Confessions of a Samaritan Wannabe
By Randy Stone, Lead Consultant and Coach, Strategic Church Solutions
I have a confession to make: I wish I were a Samaritan.
Not because I like controversy, but because every time I read the Gospels, the Samaritans seem to be the ones who get it right. They were the outsiders—the ones everyone else looked down on—but Jesus kept holding them up as examples of what true faith looks like.
If the religious world had a “Most Likely to Disappoint” list, the Samaritans would’ve been at the top. And yet, in story after story, they’re the ones who stop, believe, give thanks, and share the good news.
“The ones who stood furthest from religion often stood closest to the heart of God.”
1. The Samaritan Who Stopped — Compassion in Motion (Luke 10:25–37)
We all know the story—the Good Samaritan. But to Jesus’ original audience, that phrase was a contradiction in terms. You could be good or you could be a Samaritan—not both.
The priest and the Levite, the insiders, saw a broken man and kept walking. The Samaritan, the outsider, stopped. He didn’t post about it, pray about it, or wait for a sign. He simply acted.
He bandaged the wounds, paid the bill, and proved that compassion doesn’t need a title—it needs a towel.
When Jesus asked, “Who was the neighbor?” even the religious scholar couldn’t bring himself to say “the Samaritan.” He just muttered, “The one who showed mercy.”
The Samaritan didn’t know the rules—but he understood love. He didn’t quote theology—he practiced it.
“Real faith doesn’t walk around pain—it kneels beside it.”
2. The Samaritan Who Said Thank You — Gratitude That Heals (Luke 17:11–19)
Ten lepers. Ten healings. One grateful heart. Guess which one came back? The Samaritan.
Jesus healed them all, but only one stopped to worship—and it wasn’t the “church kid.” It was the one who wasn’t even supposed to be there.
He returned shouting, praising, and thanking God. And Jesus said something remarkable: “Your faith has made you whole.” All ten were healed, but only one was made whole—and it was the outsider who understood grace better than the insiders who’d memorized it.
Gratitude is the language of the truly transformed. Those who remember how lost they were never stop saying thanks.
“It’s not the miracle that makes you whole—it’s the gratitude that keeps you humble.”
3. The Samaritan Who Believed — Revival in the Margins (John 4:1–42)
Then there’s the woman at the well. A five-time divorcee, now living with a man who wasn’t her husband. She had no reputation left, but she had a divine appointment.
While others avoided Samaria, Jesus went straight through it. He sat down at her well, not because He was lost, but because she was.
They talked theology, truth, and thirst—and in that conversation, grace broke generational barriers. She left her water jar, ran back to town, and became the first evangelist in the Gospel of John.
“Many of the Samaritans believed because of the woman’s testimony.” (John 4:39)
Jesus didn’t go to Samaria to start an argument. He went to start a movement.
“The people we avoid are often the people God is preparing.”
4. The Samaritan Spirit — When Outsiders Get It Right
If you line up the Samaritans in the Gospels, you notice a pattern:
• The Good Samaritan showed compassion.
• The Grateful Samaritan showed humility.
• The Samaritan Woman showed faith.
In every story, the supposed outsider became the inside example of what the kingdom looks like. It’s as if Jesus kept saying, “You want to see what following Me really means? Watch them.”
He wasn’t excusing sin or rewriting doctrine—He was redefining what faith looks like when it’s stripped of pride. The Samaritan stories remind us that the ones we exclude may be the very ones God includes to teach us humility.
“Grace always travels across the borders religion builds.”
5. The Samaritans Among Us
Who are today’s Samaritans? They’re the people we overlook, underestimate, or misunderstand. They may not worship like us, vote like us, or fit neatly into our denominational mold—but God still works through them.
They might be:
• The believer who didn’t grow up in church.
• The recovering addict who now leads a Bible study.
• The neighbor who shows more kindness than the Christians around them.
If Jesus were teaching today, He might say:
“A pastor, a deacon, and an unlikely outsider all saw someone in need. Guess which one looked like Me?”
When we start loving like Jesus, we’ll start noticing the Samaritans He keeps lifting up.
“We keep waiting for saints; God keeps sending Samaritans.”
6. Confessions of a Samaritan Wannabe
I don’t envy the Samaritan’s rejection—but I admire their response. They lived on the margins, but they kept their hearts open. They were treated like outcasts, but they kept showing compassion, gratitude, and faith.
Sometimes I wish I had that same raw, uncomplicated devotion—faith that doesn’t need permission to act, and gratitude that doesn’t wait for approval.
“The Samaritans didn’t know all the rules. They just knew Jesus.”
Maybe that’s what the Church needs again—less rule-keeping and more relationship-building. Less guarding our tribe and more crossing boundaries for the sake of grace.
Because every time Jesus told a story about a Samaritan, He was really asking one question: “Who do you resemble more—the religious insider or the redeemed outsider?”
Conclusion: The Samaritan Challenge
If following Jesus means loving the way He did, then we’ll have to love the people He loved—especially the ones others avoided. Maybe the goal isn’t to be known as “good Christians,” but as “faithful Samaritans.”
So yes, I’ll own it: “I’m a Samaritan wannabe.” Because if compassion, gratitude, and faith are what impressed Jesus most, then that’s who I want to be—no matter what label I wear.
About Strategic Church Solutions
Strategic Church Solutions helps churches rediscover authentic compassion, cultural humility, and the kind of faith that crosses every border to reach people with grace. Learn more at www.strategicchurchsolutions.com
