As a young lad in secondary school, I witnessed an act of love and kindness that remains in my memory up to this moment. This gesture provided me with meaningful insights into the true understanding of the parable of the Good Samaritan. It also allows me to comprehend the sublime statement expressed by the prophet Isaiah: “If you extend your soul to the hungry and satisfy the afflicted soul, then your light shall dawn in darkness, and your darkness shall be as the noonday”—Isaiah 58:10 (NKJV).

In the vicinity of my home there was a young man who lived with his aunt and was learning mechanics. Every night, he shared his inadequate portion of food with another young fellow who was, at that time, either a student or a tailor apprentice. One day, after he gave away part of his meal, he was still seeking for some bread to appease his hunger pangs. When confronted by his aunt to explain this strange behavior, the young man replied: “I cannot be contented with a full meal while someone else I know is starving.” I learned then, what it means to share one's substance with the needy.

So it is in the parable of the Good Samaritan recorded in Luke 10:25-37, where genuine love is wonderfully illustrated. Furthermore, Jesus shows that “true religion consists not in a system of creeds or rites but in the performance of loving deeds in bringing greatest good to others in genuine goodness”—The Desire of Ages, p. 497. This kind of love compels us to match our words with our actions. As religious leaders and teachers of the Law, when the Levite and the priest saw the traveler covered with dust and blood, and half dead, they passed by on the other side. But the Good Samaritan, as a gentile, was moved with compassion when he saw the sufferer. "So he went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine; and set him on his own animal, brought him to an inn and took care of him—Luke 10:33-35 (NKJV).

From the foregoing, some meaningful lessons can be learned:

1.  Our love must be manifested to everyone. To love is not to give from our superfluity but to share our subsistence with others. It is not enough to carry the message of love. We must be the message; our love for one another must match our theology.

2. Our knowledge must make the journey to our hearts. The priest and the Levite were churchmen, teachers of the Torah. But the principles of the law were not written in their hearts. Discrimination, selfishness, prejudice, spirit of class, and culture prevented them from helping one of their own. Christ's religion transcends race, class, and culture.

3. We must come down off our beast. The Good Samaritan was a gentile but the law of God was in his heart.  When he saw the sufferer, he came down off his beast and attended to him. We, too, must come down from our comfort zone. We must let someone ride while we walk. This requires the mind and the spirit of Jesus.

The Good Samaritan is a type of Jesus who “was wounded for our transgression. He was bruised for our iniquities"—Isaiah 53:5. Our Savior summons us to come down from our ivory tower to be sensitive and to show love and kindness to our fellowmen. Unto us He says, "Go and continue to do likewise."

Louis Métellus is the Haitian Ministries vice president and director for Adventist Community Services and Prison Ministries.