In the Gospel of Luke, the Lord presents the Parable of the Good Samaritani (Luke 10:30–37). In that story, a man lies dying on the side of the road. He represents the unbelieving lawyer to whom Jesus is speaking (v 25). The man needs to be saved. He needs eternal life. He is helpless on the road. He is unable to help himself.
The Law cannot save him. The priest and the Levite pass by, powerless to deliver him from death. But then the Savior comes. In the parable, the Lord is portrayed as the Good Samaritan. He shows compassion for the man, His enemy, and saves him from death. He tends to his wounds, carries him to safety, and pays the cost of his recovery. It is a beautiful depiction of the Savior’s love for us, even while we were still His enemies (Rom 5:8).
But the parable doesn’t end there. The next morning, the Samaritan has a conversation with the innkeeper before leaving. In v 35, He tells the innkeeper to take care of the man, and that when He returns, the innkeeper will be rewarded.
The Samaritan is leaving. He would depart. Here we see a prophetic picture of the Lord’s ascension. Before He left, He entrusted His work of caring for others to us. The innkeeper, in this picture, represents the believer. The Samaritan provides him with resources—two denarii, roughly two days’ wages—and gives him three clear statements that summarize the believer’s call in the present age. These are words to live by.
First, the innkeeper was to take care of the man.
The innkeeper’s responsibility is to care for the man the Samaritan has saved. Likewise, believers are called to care for others, especially those of the household of faith (Gal 6:10).
In the church age, we’ve been given spiritual gifts to serve and build up the body of Christ (1 Cor 12:7). Each act of service to others is an extension of the Savior’s own compassion through us.
Second, the Lord promised that He would come again.
The Lord assures us that He will return. Though He has departed, His absence is not permanent. Believers are urged to live in readiness and eager expectation of His coming. In fact, it is the last thing the Lord says to us in Rev 22:20. The wise Christian life is lived in light of His imminent return. This hope shapes our priorities, purifies our hearts, and fuels our endurance. Third, the Lord will repay the innkeeper.
Here we find the doctrine of rewards. The Lord promises to reward every sacrifice made for His name’s sake. Serving Christ is costly—it requires time, effort, and love that often go unseen. Yet none of it is forgotten. When the Lord returns, He will repay in full. Every unseen act of care, every weary labor of love, will be met with a reward from Him.
The words of the Samaritan to the innkeeper are the words of the Lord to us. They are words to live by. We are to serve others by taking care of them. We are to live expectantly, knowing the Lord will come again. We are to endure, knowing the Lord will repay us for the work done for Him.
i Ken also has a YouTube video talking about these
