Luke 10:25-37--The Parable of the Good Samaritan

Luke 10:25-37
English Standard Version

The Parable of the Good Samaritan
25 And behold, a lawyer stood up to put him to the test, saying, “Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?” 26 He said to him, “What is written in the Law? How do you read it?” 27 And he answered, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself.” 28 And he said to him, “You have answered correctly; do this, and you will live.”

​29 But he, desiring to justify himself, said to Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?” 30 Jesus replied, “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and he fell among robbers, who stripped him and beat him and departed, leaving him half dead. 31 Now by chance a priest was going down that road, and when he saw him he passed by on the other side. 32 So likewise a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. 33 But a Samaritan, as he journeyed, came to where he was, and when he saw him, he had compassion. 34 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. 35 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.’ 36 Which of these three, do you think, proved to be a neighbor to the man who fell among the robbers?” 37 He said, “The one who showed him mercy.” And Jesus said to him, “You go, and do likewise.”

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Jesus is confronted by a lawyer (a word also used for those who knew the Law very well and taught it to others) and asked what the lawyer must DO in order to inherit eternal life.  Does anyone else find this question someone funny and sad at the same time?  This man must of thought he had to do something to make it into his father's last will and testament or that he had to do something to prevent being written out of his family inheritance.  An inheritance is not something you earn, but is something that is given, but is also expected because you are a member of the family, and the parents were supposed to leave something for their children, since they could not take their wealth with them when they died.

Jesus answers the question in a way that I would not have expected.  He knows this man to be an expert in the Law and so He asks the man what the righteous requirements of the Law are so that the man could earn eternal life, which is what he was asking about.  Jesus also asks the man not just what the letter of the Law is, but the man's interpretation of the Law when He asks, "How do you read it?"  The lawyer answered with the First and Second Greatest Commandments.  This could have been part of a larger conversations where we see some of the other gospel writers say that a lawyer came trying to test Jesus in asking Him which is the greatest commandment.  If we put it all together, the lawyer is probably realizing that it's impossible for him to obey all of the requirements of the Law and he's probably coming to Jesus to say, "Is there one or two things that I could focus on and if I did them perfectly, could I still make it?"  Jesus and the lawyer come into agreement that all of the Law and the Prophets are summed up in these two commandments from Deuteronomy 6:5 and Leviticus 19:18.  That's the best that my mind can harmonize those accounts. 

Jesus tells the man that he has answered correctly by quoting the Greatest and Second Greatest Commandments.  Jesus tells the lawyer that if he goes and does these things (perfectly) that if he does these two things, he will live.  This must have been astounding to the crowds that Jesus seems to have said that there was a way to obey the Law and earn eternal life, yet if they were listening carefully, they would know that no one can keep even these righteous requirements--only Jesus was able to do that.  The man knows though that he's going to fail even at these two commandments.  He can pretend that he loves God fully because there is little external evidence of that, but the man cannot pretend to fully love all those made in the image of God.  The lawyer is hoping for something easier that is in the vein of just needing to look better or do better than the man standing next to you at judgment day, but there is no such ruling from the one who will be the Judge of the Living and the Dead.  The Law is a reflection of the righteous requirements of the LORD and we must be as holy and righteous as Him to enter into His presence (more on what that means and how it happens later as we study the Bible can come to the doctrine of imputation).

The man tries to justify himself by asking, "And who is my neighbor," which should sound a whole lot like Cain trying to justify his premeditation of the murder of his brother Abel by asking the LORD, "Am I my brother's keeper?"  Clearly the answer to that question throughout Scripture is a resounding, "Yes!."  Jesus tells a parable and then makes the man answer his own question as Jesus so often did.  Many of us know this parable as The Parable of the Good Samaritan.

Those who had obligation under the Law and an appearance of righteousness, the Levite and the priest who happened to come by, would not help the man because even though he was a Jewish brother and the Law required them to lend aid.  They could not be troubled to help such a man because their lives and their business were too important--more important than that man's life, and what if that man somehow polluted them and made them unclean and they could not serve before the LORD?  They must have thought that the LORD would have to understand that their service before the LORD on behalf of all of Israel had to be seen as more important than this one man, right?  Wrong! We never know when we are the only person that is going to come across a man who is perishing and in need of the gospel and it is our duty and responsibility as priests and Levites of the New Covenant to render aid and rescue the perishing.

Then there is the point where everything turns in the story--it might have been seen as funny and some kind of dramatic irony to the crowds, but along the same road that these religious men walked now came a Samaritan.  The Jews hated the Samaritans and it doesn't seem that the Samaritans much liked the Jews either.  We would expect that this would be the man who would pass by the Jewish man who had been attacked by thieves and robbers on the road to Jericho, but that's not what happened.  The Samaritan man stops, treats the man's wounds, puts the man on his own donkey and takes the man to a place where he can have safe shelter and medical care at the expense of the Samaritan--no matter the cost.  He gave the innkeeper enough money that it should cover all of the man's room and board and medical expenses, but promised to settle accounts with the innkeeper on his way back if there was any outstanding balance.  That's how we should be acting towards one another according to Jesus.  We will give our time, talent and treasure to care for one another--and not just our physical needs, but the greatest need that we see in those around us, that they are dying an eternal death because of sin.

Jesus then asked the lawyer which of the three men--the priest, the Levite, or the Samaritan--proved to be a neighbor to the man through their actions.  The lawyer cannot even bring himself to say the word Samaritan and simply answers, "The one who had compassion (or had mercy) on the man," which is an accurate description of what happened.  Jesus tells the lawyer to go and do likewise, and the lawyer must have gone away sad knowing that there was no chance that he could love not only his friends, but his "enemies" like the Samaritans with this kind of divine love.  That kind of love doesn't come from our own hearts, it comes from the Jesus living in and through us through the power of the Holy Spirit.  Jesus is the one who rescued those that were His enemies dying along the side of the road that no one else wanted to help or could help.  Even though they Jews would come to hate Jesus in the same way that they would hate Samaritans (and they will even call Him a Samaritan as a slur to make people try to hate Him later), He gave everything to rescue us who had no hope and who did not love Him.  He had no reason to help us other than He had compassion and mercy on us, and He desired to heal and save us no matter the cost.