“Which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?” The expert in the law replied, “The one who had mercy on him” (Luke 10: 36-37).

Have you ever read, seen, or heard something you think you’ve heard a thousand times before and just realized you missed something important? I’ve read the parable of the Good Samaritan dozens of times. I’ve seen it shared in cute cartoon or comic form for kids.  I’ve heard multiple preachers give sermons on it.  

But I just saw it.

At the end of the parable Jesus doesn’t ask the lawyer to weigh the good deeds and the bad deeds before casting a judgment on the men in the story.  He asks a simple question, “Which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?” 

The focus of Jesus is not on the deeds.  His focus is on the people.  He doesn’t see the Samaritan just as the one who did a good deed.  The Samaritan is the one who saw the injured man as a person worthy of love.

When I’ve read this parable in the past, I took away the obvious: Be good to people and do good things.  I’ve accepted the part where this even includes total strangers, or people I don’t like.  But the piece that I missed is Jesus asking me to see the inherent value of every human.  Without exception, everyone is worthy of Jesus’s love.  

This week I’m asking myself the same question the lawyer asked of Jesus, “What must I do to inherit eternal life?” To answer that question, I must see people as Jesus sees them. Jesus sacrificed not just for me, but for all people.  This belief must become the lens through which I view all people all the time. 

Even before I do the calculus of figuring out what good I can accomplish, I must love first.  To receive my inheritance of eternal life is to see everyone as a person Jesus chose to save.  I will challenge myself to recognize that every human on this planet is also being invited by Jesus’s promise of eternal life.  The love of Jesus needs to be the foundation for everything I do.  

Reflect on areas of your life when you can reframe something as not just an act of service, but an act of love.  How does your perspective change if the good you’re able to do in this world is rooted in the foundational love Jesus has for every human, and not just because you believe in doing good acts?