On the next day, when he departed, he took out two denarii, gave them to the innkeeper, and said to him,`Take care of him; and whatever more you spend, when I come again, I will repay you.’
Luke 10:35
It is difficult to pinpoint the exact value of the two denarii that the Samaritan gave for this man’s care. Inflation and differences in services rendered make it difficult to judge. But, a good guess would be that this would be akin to, at the least, someone today paying for two nights in a hotel. Depending on the the hotel, here in the US that could cost between $120 and $240, or more in tourist areas.
So this Samaritan put this guy up for a couple of nights, and also says he will pay if the man needs to stay longer. In other words, he wasn’t trying to get by without doing much for the man who had fallen among the thieves. He was making sure this guy had all that he might need to get well and get on his way.
Now, it is important to point something out here. The Lord Jesus does teach us to give sacrificially. He does want us to give to others even when it isn’t convenient for us. But, He is not here teaching us about giving specifically. He is answering the question, ‘who is my neighbor?’
Thus, the Lord does not expect us to take our starving child’s last scrap of bread and give it to the neighbor’s child who is hungry. What He is does expect is that if we can give, we will. The Samaritan was a man of substance. It is possible that he was richer than the other three men on the road. That doesn’t mean it was easy for him to do this. It is often harder to give when you are rich then when you are poor. He had to sacrifice his own luxuries to supply for this man’s need.
This fits so well with the question that was asked. The Samaritan could have left this Jewish man, a man who would likely hate him under normal circumstances. More than that, following the logic of the Jewish leaders, the Samaritan could have considered himself the holier of the two, and condemned this man as getting what he deserved. But the Samaritan didn’t do that.
Heavenly Father, thank You for treating us so well. You could look at us in all of our sin and choose to forsake us. But You do not. In Your mercy and grace You make it possible for us to be partakers of the kingdom of light. Thank You! In the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.