Many Christians have wondered at one point or another how to be a godly friend. What does it really mean? Books have been written about the subject. Seminars have been taught. Sermons have been preached. Lessons have been written. I suppose this is not that much different. I created this mini study after reading a passage in the Bible that opened my mind to this principle. Maybe at some point, I’ll further flesh out the idea. Until then though, let’s take a look at some scripture.
29 But he, willing to justify himself, said unto Jesus, And who is my neighbour?
30 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.
31 And by chance there came down a certain priest that way: and when he saw him, he passed by on the other side.
32 And likewise a Levite, when he was at the place, came and looked on him, and passed by on the other side.
33 But a certain Samaritan, as he journeyed, came where he was: and when he saw him, he had compassion on him,
34 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.
35 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.
36 Which now of these three, thinkest thou, was neighbour unto him that fell among the thieves?
37 And he said, He that shewed mercy on him. Then said Jesus unto him, Go, and do thou likewise.
Luke 10:27-39
Let’s quickly identify the 5 characters we see in this story. This is a Bible hack that really allows you to connect with the text. You can take the characters and the setting to see different angles in the same story. It’s pretty awesome! So… who are our five characters?
- The Thieves
- The Man who got robbed
- The Priest
- The Levite
- The Samaritan
Now, let’s first see how these different characters were perceived externally.
The Thieves
These were some men who wanted something for nothing. They were evil and wicked. They didn’t want to work for something, so they decided to hurt another man and take his. They saw this traveler walking alone down the road, so they decided to beat him and rob him.
The Man who got robbed
This is an unnamed man who was just going about his day. He very well may have been a Jewish man, as he was going between the two Jewish cities of Jerusalem and Jericho. He may have even been somewhat wealthy, as the robbers sized him up and evidently saw something that looked valuable to them. It was just another day until he got walloped over the head and robbed. They took everything that was valuable to him. They hurt him enough to the point where he couldn’t move by himself. They left him for dead. He laid out there in the sun on the side of the road. See the picture in your mind. He was probably caked in dirt from where the robbers had wrestled him to the ground. There was probably blood all over him from where they’d beat him up. He smelled nasty after baking in his sweat, blood, and the dust. He was all bruised up. His hair and clothes ripped and torn.
The Priest
He was the spiritual know-it-all. The “pastor” of this Jewish time period. He was the one who was supposed to be the most righteous and holy. This fella probably conducted offerings and taught in the temple.
The Levite
He was a temple worker. In today’s terms, he would’ve probably been an elder, deacon, Sunday School teacher, choir director, etc. He knew his way around God’s house. He’d been in church all his file. He was a bit different from a priest (because he wasn’t of the line of Aaron most likely), but he still probably helped prepare offerings, clean the church, etc.
The Samaritan
He was a half-breed, half Jew and half Gentile. The Jews saw his kind as filth and trash. He was disdained. In Jewish culture, he was seen as dirty. Jews didn’t even step foot in Samaritan towns. They’d intentionally take longer journeys to go AROUND Samaritan villages. Needless to say, this man may have never even had a Jew talk to him.
That’s quite a cast of characters! We can probably make some assumptions based on what we already know about them from how they look on the outside. But, I feel it’s important to note, we need to also consider their inward hearts.
Why is that so important Sam?
7 But the Lord said unto Samuel, Look not on his countenance, or on the height of his stature; because I have refused him: for the Lord seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the Lord looketh on the heart.
1 Samuel 16:7
We need to get in the habit of looking at people the way that the Lord looks at them. It’s perfectly fine to take note of how people behave and look on the outside. Oftentimes, it indeed is an indication of what’s going on on the inside. Still, we must be careful that we separate the inward and the outward before making a final judgement, so let’s do that here with our characters. Rather than write it all out this time, I’m just going to bullet point some of the thoughts that came to my mind as I thought about what the contents of each of these characters’ hearts contained.
The Thieves
- Laziness
- Entitlement
- Immorality
- Greediness
- Violence
The Man who got robbed
- Hurt
- Sorrow
The Priest
- Pride
- Arrogance
- Uncomfortableness
- Rushed perhaps?
The Levite
- SAME AS PRIEST
The Samaritan
- Huble
- Loving
- Caring
- Indiscriminate
- Giving
What do you see here?
Well, we got some of them pinned right. The thieves looked like some bad dudes on the outside, and they turned out to have some bad traits on the inside.
However, the descriptions of the external doesn’t match the description on the internal for our other characters, does it?
When God looked on each of these people, what do you think he paid more attention to? That’s right. What was going on on the inside.
So Sam… what’s the application for me?
It’s very simple. Which one of these characters are you?
Can I tell you that you come in contact with robbed people almost every single day? There are people who get robbed. Every. Single. Day. And I’m not just talking about being physically assaulted and such.
There are those who are walking down the road of life, much like how that man was walking down the road to Jericho, when they are accosted by life’s circumstances, and then they are robbed of their health, their joy, their compassion, their identity, and a multitude of other things.
A divorce can rob a child of a home. A teen pregnancy can rob a young adult of an education. An alcohol or drug addiction can rob a child of their parent, or a spouse of their spouse. Bad friendships, money problems, ego, family drama, etc. SO MANY THINGS can rob people. These same people are the ones who are hurting and beaten.
For whatever the reason, God, in His divine and limitless wisdom, has placed them in your path and chosen you to be their good Samaritan.
The question is… are you up to the task?
Are you up to the task, regardless of who that hurting person is? Remember… there’s a very good chance that the man who was robbed that day was a Jew. After all, he was going between two very prominent Jewish towns. It’s very possible that if the roles had been reversed, and the Samaritan was the one who’d gotten robbed, the Jewish man would’ve never batted an eye. He would’ve ignored and avoided the dirty, unclean Samaritan.
Are you willing to a good Samaritan to someone who wouldn’t be one to you? Are you willing to be a friend to someone who normally wouldn’t be a friend to you? What does that look like?
Look closely at the text in verse 33. What does it say this Samaritan did? He showed compassion on the man. What do the next two verses say though?
Verse 34 says that he went to him and bound up his wounds. Compassion isn’t just something you say, it’s something that you do. The Samaritan physically got involved. He got in the blood and dirt and helped the man with his own two hands. He walked by his beast (probably a donkey) all the way to Jericho so that the injured man could ride. He pulled money out of his wallet to give the man a place to stay.
Are you willing to do for others to be a good friend, or do you just talk the talk?
If God places them into your path, whether it be at work or school or within your family, are you willing to be a friend? Even if it’s uncomfortable? Even if you have to sacrifice something?
Lastly, we see in verse 36 that the Samaritan didn’t just leave the man after he got him to safety. He said, “when I return again”. The Samaritan was following up. Good neighbors and good friends follow up. They check up on each other. They encourage each other. It’s not enough for us to just say “that’s my friend” if we never talk to them after the initial interaction. You have to be involved continually.
Yesterday, I received a call from one of my friends that I made as a summer camp counselor at the Wilds in college. We hadn’t talked in a hot minute. Probably 6 months. He was in town on a business trip. On a whim, we met up and got burgers that night. Spent some time catching up and fellowshipping. It reminded me of the importance of keeping those relationships maintained. Good friends can offer the best encouragement when you’re going through your lowest moments. It’s worth the investment of time and energy.
Think about this week what you can do to be a friend like the good Samaritan. Has God placed those people in your path? If He has, reach out to them follow up.
If you can’t think of any opportunities you currently have in your life to be a good Samaritan and a good friend, begin praying that God would give you the opportunity to do so.
God can do wonderous and amazing things to those who have a willing heart that is centered on Him.
