoming a People of Love, we are asking the Holy Spirit to move us beyond simply knowing about love and into living it in ways that clearly reflect Jesus. To help us on this journey, we are using our working definition of Agape – “To make an absolute priority of, and to work relentlessly for, the absolute best for another person(s) without expecting a return”.
This transformation is a long process. Last week we learned the importance of truly seeing people. Jesus demonstrated this as He “saw” a grieving widow (Luke 7:13) and Zacchaeus (Luke 19:5), a despised tax collector. In both encounters, Jesus recognized their need and their stories, and as well as responding to their immediate situations, He brought restoration that pointed to the nearness of God’s Kingdom. Yet seeing alone is not enough. We must also pay attention to how we see others—and how that shapes our response.
Jesus illustrates this through two well-known stories from the Gospel of Luke.
The first is the parable of the Good Samaritan (Luke 10:25–37). A man is left half-dead on a dangerous road. A priest and a Levite both see him, yet choose to pass by. Their vision is shaped by caution, inconvenience, and uncertainty. The Samaritan, however—despised by Jewish listeners—sees not a problem but a person. Moved by compassion, he acts sacrificially to ensure the man’s care, without expectation of return. The difference is not simply what they saw, but how they saw.
The second story is the parable of the Prodigal Son (Luke 15). Here, a deeply disrespected father watches and waits for his wayward son’s return. When the son finally comes home, the father does not see failure or disgrace—he sees his beloved child. Love shapes his vision, leading him to welcome and restore rather than condemn. While others might see someone unworthy of mercy, the father sees only a son whose return is to be celebrated.
Together, these stories reveal a powerful truth: compassion flows from seeing people as God sees them. Where comparison and judgment see inconvenience or offense, love sees humanity and need. Jesus takes a profound theological idea—God’s love and Kingdom life—and translates it into a lived reality for today. Eternal life, Jesus says, is not only future hope but present experience. When we learn to see with compassion, we begin to live—and invite others into—the Kingdom here and now.
Ever since becoming a pastor I relentlessly resisted the introduction of party politics to the church in any form and I have not moved from that conviction. However recent events have caused me to think carefully about exactly what this means.
Recently as I was preparing a sermon I read once again the Parable of the Good Samaritan (Luke 10:30-37). I was prompted to give particular consideration to the “Levite” and the “Temple assistant” that “passed by on the other side”. In all likelihood, their decisions were significantly influenced by the fact that, if they had chosen to cross over and help, they would have been rendered ritually unclean which would have been extraordinarily inconvenient. So they chose to leave the injured man to be someone else’s problem. (This link will take you to the sermon I mention and the relevant section is at timestamp 1:00:45)
As I contemplated this I realized that this had, albeit in a rather different context, been true of me. There have been times when rather than take the risk of being perceived as “political,” I have kept quiet on issues, that if I am to “do what Jesus did” I should not keep silent.
There are issues that can be termed “political” that if we are to be faithful followers of Jesus must not be seen that way. Reading the gospels makes it so clear that Jesus was passionate about the treatment of the poor and oppressed. His compassion was expressed both in His words and his actions. So if we are to follow Him faithfully we can do no less
A while ago a march of protest was held here in Pacifica following the tragic death of George Floyd, an action that our own Police Chief described as “reprehensible.” The underlying issue was the need to demand changes to the patterns of systematic racism that are deeply embedded in our culture, so deeply embedded that many of us are only just becoming aware of their existence. I believe that by marching together I was able to stand in solidarity with those who have suffered from those injustices.
I was convicted that I should join that march because injustice is not an issue of party politics. Issues of justice and righteousness are issues that as a follower of Jesus I cannot keep silent about. I was also convicted I should not keep silent on such issues in the future. There were some who were troubled by my participation. I am grateful to those who gave me the chance to explain my thinking. However, I recognize that by being prepared to take a stand I will take the risk of being classified as “unclean” and aligning myself (and hence by implication our church) with some political perspective or other. However, I believe that risk is one I must take.
As the pastor of New Life Christian Fellowship, I will continue to resist any attempt to bring party politics in any form into the church family. However, we will try to have the courage to speak out against patterns of injustice wherever and whenever they surface. We will recognize that there will be differences of opinion about many issues amongst us but we will do everything we can to respect one another and keep “the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace”.
From the Zebra Bag 