09/06/2026
Valuing All People
Lead Like Jesus-part 2
September 6, 2026
Luke 10:25-37
1. High road leaders see people the way Jesus sees them (vs. 25-29)
The lawyer wasn’t asking how to love more people — he was asking how to love fewer people. He wanted to limit the definition of “neighbor” so he could limit the responsibility of love. He wanted to know who he didn’t have to value. He wanted to shrink the circle of compassion. The lawyer wanted a loophole.
When Jesus chooses a Samaritan as the hero of the story, He isn’t just telling a parable — He’s confronting prejudice, pride, and the human tendency to devalue people who are different.
High road leadership begins with how we see people. Do we see people as interruptions or opportunities? Do we see people as problems or as image bearers of God? Do we see people through the lens of our biases or through the lens of Jesus’ love?
2. High road leaders respond with compassion (vs. 30-32)
Jesus introduces two religious leaders here in his story: a priest and a Levite. Both see the injured man. Both walk past him. Why?
The priest and Levite represent middle road leadership — leadership that sees the need but chooses convenience over compassion.
3. High road leaders take action to help (vs. 33-37)
Notice the Samaritan had compassion for the injured man. Compassion moves you to action. Here’s the thing about compassion. It is inconvenient. It will cost you something. It will interrupt your plans.
Without compassion, we see people as obstacles or obligations rather than image bearers of God. Compassion softens our heart so we can respond to people’s pain instead of retreating from it; it interrupts our self-interest and awakens a willingness to step toward and help the hurting. High road leaders don’t simply recognize need — they allow compassion to move them, shape them, and compel them to act in ways that reflect the character of Christ. Compassion is the bridge between awareness and action, the difference between walking past and stopping to help.
• Should compassion have boundaries?
Compassion is essential for high road leadership, but compassion without wisdom becomes unhealthy, draining, and ultimately harmful. Without boundaries, compassion can drift into rescuing, overreaching, or carrying responsibilities that God never intended us to carry.
“Carry one another’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.” Galatians 6:2
A burden is a heavy, crushing weight.
For example: grief, trauma, sudden loss, medical emergencies, or life altering hardship.
“Each one should carry their own load.” Galatians 6:5
The word load means a personal backpack — the normal responsibilities of everyday life.
For example: paying bills, managing emotions, keeping commitments, showing up to work, raising children, and owning personal choices.
• When does helping become enabling?
Helping becomes enabling when we start carrying someone’s load instead of their burden. Enabling happens when our compassion crosses into rescuing, excusing, or absorbing responsibilities that God intends for the person to carry themselves.
Helping becomes enabling when:
• You remove natural consequences someone needs to
experience
• You do for them what they can do—but won’t
• You carry their responsibilities instead of supporting their
growth
• You become more invested in their change than they are
• You prevent them from learning discipline, accountability, or
maturity
• You feel drained while they remain unchanged
Personal application:
Jesus ends the story of the Good Samaritan by saying to the lawyer, “Go and do likewise.” That is a good reminder for us.
Ask yourself:
• Who is God calling me to help?
• What action have I been avoiding?
• Where can I put love into motion this week?
