What Made the Samaritan Good? Understanding True Goodness

The phrase "Good Samaritan" is everywhere in our culture—from hospitals to roadside assistance clubs to TV shows. But do we really understand what made the Samaritan in Jesus' parable "good"? As we explore the fruit of the Spirit called "goodness," we need to let this familiar parable shock us into reordering our affections.

The Lawyer's Test and Jesus' Response

In Luke 10, we find Jesus on His way to Jerusalem, headed toward the cross. A lawyer (an expert in Old Testament law) approaches Jesus with a question: "What must I do to inherit eternal life?" Luke makes it clear this wasn't a sincere question—the lawyer was trying to test Jesus.

Rather than dismissing the question, Jesus responds with His own: "What is written in the law? How do you read it?" The lawyer answers correctly by summarizing the law: "Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, strength, and mind, and love your neighbor as yourself."

Jesus affirms this answer with what should be an uncomfortable truth: "Do this and you will live." In other words, if you want to earn eternal life, just perfectly love God and your neighbor with everything you are. Simple, right?

The Uncomfortable Truth About the Law

When we truly understand what God's law requires, we should feel desperate. Perfect obedience is impossible. This realization should drive us to God's grace, not to more attempts at obedience.

The lawyer, feeling this discomfort, tries to limit his responsibility by asking, "And who is my neighbor?" He's looking for a loophole, trying to justify himself by narrowing down who he's obligated to love.

The Parable That Shocked Its Audience

Jesus responds with the parable of the Good Samaritan. A man traveling from Jerusalem to Jericho is attacked by robbers who leave him half-dead. A priest passes by and avoids him. A Levite does the same. But a Samaritan—someone Jews considered an unclean heretic—stops to help.

The Samaritan doesn't just offer basic aid. He:

• Binds the man's wounds
• Pours oil and wine on them
• Places him on his own animal
• Takes him to an inn
• Pays for his care
• Promises to return and cover any additional expenses

This would have shocked Jesus' audience. Making a Samaritan the hero would be like telling a story today where a pastor and seminary professor walk by someone in need, but a strung-out drifter shows compassion.

The Question That Really Matters

Jesus concludes by asking, "Which of these three proved to be a neighbor?" The lawyer can't even bring himself to say "the Samaritan," instead answering, "The one who showed mercy."

Jesus flips the lawyer's question on its head. The issue isn't "who qualifies as my neighbor?" but rather "am I being a neighbor?" The question isn't about defining our obligations but about examining our hearts.

Two Ways to Respond to God's Law

When confronted with God's perfect standard, we can respond in one of two ways:

• Self-justification: Like the Pharisee in Luke 18:9-14, we can convince ourselves we're "pretty good" compared to others. We attend church, read our Bible sometimes, give to charity, and haven't committed any "major" sins.
• Humility and repentance: Like the tax collector in the same passage, we can acknowledge our unworthiness, confess our sin, and receive righteousness from God as a gift.

Jesus is clear: only the second person goes home justified. The one who tries to justify himself will be condemned.

What Does It Mean to Be Good?

Goodness isn't just being "okay" or "decent." Biblical goodness stands in opposition to evil. God is the source of all goodness—as Psalm 119:68 says, "You are good and do good."

God's very essence is goodness. He is infinitely and unchangeably good. As one Puritan put it, "God always glitters in goodness as the sun does with light." There is no goodness apart from God, and He can't do anything that isn't good.

This is why Jesus said, "No one is good except God alone." Until this reality settles into our hearts, we'll keep trying to convince ourselves we can be "good enough."

Three Key Lessons from the Parable

• No one inherits eternal life apart from Christ's cross. If you think you can do something to inherit eternal life, you're deceived and haven't understood the gospel.
• Jesus is the true Good Samaritan. Only Jesus is willing and able to save you from death, heal you, come near to you, and pay for it all at great cost. Until you realize you're the half-dead man and Jesus is the one showing compassion, you won't understand the gospel.
• Jesus expects us to love others sacrificially. We don't act good to justify ourselves but because God has justified us. The gospel frees us from the burden of the law and sends us back to love others.

The Paradox of Christian Goodness

Here's the paradox: If you think eternal life requires you to prove you're good enough, you'll come up with excuses for your cruelty. But when you acknowledge you're not good and that God has shown you mercy, you'll freely turn to others with selfless, costly love.

True goodness is a heart posture of goodwill toward others—mercy in action. Knowledge of the law isn't enough; you must understand its function. The law reveals our misery and leads us to the gospel, which then frees us to love others without looking for loopholes.

What Made the Samaritan Good?

The Samaritan was good because his heart was moved toward compassion. What makes you good? First, that God declares you good by grace alone while you're still a sinner. Second, that God's Spirit frees you from the burden of the law to show His goodness to others.

Application

God shows mercy out of His goodness. We show goodness out of His grace. This week, consider these questions:

• In what areas of your life are you still trying to justify yourself rather than resting in God's justification?

• Who has God providentially placed in your path that needs mercy and compassion?

• How might your actions change if you approached others from a position of having received grace rather than trying to earn it?

• What "loopholes" have you created to limit your responsibility to love others?

Don't try to prove you are good enough. Acknowledge that you're not, and then run to Jesus. Mirror God's goodness through the Spirit's life in you, giving thanks always to our Lord and Savior.