Articles
The Demonstration Of True Love
You are probably somewhat familiar with the story of The Good Samaritan, as told by Jesus and recorded by Luke in Luke 10:25-37. As it is recorded, a man expert in the law [of Moses] asked Jesus, “Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?” Jesus then asked the man, “What is written in the law? What is your reading of it?” The man answered, “‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, and with all your mind,’ and ‘your neighbor as yourself.’” When Jesus then told the man, “You have answered rightly; do this and you will live,” he then, seeking to justify himself, asked, “And who is my neighbor?”
It is then that Jesus told the story of The Good Samaritan: A man traveled from Jerusalem to Jericho and, on the way, was beset by thieves who took his clothes, wounded him, and left him for dead. After a time, a priest came upon the man but, seeing him, passed by on the other side and went on his way. Similarly, a Levite later came upon the man and, seeing him, passed by on the other side and went on his way. It wasn't until a Samaritan came along that the man was helped, with the Samaritan taking notice of the man, stopping to bandage and care for the man, and then putting him on his animal and taking him to an inn where he paid for his lodging and told the innkeeper that whatever more he might spend in his care, he would come again and repay.
What a wonderful story, right? It is, and there are some important lessons for us today, since Jesus once told a man that loving the Lord was the greatest commandment, and the second was loving our neighbor as we do ourselves (cf. Matt. 22:37-40). We might ask ourselves, "Do I truly love my neighbor, or do I, like the man who asked Jesus the initial question, try to justify myself when I don't really fulfill that command?" How would I know if I was actually fulfilling that command or not? Let's take a look at the story of The Good Samaritan and note a few points about his actions that demonstrated true love, and let us then examine ourselves to see if that is what we are doing.
Taking Note Of The Needs of Others. In the story, when the priest and the Levite each came upon the man, they saw his condition, but they ignored his needs. The story plainly states the priest “saw him” and the Levite even “when he arrived at the place, came and looked,” but they each passed by on the other side and went on their way without doing anything! It's almost as if each one was saying to himself, "I don't want to get involved!" And they did not get involved. They did nothing. They did not demonstrate true love for this man at all.
Taking notice of the needs of others is a demonstration of true love only if that then causes us to react as did the Samaritan: with compassion. The priest and the Levite each took notice, but they had no compassion! They had no feelings for him at all! It could be that they feared that the robbers might still be near and that they, too, might be harmed, but true love will override whatever fears we might have and will then be demonstrated by…
Taking Action To Fulfill the Needs of Others. John once asked, “But whoever has this world’s goods, and sees his brother in need, and shuts up his heart from him, how does the love of God abide in him?” (1 John 3:17); that is a rhetorical question that needs no answer because the answer is so obvious: The love of God does not abide in us if we close our hearts to the needs of others! John would then go on to admonish us, “My little children, let us not love in word or in tongue, but in deed and in truth” (1 John 3:18). In other words, let's not just talk about how much we love one another; we must demonstrate love by what we do.
In the story of The Good Samaritan, only the Samaritan acted to take care of this man's needs; the priest and the Levite each continued on their way without doing anything for him. If we seek to have true love for our fellow man, it will be demonstrated by our actions. If we should see someone in need, we cannot 'pass by on the other side and go on our way,' pretending we didn't see it or claiming we are 'too busy' for the moment to do anything. True love takes notice of the needs of others and then acts. Mere words can't fulfill needs.
Making Sacrifices Without Seeking Repayment. In the story, The Good Samaritan used his own oil and wine and his own bandages to treat the man's wounds, set the man on his own animal, paid for the man's lodging and care with his own money, and promised to pay for whatever more was needed for his care. At no time do we read of the man seeking repayment or even recognition from others. It was all done without hesitation, and it was all done without looking for any repayment of any kind.
Jesus once asked His audience, “But if you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners love those who love them” (Luke 6:32); good point! Is it really 'love' if we look for something in return? That would be closer to being a business transaction than a demonstration of true love!
Actions Taken In Spite of How Others Treat Us. It is no coincidence that in this story Jesus told, it was a Samaritan who demonstrated true love, while the Jews [the priest and the Levite] were the ones who ignored the plight of their fellow man; the whole point was that true love does not restrict our actions to a certain nationality, education level, social status, amount of wealth one has, political stance, or any other factor. Remember, this man who initially asked Jesus the question was seeking to justify himself, which meant he probably was unwilling to cross political and social lines to demonstrate true love. Even when Jesus asked the man who was the true 'neighbor' in the story, the man couldn't bring himself to say 'the Samaritan.' According to the inspired record of John, “Jews have no dealings with Samaritans” (John 4:9). That is putting it mildly. Albert Barnes commented on the relationship of Jew and Samaritan by writing, "the Jews regarded them as the worst of the human race." (Notes on the New Testament, commentary on Matt. 10:5.)
This Samaritan could have justified himself by pointing to this common view that Jews had for Samaritans and said to himself, "Why should I help someone who thinks I am such a bad person?" But he didn't try to justify himself and he didn't really stop to think about the personal view this man might have had of him. He saw a need and acted.
So, do we truly love as God says we must? Do we stop to think about others and their needs, or are we focused too much on self? If we see needs, do we do anything about it, or do we simply go on our way? Are we willing to make sacrifices for the needs of others, or is that 'asking too much'? Do we limit our love to others just like us, or to ones we think will repay us or to ones we know like us?
When it comes down to it, we must love as Christ loved us (Eph. 5:2). — Steven Harper
