The Good Samaritan
The Context
Luke 10:25 And behold, a lawyer stood up to put him to the test, saying, “Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?”
A lawyer once stood up to test Jesus. But he’s not the kind of lawyer we have today. He’s an expert in the Old Testament law. He’s not asking because he doesn’t know the answer. He’s asking it to test Jesus.
The question is a trap. Why? Because of what’s happened before this. In chapter 5, Jesus pronounces forgiveness of sin apparently extrinsic of the law. He eats with tax collectors and sinners, despite generally accepted rules. And get this: Jesus doesn’t even fast, neither do his disciples. Everywhere they go it’s like a dinner party.
In chapter 6 we see Jesus and his disciples break the Sabbath and we see him purposely heal a man on a Sabbath, right in front of the Pharisees and scribes!
In chapter 7 Jesus was seen at a dinner party (again) with a prostitute. And she had her hands on his feet the whole time. Talk about scandalous. Look at the way Jesus acts.
This is compounded by how popular Jesus is. In chapter 9, 72 special messengers are sent every town and village, spreading the message of Jesus. So not only is he breaking the law, he’s encouraging people to do the same.
Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?
Before we get into Jesus’ answer, can I suggest this is not just a religious question. You might not be religious, but all that means is you don’t use the same language. Because you care about this question too. At its heart, this question is about how I find validation. Whether it’s hearing God say well done (eternal life so to speak) or being able to know that you’re a good husband or wife. It might be a business that you built up from scratch, your job title, your social circle, your moral performance, your kids. Whatever it is that justifies your existence on earth. So that at the end of your life, you can know you’ve done good. That’s what’s at the heart of this question.
It’s A Trap
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.”
There’s no doubt that Jesus knows what the lawyer is doing because he throws it back at him. You’re the law expert, you tell me. And the lawyer’s response is unsurprising, taken straight from Deuteronomy 6 and Leviticus 19. It’s the answer you expect. To which Jesus says, you have answered correctly; do this, and you will live.
Here is where it gets really interesting. But you’ll need to Think about this with me. Notice Jesus doesn’t say do this and you will inherit eternal life. That’s what the lawyer asks originally, remember that? But Jesus says do this and you will live. Why?
I think the reason is because this is not a genuine question. The lawyer isn’t sincere. He’s not really interested in eternal life. He’s looking for an excuse to challenge Jesus. Remember the context, Jesus has shown very little respect for the religious establishment. So if they can catch Jesus saying something wrong or something that goes against the Jewish law, then they can use that to bring him down.
And what’s brilliant in Jesus’ response is he firmly fixes his answer in the Old Testament law. He agrees with the lawyer’s interpretation of the law. Of course. If you’re truly a good person, perfect in every way, you’ll get into heaven. But if that’s the case, you wouldn’t be inheriting eternal life. You’ve just earned it. Do this and you will live.
“If you can do everything the law demands, you wouldn’t inherit eternal life. You’ll have earned it.”
What’s the point I’m trying to make? We haven’t even gotten to the parable itself, but I’m trying to show you that what we have in the parable of the Good Samaritan is not a lesson plan for social justice. It’s not an instruction manual for how to live a godly life. Just love God and love everyone as your neighbour. You don’t need a parable to tell you that. What we have is a clash of worldviews. It’s a battle for justification. That’s the real issue. And the lawyer gets it.
It’s About Justification
29 But he, desiring to justify himself, said to Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?”
Trust a lawyer to try to find a loophole. You could almost hear the hypocrisy. Just to be clear, neighbour just means the people close to me right? People like me. God wouldn’t want me to love rapists and murderers?
What’s he doing? He’s trying to justify himself. He’s trying to find where the line is. What’s the minimum standard I need to meet.
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.
Now we get the parable. You have to know the journey from Jerusalem to Jericho is incredibly dangerous, being well known for banditry. Imagine walking through a township in Johannesburg or driving into the cartel-controlled areas in Mexico. So it’s no surprise that the man was robbed, beaten and left for 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.
The first person to come along is a priest. Imagine getting robbed and seeing an Anglican priest or better yet, one of the pastors here. Wouldn’t that be awkward. Because when the priest sees the man, he doesn’t just ignore him, he passes by on the other side. He puts as much distance between himself and the man as possible.
Before you judge him, I’ll be honest with you guys, I think I would do the same. You know why? Think about where you are! He’s only half dead, which means the people who did this might still be somewhere around. Who knows if this is a trick to get someone to stop? Better safe than sorry. What if he has covid? I forgot to bring a mask.
Next is the Levite, who were the people who helped out in the temple. But here’s the important distinction, the levites were also the ones who served as state administrators. In areas like the judiciary or education. I suppose a Levite coming along is like being robbed then seeing a consular staff at the Australian embassy. Surely the embassy will help you right? Imagine getting stuck in a foreign country during Covid lockdowns and being told by the embassy not just that we can’t help you, but you’re not allowed to come back.
No. The hero of the story is a Samaritan, which to us today is like ok so? But not back then. Back then people really really hated the Samaritans. They hated them so much the word itself was used as a slur. Like the N-word today. Back then they had the S word. That’s what you call someone as an insult.
So for the Samaritan to be the hero of the story is kind of like getting robbed and seeing an ISIS terrorist come towards you. But instead of cutting your head off like you’d expect, he stops and gives first-aid.
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.’
This is just an unbelievable act of kindness and mercy. It’s hard for us to really grasp just how shocking this is. Think about how much of an insult this is to the Jews. To make a Samaritan the hero of the story, over and against a priest and a Levite no less. It is very offensive. And I think you get a sense of how offensive this is because when Jesus asks the lawyer, which of these three proved to be a Neighbor, he couldn’t even bring himself to say the Samaritan. You can almost picture him with gritted teeth saying the one who showed him mercy.
Can you now see why the parable of the Good Samaritan isn’t just Jesus teaching us to love everyone as a Neighbor? If that was really the point, the parable would be backwards. It’s upside down. Think about it: wouldn’t the parable work better if it was the Samaritan who fell among robbers? Here’s a Samaritan lying on the ground. Your most hated enemy. And a Roman walks by, doesn’t stop. Typical. A greek person comes and does the same. No surprises there. Then a godly Jew comes and stops and is willing to help even a Samaritan. Now then Jesus says you go and do likewise. Wouldn’t that make more sense if that’s the point Jesus wants to make?
Instead, the hero of the story is a Samaritan. When Jesus says go and do likewise, how do you think the lawyer will react? We’re not told but do you really think the lawyer would have walked away convicted or is he more likely to be offended?
So like I said, if that’s what you take away from this passage, loving our neighbours, you haven’t understood it at all. So then, what is the parable about? We’ll look at that in part 2.