Bible reading
25 And a lawyer stood up and put Him to the test, saying, “Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?” 26 And He said to him, “What is written in the Law? How does it read to you?” 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 wishing to justify himself, he said to Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?”
30 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. 31 And by chance a priest was going down on that road, and when he saw him, he passed by on the other side. 32 Likewise a Levite also, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. 33 But a Samaritan, who was on a journey, came upon him; and when he saw him, he felt compassion, 34 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. 35 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.’ 36 Which of these three do you think proved to be a neighbor to the man who fell into the robbers’ hands?” 37 And he said, “The one who showed mercy toward him.” Then Jesus said to him, “Go and do the same.”
Source: Luke 10:25-37 (New American Standard Bible)
Bible Study summary
Context
At first glance, this well-known parable of the Good Samaritan seems self-explanatory. Jesus teaches us to be kind to strangers. However as we take a closer look at the passage, we will discover the riches within.
In understanding any bible passage, it’s always important to read it in context. In verse 25-29, a lawyer (whose expertise is in biblical law of course!) approaches Jesus to test him regarding what he should do to inherit eternal life. In their discussion, the wise rabbi Jesus directs the question back to the lawyer, who is asking a question he should know the answer to. How often is it that we often know what it is we ought to do when it comes to living out God’s will, yet we try to find excuses to justify ourselves and avoid having to do it! Sure enough, the lawyer is very familiar with the ways to inherit eternal life and quotes the greatest commandment in the bible – to love God with everything and to love your neighbor as yourself. Jesus commends him on his answer, however the lawyer continues to justify himself by asking for a definition of a neighbor. Jesus then uses the parable of the Good Samaritan to explain to him some important principles.
In the parable, there are 4 main characters – the man who is beaten up and left half dead lying on the road, as well as the three men who react to the situation – namely a priest, a Levite and a Samaritan. In order to understand why the priest and Levite would walk by without extending any help to the dying man, we need to be aware of the background of these two characters.
Role of priests and Levites
Both priests and Levites ministered in the temple, serving God and offering sacrifices on behalf of the people. Based on Old Testament law, those who performed these duties were required to be ceremonially clean. Many references in the bible such as in Num 3:6,12; Lev 21:1, 1; Num 5:2; Num 19:11-16; talk about the laws regarding those with priestly duties, they were not to defile themselves by touching a corpse; the consequence of doing so would put them out of service for 7 days. Their roles were considered sacred and only specific people could carry out these tasks. Once we have this understanding, it seems that it’s quite legitimate for the priest and Levite to walk by without helping the half dead man. Who would replace them to do their tasks if they became unclean?
However, those with sharp eyes may have noticed, that the man left on the side of the road wasn’t actually dead yet, he was only described as ‘half dead’ in verse 30. Which means, the priest and the Levite would not have become unclean if they stopped to help him. Of course, there would always be that risk that he might be dead or end up dying, which would then leave them to be out of service for a week. Here we begin to see the problem, that the priest and Levite did not even bother to stop to check to see what was the situation of this man. That in the name of religious duty, they somehow exempted themselves from showing any compassion.
The Samaritan man on the other hand, may appear to be more available to stop to help, due to not having any religious obligations. However, if you noticed in verse 35, he too had pressing matters that he had to attend to. That did not stop him from showing care to the dying man in need. As we continue to analyze the situation, we will furthermore appreciate what it meant for the Samaritan man to stop to look after the man on the road.
Samaritans and Jews
Samaritans and Jews did not get along with each other and were even seen as enemies. In John 4:9, it describes that they do not have any dealings with one another. Earlier in Luke chapter 9, you may remember that Jesus and his disciples passed through Samaria on their way to Jerusalem but the people there did not welcome him.
The commandment to love does not depend on natural affection
Here we can understand, that God’s commandment to love the neighbor does not depend on natural affection. We are so prone to doing things based on our feelings, which are ever changing. However, this love that is required isn’t based on our emotions. This love doesn’t calculate, it doesn’t think about whether the person is worth it, it is not dependent on a person’s race or gender or social status. This love doesn’t seek anything in return, the Samaritan had no way in knowing whether or not this dying man would make it to ever repay him, yet he is willing to care for him no matter the cost.
Action vs. definition
The attitude of the Samaritan is very different to that of the priest and Levite. While the priest and Levite were thinking about ‘what would happen to me if I stop?’, the Samaritan was thinking about the man on the road as if he were him ‘what would happen to him, if I don’t stop?’. By now we can see that the love that is required of us as children of God, is quite a supernatural love that is only possible by God’s grace and transforming power in us. It’s a love that requires us to love the neighbor more than ourselves, as it will cost us our time and our money and our energy. However, as the apostle John writes in 1 John 4:19 ‘We love, because He first loved us’, we are very much obligated as receivers of God’s love, to extend the same love to those in need.
The religious lawyer asked the Lord Jesus for a definition of who a neighbor is, however Jesus replies with this parable, redirecting the question back at the lawyer in verse 36. What we see is that what’s needed is not a definition, rather, what is needed is action, the action to love others as ourselves. When we are able to see others as ourselves, we don’t need any definitions, as we all know how to love ourselves pretty well.
Bible study by Pastor Pam
Summary by Pastor Pam