I am using the daily Bible reading schedule from “The Bible.net” for my daily Bible reading.

Today, I am reading and commenting on Luke 10-11

I was struck by something in the Parable of the Good Samaritan today.  I have always heard people interpret it by saying that we should love those whom our society teaches us to despise the way the Jews of Jesus’ time were taught to despise the Samaritans.  Now, while this is not wrong, I realized that was not what Jesus was teaching here.  Rather, He was saying that we should love, and do good for, those who despise us the way that the Jews of His time despised the Samaritans.  I am not sure why this comes as a revelation to me today, because I know full well that Jesus also taught that we should not view anyone, any member of any group, the way that the Jews of His time viewed the Samaritans. Yet, despite the fact that I have often heard that we should seek to do as the Samaritan in this story did, I have also heard people tell me to put myself in the position of the man beaten by robbers.  However, we should evaluate this situation from the perspective of the Samaritan.  He could have thought, “This man does not really want help from someone like me.  This is a well traveled road, surely someone he would rather have help from will be along shortly to help him.”  But the Samaritan did not do that.  He could not know that those whom the man would have expected to help him had already passed by and chosen not the help.  He just saw someone in need and helped them.  We should do likewise.