The Good Samaritan and Redemptive Entrepreneurship

For my first blog post, I wanted to dive into a specific parable that I feel has a surprising parallel with redemptive entrepreneurship. The parable that stood out to me was The Parable of the Good Samaritan. Although it may seem like a story far from a marketplace parable it parallels with the core of redemptive entrepreneurship- to serve others, restore what is broken, and bring hope where it is needed.

What is a Good Samaritan?

“Good Samaritan” is a stranger who takes action. As an entrepreneur with a redemptive mindset, identifying real problems in the world and solving them is something that has been emphasized in many courses. If anyone has taken a marketing class with Dr. Powell, they will know the phrase “finding out what people need/want and giving it to them.”  The Samaritan did not ignore the wounded man like the priest and Levite, instead he took immediate action.

What is Our Calling as Redemptive Entrepreneurs

As Christians and entrepreneurs, we are called to see the brokenness in the world (economic, social, spiritual) and come up with solutions to fix it. An additional lesson in the story is the example of using personal resources to serve others. As we see in the parable, the Samaritan used his own money and oil to care for the man. Entrepreneurs who aim to live with a kingdom mindset should use this as an example to not just seek profit but also use their business and resources to help uplift others.

Love Beyond Division

A final example we see is through the social barriers that were broken in this story. The Good Samaritan took this situation as an opportunity to show love beyond the cultural and social division between Jews and Samaritans at the time. As entrepreneurs an opportunity in business is to show love. Even to those deemed undeserving and create ethical and loving work environments while promoting justice.

How to Act on Our Calling

Overall, entrepreneurship is not just about how much money one can make- but asking who my “neighbor” is, who is undeserving and overlooked and how can I make sacrifices to show them love. Jesus ends the parable by saying “Go and do likewise” Therefore no matter what one’s career path is we are called to see, act, and restore. As entrepreneurs, there is such a great opportunity to apply these lessons to all areas of a business.