LUKE 10 : 25–37 · SERIES: FAITH IN THE OPEN
Love That Costs Something
Jonathan Reyes · Mar 9, 2026 · 36 minutes
Mercy always has a price tag
A lawyer asks Jesus, "Who is my neighbor?" — hoping for a boundary line. Instead Jesus tells a story that erases every boundary: a Samaritan stops, bandages, pays, and promises to return. The neighbor isn't a category to define; it's a person to become.
The uncomfortable detail is the innkeeper's bill. The Samaritan doesn't just feel compassion — he opens his wallet, rearranges his schedule, and commits to come back. Real love always costs time, money, or comfort. If our mercy costs us nothing, Jesus suggests, it may not be mercy at all.
1
Your neighbor is defined by need, not proximity
The priest and Levite were close; the Samaritan was far. Closeness never made anyone a neighbor — compassion did.
2
Compassion interrupts
Everyone in the story had somewhere to be. Only one let a bleeding stranger reorder his day — mercy is scheduled by others.
3
Go and do likewise — this week
Jesus ends with an assignment, not a sentiment. One name, one need, one costly act of kindness before Sunday.
Hear it live this Sunday
Services at 8:30 & 10:30 AM · 212 Willow Bend Road, Maplewood