Why Should We Help Others? Why Humanitarian Aid?

Dennis Edwards

Here are the notes to a slideshow I gave at the centre for neglected children in our town.

Have you ever had a problem in your health where you needed someone to help you?

Maybe you fell down and someone came to help you up. 

Maybe you felt discouraged because something bad happened in your family, or at school, and someone came along and encouraged you with a word, a hug, or a smile. 

We all have moments when we feel weak either physically, because we are sick, or have had an accident; or emotionally, because of a death in the family, a divorce, or some other problem.

We have an old saying in our society that goes, “Do unto others as you would want them to do unto you.” In one of the oldest cultures in the world, they have a similar saying. It is, “Don’t do to others, what you wouldn’t want them to do to you.” 

Confucius in China said that around 500 BC, or 2,800 years ago. The ancient Hebrews from Israel had the following saying, “You shall love your neighbour as yourself,” Leviticus 19:18. 

Moses wrote that around 1500 BC or about 3,800 years ago. Later, around 30 AD or about 2,200 years ago, Jesus Christ made that slogan one of His key messages.

He gave a vivid picture story to make the point. It’s called, “The Good Samaritan.” 

The Bible references are below, which I didn’t read to the children. They just watched the film. Let us all be Good Samaritans today! Article continues after the Scriptures.

Luke 10:25-39

25 And, behold, a certain lawyer stood up, and tempted him, saying, Master, what shall I do to inherit eternal life? 26 He said unto him, What is written in the law? how read thou? 27 And he answering said, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy strength, and with all thy mind; and thy neighbour as thyself. 28 And he said unto him, Thou hast answered right: this do, and thou shalt live.

29 But he, willing to justify himself, said unto Jesus, And who is my neighbour? 30 And Jesus answering said, A certain man went down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell among thieves, which stripped him of his raiment, and wounded him, and departed, leaving him half dead. 31 And by chance there came down a certain priest that way: and when he saw him, he passed by on the other side. 32 And likewise a Levite, when he was at the place, came and looked on him, and passed by on the other side.

33 But a certain Samaritan, as he journeyed, came where he was: and when he saw him, he had compassion on him, 34 And went to him, and bound up his wounds, pouring in oil and wine, and set him on his own beast, and brought him to an inn, and took care of him. 35 And on the morrow when he departed, he took out two pence, and gave them to the host, and said unto him, Take care of him; and whatsoever thou spends more, when I come again, I will repay thee.

36 Which now of these three, thinks thou, was neighbour unto him that fell among the thieves? 37 And he said, He that shewed mercy on him. Then said Jesus unto him, Go, and do thou likewise.

The two people who passed by the injured man first were both of the same race and religious belief as the injured man. But even though they were both religious and identified as people of the same culture, they didn’t stop to help the injured man. 

The Samaritan was of another religion and of another race, and yet he stopped to help the injured man who was of a different religion and race than himself. Which man was being a friend to the injured man?

The lesson transmitted is that we should try to be a friend of anyone that needs our help. We should try to help those who need our help. Why? Because if we apply, “Do unto others as we would have them do unto us,” we would want someone to help us, if we were injured or in need of help. Therefore, we should help others that come along our path who may be injured, or in some way need our help. It could be a sick person who needs the door open for them, or a blind person who somehow needs some help. 

It may be an older person, or a younger person, or a person we normally aren’t friendly to.

 But the parable is teaching that if someone needs our help, we should try to help them, even if it means we break the normal social customs that might prohibit such behaviour. We act in such a loving way, because we would want some one to do the same, if it were we who were injured or in need of help.

Another important aspect of helping others is that when we help others, we ourselves are helped. Helping others gives us a happiness in our soul, a peace, a calm, an assurance that we have done the right thing. 

When we help others, we feel happier. It gives us contentment of heart. Therefore, helping others is beneficial to ourselves. It’s like a boom-a-rang. 

What we throw out to others, comes back to us. If we help others now, we will most likely get the help we need in the future.

An old Jewish proverb collected and written down by King Solomon of Israel around 1000 BC or 3,200 years ago says, “He that gives to the poor, lends to God, and God will repay him,” Proverbs 19:17. 

By helping others, we are storing up for when we need someone to help us. God will pay us back somehow. 

Another old saying written down by Apostle Paul of Tarsus is, “You reap what you have sown,” Galatians 6:7. 

We will reap what we have sown. 

If we sow love and friendship and kindness, we will reap love and friendship and kindness. 

If we do good to others, they’ll do good to us. If we forgive others, they’ll forgive us.

What are the four reason we should help others?

1. We help others because we would want to be helped if we were in the same situation.

2. We help others because it is the right thing to do, as we've seen it advised in so many ancient sayings.

3. We help others because it makes us feel good when we do it.

4. We help others because we will reap what we have sown.

Prayer: Dear God, Help me be a good Samaritan today. Help me to treat others, the way I want them to treat me. The way to be happy is to make others happy. Help me to sow love, happiness, and friendship today, that I may reap it tomorrow. In Jesus' name, amen.