We all know the term Good Samaritan. We use it to describe someone who helps a stranger, someone kind enough to stop and care when no one else does. But that phrase actually originates from a story Jesus told — one that still challenges what it means to love people today.

In Luke 10, a religious scholar asked Jesus a question meant to test Him: “Who is my neighbor?” He wanted to know the limits of compassion. Jesus didn’t answer with a definition. He answered with a story.

He said a man was walking from Jerusalem to Jericho when robbers attacked him, stripped him, and left him half dead. A priest saw him and crossed the road to avoid him. Then a Levite, another religious leader, came by and did the same. Both men knew God’s Word, but neither stopped.

Then came a Samaritan — someone from a group the Jewish people looked down on. He didn’t have a title or position, but he had compassion. He stopped, cleaned the man’s wounds, put him on his own donkey, and paid for his care at an inn.

That’s where the idea of the “Good Samaritan” comes from. Jesus created this story to show what love looks like when it costs something.

At the end, Jesus asked, “Which of these three was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?” The scholar replied, “The one who had mercy on him.” Jesus said, “Go and do likewise.”

The point wasn’t just about kindness. It was about compassion that acts. The Samaritan didn’t stop because it was convenient. He stopped because it was right.

We live in a world that celebrates comfort, speed, and self-focus. But Jesus’ story still flips that upside down. Real love interrupts. It notices. It stops. It gets involved.

Every day, you and I pass people who need mercy — not always physically hurt, but worn down, unseen, or hurting inside. Loving your neighbor isn’t about doing everything. It’s about doing something.

The phrase Good Samaritan may have become a common saying, but its meaning still starts with Jesus. It reminds us that faith without compassion isn’t faith at all.

Love looks like stopping.

When you’re not sure how to pray, A.C.T.S. gives you a simple path to follow: Adore, Confess, Thank, and Ask.

Adoration: God, You loving and merciful. You never walk past those who are hurting.

Confession: I admit that I often get too busy or distracted to notice people who need help.

Thanksgiving: Thank you for showing mercy to me first. Thank you for teaching me through Jesus what real love is.

Supplication: Help me see people the way you see them. Give me the courage to stop, to care, and to love like the Samaritan did.

In Jesus name, Amen

“Grace” by Rachel Platten

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Zach and the Daily Devotion team