Kindness is certainly something that the world needs more of these days. Amidst all of the division and fighting that is currently taking place in our world, I think that we could all agree that we wish there was more kindness around us. However, we also need to realize that kindness starts with us.
In every situation that we find ourselves in, we always have the chance to show the kindness of the fruit of the spirit to others.
The question is, why don’t we? Either we simply don’t think it’s important or we aren’t quite aware of the power that kindness can have in our lives and in the lives of others.
So, let’s unpack 10 stories from the Bible about kindness that will inspire you to be kind in your everyday life. In each of these stories, we can see the power that kindness can have and, by the end, you will walk away encouraged to be kind and follow these biblical examples.
These stories and Bible verses can also be used as a lesson plan for Sunday school lessons on kindness.
Using stories that show the importance of these kinds of character traits can be a great way to teach Christian values to young kids.
The Good Samaritan
This story that Jesus told about kindness is most likely familiar to most of us. When Jesus would teach, he would often use parables which were stories that taught a moral point. This parable, the parable of the good Samaritan, told a story about a man who was beaten and left to die by robbers.
In this story, Jesus tells of two men, a priest and a Levite, who passed by the man but did nothing to help him or show him kindness.
This priest and Levite would have been people that the Jews, the listeners to Jesus’ story, would have identified as ‘good guys’. Yet they did nothing to show kindness.
Instead, a Samaritan man came upon the man, rescued him, and took him somewhere to be cared for. To the Jews, Samaritans were terrible people, yet in the story, the Samaritan was the one who showed kindness to the man.
Although it’s easier to look the other way and pass by, true kindness is helping those who are in need, even if it is inconvenient.
In this story, the men who claimed to be godly (the priest and the Levite) showed no kindness, but true kindness was shown by the inspiring example of the good Samaritan.
Rahab and the Israelite Spies
The story of Rahab and the Israelite spies is truly an inspiring example of showing kindness in difficult situations.
For some background, Joshua sent spies into the city of Jericho to scope it out and bring back information as the Israelites were supposed to overtake the city.
However, the king discovered this plot and, as the guards began to search for the spies, a prostitute of Jericho named Rahab showed the spies kindness and hid them in her house.
Rahab had heard about the God of Israel and chose to be kind to these spies who came from Israel. In return, when the Israelites destroyed the city, they protected Rahab and brought her in as one of their own.
Protecting these spies was not only risky but traitorous to the people around Rahab. However, because she believed in God and knew that the Lord had given the land of Jericho into the hands of the Israelites, she took the risk and chose to be kind to these spies.
True acts of kindness often come out of unsuspecting situations and always carry risk. To choose to be kind is to choose to be vulnerable.
Even though we don’t like to be vulnerable, we should strive to be kind like Rahab and risk our own comfort to show kindness to others.
Jesus Heals the Struck Man
This story of kindness from the word of God is quite profound as it takes place during Jesus’ arrest. When the crowd came with Judas to arrest Jesus, his disciples were quick to want to defend him. We read:
“And when those who were around him saw what would follow, they said, ‘Lord, shall we strike with the sword?’ And one of them struck the servant of the high priest and cut off his right ear.’” [Luke 22:49-50, ESV]
All things considered, Jesus had every right to defend himself. After all, the charges that they were bringing against him were false and they were arresting him under false pretenses.
However, Jesus does not reward his disciples for attacking the servant of the high priest. Instead, he reached out and healed the servant, putting an end to what could have become much more violent.
Even in the face of his unfair arrest and eventual execution, Jesus showed kindness to the servant who was struck by his disciple. Although these two were technically enemies at this time, he chose to heal him and show kindness over violence.
Truly, Jesus is the best example that we have of true kindness and should continue to inspire us as we strive to show kindness to others.
King David Spares Mephibosheth
The times that we are told about in the books of 1 and 2 Samuel were certainly bloody and violent times. They were filled with wars and proud kings who took what they desired by any means necessary and left many enemies in their wake.
One of these kings, King Saul of Israel, put many Gibeonites to death during his reign in an act of violence and terror.
So, when King David took over in Israel, the Gibeonites petitioned the king to allow them to hang seven of Saul’s descendants as recompense for the Gibeonites that Saul murdered.
However, David, in his kindness and remembrance of the oath that he made with his friend, Jonathan, the son of Saul, spared Mephibosheth, the son of Jonathan.
He could have given him over into the hands of the Gibeonites, but he instead chose to show kindness to him in remembrance of the kindness that Jonathan showed David when they were younger.
Zaccheaus Gives Up His Possessions
In the Gospel of Luke, we find an interesting story about a man named Zacchaeus. Zacchaeus was a chief tax collector, a man that everyone disliked because chief tax collectors colluded with Rome and would cheat money from people for their own pockets. Needless to say, he wasn’t exactly popular with his neighbors.
However, Zacchaeus heard about Jesus as Jesus was passing through and he intently made an effort to see Jesus. Unfortunately, Zacchaeus was short, so he wasn’t able to see Jesus through the crowds.
Instead, he ran ahead and climbed a tree so that he would be able to see him as he passed by.
When Jesus finally came to the tree, he looked up at Zacchaeus and said:
“Zacchaeus, hurry and come down, for I must stay at your house today.” [Luke 19:5b, ESV]
After coming to Zacchaeus’ house, Jesus had a feast with Zacchaeus and, as a result of Jesus’ time with him, Zacchaeus proclaimed:
“Behold, Lord, the half of my goods I give to the poor. And if I have defrauded anyone of anything, I restore it fourfold.” [Luke 19:8, ESV]
The kindness of Jesus led Zacchaeus to be kind to himself and to go over and above what he could have done. He gave up half of his possessions to the poor and paid back those that he had cheated fourfold. That is an amazing act of kindness inspired by the very presence of Jesus, our kind Savior.
Jesus and the Woman Caught in Adultery
In the Gospel of Luke, we find an interesting story about a woman who was brought before Jesus by the scribes and the Pharisees.
The woman was a known sinner and had been caught in the act of adultery. This meant that she and the man with her were to be stoned according to Jewish law.
The Pharisees brought this woman to Jesus as a test of his supposed love for sinners. If he began to stone the woman, the people would see that he maybe wasn’t as forgiving or kind as Jesus’ ministry made him out to be.
If he didn’t stone her, then he would be breaking the law publicly and blatantly.
Instead, Jesus bends down, writes something on the ground with his finger, and says:
“Let him who is without sin among you be the first to throw a stone at her.” [Luke 8:7b, ESV]
Slowly, each person in the large crowd who was ready to condemn the woman began to leave until only Jesus and the woman were left. Although the Lord Jesus Christ could have thrown a stone since he was without sin, he did not condemn the woman.
Instead, he showed her kindness, inspired her to stop sinning as she was, and spoke with compassion. Likewise, we should not condemn others. Instead, as we stand up for truth, we should do it with the love, kindness, and compassion of Jesus Christ.
The Widow Feeds Elijah
Elijah was an amazing prophet whom God used to bring messages to his people and be a mediator between them and God. Since he followed God wherever he was called, his life wasn’t exactly stable and steady.
He often didn’t know where his next meal would come from, but he knew that God would provide.
In 1 Kings 17, God did just that. God guided Elijah to Zarephath where God had called a widow to provide for Elijah. However, we read that the widow herself was about to make the very last food that she had for her and her son.
After that, they planned to simply die from hunger as they had no way to get more food.
Instead, Elijah asked the woman to bring him their last bit of food and he told her that God would provide for her and her household. Sure enough, the Bible says:
“And she went and did as Elijah said. And she and he and her household ate for many days. The jar of flour was not spent, neither did the jug of oil become empty, according to the word of the Lord that he spoke by Elijah.” [1 Kings 17:15-16, ESV]
Although it was risky, the widow chose to trust God and show kindness to Elijah by giving her last bit of food to this man of God. In return, our heavenly father provided for her and her family for the kindness that she showed.
The Parable of the Unmerciful Servant
The parable of the unmerciful servant is not a story that shows how to be kind. Rather, it is an example of how we ought not to be when it comes to showing kindness and mercy to one another in light of the kindness God has shown us.
The parable is about a king who wished to settle debts that his servants owed him. However, one servant who owed ten thousand talents could not pay, and, out of kindness and pity, the king forgave his debt.
However, that servant then went out and physically choked one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred denarii.
Instead of realizing the kindness that he had received and also being kind to others, he forgot about the kindness that the king showed him and chose to be unmerciful to a fellow servant.
When we choose whether or not to be kind to others, we must first remember the amazing kindness that our gracious God has shown us.
With God’s kindness in our lives, we should likewise be kind to others.
Jesus and the Samaritan Woman
In Bible times, Jews and Samaritans were certainly not friendly groups of people toward one another. For cultural reasons, these two groups of people hated one another and saw one another as the enemy.
They wouldn’t interact and certainly wouldn’t spend any amount of time together as it was seen as traitorous to their own kind.
However, in John 4, we see Jesus, a cultural Jew, have an entire conversation with a Samaritan woman. In the eyes of the Jews, this would have been looked down upon.
Through this conversation, Jesus reveals himself to the woman to be the Messiah and, as a result, brought her and many from her town to believe in him and his good news.
Jesus could have listened to his culture and the people around him who would have told him that this Samaritan woman was a waste of time, but instead, he chose to be kind to her and to impact her in an amazing way that brought many to eternal life.
We too should be kind to all people without bias or prejudice. Show the kindness of God to everyone, not just those who are like you or whom society approves of.
The power of kindness transcends bias and prejudice and kind acts or random acts of kindness can surely be shown to all people as a testament to God’s love.
Boaz Cares for Ruth
The story of Ruth and Boaz is a beautiful story of redemption and kindness that can certainly inspire us to be kind. In the book of Ruth, we read that Naomi, an Israelite woman, set out for her homeland after her husband and sons had all died in Moab.
However, one of her sons’ wives, Ruth, a Moabite, insisted that she go with Naomi and become one of her people.
In her homeland, Naomi had a relative of her husband’s named Boaz who had fields of grain. To gather some food, Ruth decided that she would follow the reapers in the fields and pick up the grain that was left, hoping that Boaz would allow them to eat this leftover grain.
Boaz not only let her take the grain, but he also showed kindness to her, showing her where she could take more grain and protecting her from potential danger by having his own people take care of her.
As he showed more and more kindness to her, Ruth began to get closer to Boaz and, eventually, the two of them ended up developing a relationship and getting married.
He redeemed her from being a widow and it all started with the kindness that he showed her in his fields of grain.
God’s plan for these two is an amazing Bible lesson that shows that great love and loving-kindness can triumph even over the biggest problems in people’s lives, no matter how hard things get.