Community change only happens through the transforming power of the Gospel. Only Christians with compassion and a willingness to pay the price can make a lasting impact in their neighborhood. If we “pass by” without offering the hope of salvation, who will stop for the lost?

When a lawyer tried to trick Jesus with a question—“Master, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?”—Jesus answered with His own question. “What is in the law, how readest thou?”
The lawyer answered, “Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy strength, and with all thy mind; and thy neighbour as thyself.”
Jesus told him that he answered rightly, which made the lawyer uneasy. The man knew he wasn’t following his own advice.

The follow-up question, “Who is my neighbor?” was an attempt by the lawyer to justify himself. He might be able to love mankind in general, but he didn’t want to be too specific. He did what many people do when faced with a difficult task: he made the debate philosophical to shrug off his personal responsibility.
Jesus cut through the philosophical debate with a story. He confronted the lawyer with a real life scenario that leaves no doubt as to the meaning of “Love thy neighbor as thyself.” Luke 10:30–35 tells the story:

“And Jesus answering said, A certain man went down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell among thieves, which stripped him of his raiment, and wounded him, and departed, leaving him half dead. And by chance there came down a certain priest that way: and when he saw him, he passed by on the other side. And likewise a Levite, when he was at the place, came and looked on him, and passed by on the other side.  But a certain Samaritan, as he journeyed, came where he was: and when he saw him, he had compassion on him, And went to him, and bound up his wounds, pouring in oil and wine, and set him on his own beast, and brought him to an inn, and took care of him. And on the morrow when he departed, he took out two pence, and gave them to the host, and said unto him, Take care of him; and whatsoever thou spendest more, when I come again, I will repay thee.”

The Samaritan was an unlikely hero, but his actions set him apart. He cared when no one else would care; he helped when no one else would help; he payed when no one else would pay; he promised to return when no one else even knew the battered man was alive.

The question we must ask ourselves is this: “Would I do the same?” Or maybe the more pointed question is, “Have I passed by?”

Jesus challenges us to “Go, and do thou likewise.” If we will make a difference in our community, we must have the characteristics of the true neighbor. What made this Samaritan such a lasting example?

EYES OF COMPASSION
Three men saw the problem, but only one did anything about it. Two religious men felt nothing at all for a man that was stripped, assaulted, and left for dead. They didn’t even go near the man. They had no compassion.

It’s been said, “Compassion is your hurt in my heart.” Compassion is empathy that moves us to action. Mark 6:34 states, “And Jesus, when he came out, saw much people, and was moved with compassion toward them, because they were as sheep not having a shepherd: and he began to teach them many things.” What Jesus saw affected His heart, and it prompted Him to do something for the people.

We must guard our hearts from the vain religion of two uncaring men who passed by. I once spoke with a pastor who said to me, “Brother Chappell, I will be honest with you. I do not want our church to get over two hundred in attendance. As you get more people, you just get more problems. The church is large enough to support me, and our 401k is getting funded.” This pastor had let some of the hardships every pastor faces close his heart. We must keep our eyes open to the desperate, lost condition of the people in our communities.

ABSENCE OF PREJUDICE
To make a difference for someone in need, you must look past his race, class, and culture. The Samaritan had to overlook some major cultural barriers. The Jews and Samaritans hated each other. The Samaritans were a Jewish-Gentile mixed race with their own place of worship. The Samaritan man could have looked at that half-dead Jew and decided it would have been better to let him die. But he didn’t let prejudice stop his compassion.

Few would have expected the display of unprejudiced friendship between Jesse Owens and Luz Long at the 1936 Olympic games set in Hitler’s Germany. Owens was nervous when he first saw the tall, blue-eyed, blond German taking practice jumps in the twenty-six-foot range. Owens, favored to win the long jump that year, was acutely aware of the Nazis’ desire to prove “Aryan superiority,” especially over blacks such as himself.

Owens was surprised when Long, the tall German, walked over and introduced himself. Long knew of Owen’s past records and complimented him. “You should be able to qualify with your eyes closed!” Long said. For the next few moments the black son of a sharecropper and the white model of Nazi manhood chatted. Then Long made a suggestion. Since the qualifying distance was only 23 feet, 5 1/2 inches, why not make a mark several inches before the takeoff board and jump from there to avoid stepping on the fault line? Owens took the friendly advice and easily qualified for the event.

In the finals Owens set an Olympic record and earned his second of four gold medals. The first person to congratulate him was Luz Long, in full view of Adolf Hitler. Owens never again saw Long, who was killed in World War II. Owens wrote later in his autobiography, “You could melt down all the medals and cups I have, and they wouldn’t be a platting on the 24-carat friendship I felt for Luz Long.”
Luz Long made a lasting impact on Jesse Owens because he was willing to show unexpected kindness in spite of racial prejudices.

We must remember that Jesus died for every person, regardless of their heritage. All divisions died at the Cross. “Where there is neither Greek nor Jew, circumcision nor uncircumcision, Barbarian, Scythian, bond nor free: but Christ is all, and in all” (Colossians 3:11).

COMMITMENT TO MEET NEEDS
Emotions alone are not enough. There must be a commitment to act when you see a person in need. It’s not a matter of “who deserves it.” It’s a matter of having Christ-like love. The Samaritan man didn’t question whether this Jewish man was a good person who did his best, he just noticed that the man had a need.

Anyone can do good to those they like, but that is not the same as a Christ-like commitment to meet needs. Romans 12:20–21 challenges this self-centered kindness by saying, “Therefore if thine enemy hunger, feed him; if he thirst, give him drink: for in so doing thou shalt heap coals of fire on his head. Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good.” The love of Christ compels us to love those who have done evil against us.

On the morning of October 2, 2006, a troubled milkman named Charles Carl Roberts barricaded himself inside the West Nickel Mine Amish School, murdering five young girls and wounding six others. Roberts was never apprehended because he committed suicide when police arrived on the scene.
It was a dark day for the Amish community of West Nickel Mines, but it was also a dark day for Marie Roberts—the wife of the gunman—and her two young children.

On the following Saturday, however, Marie experienced something truly unexpected while attending her husband’s funeral. That day, she and her children watched as Amish families—about half of the seventy-five mourners present—came and stood alongside them in the midst of their own blinding grief. Despite the horrific crime the man had committed, the Amish came to mourn Charles Carl Roberts—a husband and daddy.

In that moment of sorrow, a group of people focused on the needs of a grieving widow in spite of their own tragedy. They were committed to her needs above their own.

WILLINGNESS TO PAY THE PRICE
Ministry that costs nothing accomplishes nothing. The Samaritan did not consider the cost to himself. He was solely concerned about the welfare of the injured man. If we wait for a chance to help someone that does not cost us our time or money, we will never make a difference in anyone’s life. God has given us the means to help others now, and ministry happens when divine resources flow through human instrumentality. God has blessed us so that He may use us to help others.

Proverbs 19:17 tells us that all our selfless giving is to the Lord: “He that hath pity upon the poor lendeth unto the Lord; and that which he hath given will he pay him again.” What we have is from the Lord, and what we give is to the Lord.

Every week, hundreds of children from needy homes in the Antelope Valley come to Lancaster Baptist Church to learn about Jesus Christ. The bus ministries here and in Baptist churches around the country were established to bring in children who would never otherwise hear the Gospel.

It is a costly ministry. Buses and diesel fuel are not cheap. Bus workers give up much of their Saturdays to visit and encourage the kids. Class teachers invest hours into their study. The bus classes do have offerings so the children can give back to the Lord—they give about $26 a week. It is not a ministry that helps to pay the bills.

The Samaritan did not think about the fringe benefits of helping. He didn’t think, “How will I be repaid?” or, “Maybe the local paper will write about me.” The ministry is not about what we will get; it’s about what we can give.

BOLDNESS TO SHARE THE GOSPEL
In this story of the true neighbor, Jesus is painting a picture of His own compassion towards mankind. We were once dead in our trespasses and sins (Ephesians 2:1), but Jesus had compassion on us even though we didn’t deserve it (Romans 5:6). Jesus came to us first (Luke 19:10). He cleansed our wounds, paid our debt, and He promises to return for us (John 14:3). The story of the good Samaritan is not just an example of goodwill; it is a picture of the Gospel.

When we reach out to our community, we must do it in the name of Jesus Christ. It is not about receiving honors for our humanitarian work. It is not just about making the world a better place. Our primary purpose for demonstrating the love of Christ is to bring glory to His name and to bring people to a saving faith in Him.

If we want to see God transform the people in our community, we must look with eyes of compassion. We do not need theological training to care about someone. Prejudice cannot stop us from reaching out to someone in need, because God gave His grace to us when we needed it the most but deserved it the least. We can follow that example by committing to meet the needs of others. It will cost us something to help, but God will provide. Remember, every person’s greatest need is Jesus Christ.  Will you share the Gospel in your community?