Luke Parables of Jesus: The Good Samaritan
Luke 10:25-37
“And a lawyer stood up and put Him to the test, saying, “Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?” And He said to him, “What is written in the Law? How does it read to you?” 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.” And He said to him, “You have answered correctly; do this and you will live.” But wishing to justify himself, he said to Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?” Jesus replied and said, “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell among robbers, and they stripped him and beat him, and went away leaving him half dead. And by chance a priest was going down on that road, and when he saw him, he passed by on the other side. Likewise a Levite also, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. But a Samaritan, who was on a journey, came upon him; and when he saw him, he felt compassion, and came to him and bandaged up his wounds, pouring oil and wine on them; and he put him on his own beast, and brought him to an inn and took care of him. On the next day he took out two denarii and gave them to the innkeeper and said, ‘Take care of him; and whatever more you spend, when I return I will repay you.’ Which of these three do you think proved to be a neighbor to the man who fell into the robbers’ hands?” And he said, “The one who showed mercy toward him.” Then Jesus said to him, “Go and do the same.””
Luke 10:25-37 NASB1995
The second unique parable in Luke is one of the most famous parables spoken by Jesus in the Gospels. To set the timeline context, earlier in Luke 10 Jesus sent out seventy disciples in pairs to go ahead of Him to various towns and cities in the area and prepare the way. They have just returned, rejoicing at their success and Jesus is full of thanksgiving to His Heavenly Father. At this point, a lawyer, most likely with the Sanhedrin, is there in the crowd and he asks the question about how he can inherit eternal life. I think we can all agree as believers that this is the most important question that anyone can ask. The usual self-centered life questions of what should I do for a living or whom should I marry or where should I live can be asked, but you could die before any of those questions are answered. So asking how to gain eternal life must take top priority in our lives. This lawyer, who is well-versed in God’s law, is probably curious about the answer that this itinerant rabbi would give but also, perhaps, wants to find a way to trap Jesus or demonstrate his own moral superiority.
Jesus answers the question with a question about what the law says. The lawyer responds with the proper answer about loving God with all of our being and loving our neighbor as we love our own self. But then the lawyer throws out another question: “And who is my neighbor?”. Jesus responds with this parable about the Good Samaritan. It was known in that time that the Jews and the Samaritans absolutely despised each other (culturally and religiously), so the person doing good in this story is a shock to the audience, just like Jesus’ encounter in John 4:7-42 with the Samaritan woman at the well (lots to unfold in that story). The road that the victim was traveling on was also well-known to the audience and considered to be very dangerous, going from Jerusalem to Jericho (a big downhill walk or ride, with many places for thieves to hide). The priest and the Levite knew what the law said about aiding others, but they probably had many excuses. Here is an Excerpt from the great commentary on those possible excuses by David Guzik in Enduring Word:
i. “Priest and Levite are mentioned here, partly because they were the most frequent travellers on this road, and partly to show that these were the persons who, from the nature of their office, were most obliged to perform works of mercy; and from whom a person in distress had a right to expect immediate succour and comfort; and their inhuman conduct here was a flat breach of the law.” (Clarke)
ii. Think of all the excuses that they could have used:
· “This road is too dangerous for me to stop and help the man.”
· “He might be a decoy for an ambush.”
· “I’ve got to get to the temple and perform my service for the Lord.”
· “I’ve got to get home and see my family.”
· “Someone really should help that man.”
· “If I’m going to serve at the temple I can’t get my clothes bloody.”
· “I don’t know first aid.”
· “It’s a hopeless case.”
· “I’m only one person; the job is too big.”
· “I can pray for him.”
· “He brought it on himself, he should have never been alone on such a dangerous road.”
· “He never asked for help.”
ii. But all of these are simply excuses. “I never knew a man refuse to help the poor who failed to give at least one admirable excuse.” (Spurgeon)
How many times have I used similar excuses when steering clear of a sign-flyer, a homeless person lying in a doorway or a person in possible distress acting strangely? We all rush to preserve our own safety and security - not that there’s anything wrong with that, but Jesus certainly makes us uncomfortable in our excuses. The lawyer now knows that the answer he expected about who is his neighbor is instead brought back to him by flipping the equation and showing that he should be a neighbor to others in need. The Levite and priest were physical “neighbors” to the lawyer, but the hated Samaritan was the one who demonstrated mercy and did the “neighborly” thing.
David Guzik continues in his commentary:
iii. There are many ways that the Samaritan was like Jesus.
· The Samaritan was an outsider, despised by many.
· The Samaritan came after others failed to meet the need.
· The Samaritan came before it was too late.
· The Samaritan came with everything necessary.
· The Samaritan came right to the afflicted man.
· The Samaritan gave tender care.
· The Samaritan provided for future needs.
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c. Go and do likewise: Jesus allowed the parable to answer the lawyer’s question and guide the application. I am to love my neighbor, and my neighbor is the one who others might consider my enemy. My neighbor is the one with a need right in front of me.
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ii. This doesn’t mean running after every need that might present itself. After all, the Samaritan didn’t establish a hospital for unfortunate travelers. But it does mean a concern for the ones plain before us, in both social and spiritual needs. “The world would be a changed place if every Christian attended to the sorrows that are plain before him.” (Maclaren)
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iii. Many – even most – people don’t have this kind of love for God or others. How then will they receive eternal life?
· First, by refusing to inherit eternal life by doing. Instead, believe on Jesus; trust God that Jesus paid the penalty you deserve for every time you have fallen short of loving God or loving others the way you should.
· Then, having received eternal life – God’s kind of life in you – God will give you the resources to love Him and other people in a much better way. You can’t do it apart from having His life in you.
iv. “Let it never be forgotten that what the law demands of us the gospel really produces in us.” (Spurgeon)
We can NEVER do enough good to inherit eternal life on our own. We need to believe on Jesus that He paid the penalty for our sins and shortcomings. Having received this gift of salvation, then God gives us the resources to love Him and others.
My next devotional will examine the parable in Luke 11:5-13, The Friend at Midnight
Commentary on Enduring Word by David Guzik is used with permission.