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.”
(ESV)
STOP! Think a little 🤔 What is God saying to you?
- What is the writer saying?
- How do I apply this to my life?
A lawyer approached Jesus with the intention of testing Him on matters of the law and justifying himself. He asked Jesus what he should do to inherit eternal life. Jesus turned the question to him and asked him how he understood the Law as a lawyer. The lawyer answered from Deuteronomy 6:5 and Leviticus 19:18 that You must love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might and then you must love your neighbour as yourself. Jesus told him that he had answered correctly and if he did this, he would live. Jesus’ answer wasn’t to suggest that obedience to the law is necessary for salvation but used it to point out the lawyer’s inability to keep the law. The lawyer’s next question reveals his intention to justify himself. Like all of us, he wants the law to be restricted to that which is comfortable to obey (even though that too is impossible). Perhaps he wants the definition of neighbour to be restricted to his fellow Jewish countrymen which he thinks he is a stellar example of obedience to. Jesus then tells him a parable that blows the definition of neighbour wide open. A man, presumably Jewish because of who Jesus is speaking to, is heading down the perilous road from Jerusalem to Jericho when he is ambushed, robbed, beaten and left to die. A priest (a Levite who is also a descendant of Aaron) happens upon the man, a fellow countryman, but passes on the other side unwilling to help. Later a Levite (not a descendant of Aaron) came by and also passed on the other side. When a Samaritan (who were despised by Jews because they were half-Gentile) came across the beaten man, he had compassion on him, helped him by dressing his wounds and took him to an inn. At the inn, he paid for the man’s care and promised to pay any further expenses when he returned. Two religious leaders who were linked to the Law and the temple failed to live up to God’s highest purpose—love for the Lord and for others. The outcast helped the man. Jesus asked the lawyer who in the story was the neighbour to the victim. The lawyer pointed to the Samaritan who showed him mercy. Jesus told him to go and live the same way by showing compassion to those in need, whoever they are.
Our ability to love others is intrinsically linked to loving God with all our heart and soul and mind. From our love for God flows our ability to love others. How are you doing with loving others? How would you respond to the person at school or work who speaks scandalously about you behind your back if they were in need? Would you stop to help the taxi driver who just cut you off and ended up in an accident “he deserved” just down the road? Would your love for your neighbour change if you found out they were homosexual? It might be easy to love those who are like us but Jesus calls us to love everyone, even our enemies (Luke 6:27-28)
Major Stories of the Bible Reading Plan
Hezekiah Gets Sick, Recovers, Then Dies: 2 Kings 20