“He went to him and bound up his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he set him on his own animal and brought him to an inn and took care of him. And the next day he took out two denarii and gave them to the innkeeper, saying, ‘Take care of him, and whatever more you spend, I will repay you when I come back.’”

Here me in this — mercy is not cheap.
It is beautiful to talk about, but costly to live out.
The Samaritan didn’t just feel sorry for the wounded man; he paid. He paid with his time, his comfort, his resources, his pride. So what does that mean?

Mercy means you might get interrupted. The Samaritan was on a journey, probably with somewhere to be, but he let his schedule bend to someone else’s need. Does that challenge you like it does me? Are you like me in rushing across town, fighting traffic on 65, with no margin to stop? I don’t make time for the person walking from a broken-down vehicle, or the one hungry on the roadside, or even to notice the sign someone’s holding up—whether their plea is real or not.

Mercy means you might get messy. The Samaritan didn’t just toss a prayer over the man, he got down in the blood, bandaged the wounds, poured on oil and wine. See, mercy gets your hands dirty, it'll cost you clean hands, an strict timeline, or an organized agenda — because hurting people aren’t neat, punctual, or together.

Mercy means you might get inconvenienced. The Samaritan put the broken man on his own donkey, which meant he had to walk. He gave up comfort so someone else could heal. When is the last time you did that? I'm still wrestling with it myself.

And mercy means you might open your wallet. Two denarii, plus the promise to cover any future cost — no guarantee of repayment, no receipt, no contract. That’s a real risk, because Mercy takes risk. That’s mercy.

If…then. If I claim to love mercy, then I have to accept that it will cost me something. God’s mercy toward me was never sterile, safe, or comfortable. It was costly. And if I’m a child of the King, if He's my Father, then my mercy can’t be cheap, either.

Luke 6:36 (ESV) 36 Be merciful, even as your Father is merciful.

Pay the price of mercy today.
Give up time, comfort, or resources for someone who can’t repay you. Let your sacrifice reflect the heart of Jesus.

Lord, thank You for paying the highest price for me. Your mercy interrupted my life, treated my wounds, carried my weakness, and covered my debt. Teach me to carry that same costly mercy into the lives of others. Help me to lay down my comfort, my schedule, even my pride, so that Your compassion can move through me.
In Jesus’ name, Amen.