Why should we help?

Compassion is commanded

Read Luke 10: 25-28

Loving your neighbor comes second only to loving God – that’s a pretty high-value command. In the verses following this passage, the lawyer goes on to ask Jesus, “Who is my neighbor?” Jesus responds with one of the most well-known stories in the Bible: the Parable of the Good Samaritan.

At the start of the parable, a man is beaten by robbers and left for dead. A priest walks by and chooses not to help. A Levite walks by and similarly chooses not to help. Then enters the Samaritan – a person who, by all accounts should despise the person on the road.

Read Luke 10: 33-37

The flow of the story is clear. First, the Samaritan felt compassion. Then, he acted. Compassion should always lead us to love and serve others – no matter who that person is. When we witness someone experiencing poverty, we should also be moved to act.

These two passages show that our motivation to serve others should flow from Jesus’ command to love our neighbor and from our own sense of compassion.

Read Proverbs 14:21