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.”
Luke 10: 25-37 ESV
Luke 10: 25-37
And behold - Pay attention.
A lawyer stood up to put Him to the test - He would be a scribe, someone with a title, someone familiar with the law. His approach isn't as a truth seeker, but as someone, who like Satan, wants to test or trap Jesus. He is coming as an expert in the law, someone of high esteem in these matters. This guy thinks he is saying something, thinks he has measured Jesus and can show Him deficient.
14For many are called, but few are chosen.” 15Then the Pharisees went out and conspired to trap Jesus in His words. 16They sent their disciples to Him along with the Herodians. “Teacher,” they said, “we know that You are honest and that You teach the way of God in accordance with the truth. You seek favor from no one, because You pay no attention to external appearance.… Matthew 22: 14-16
Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life - He addresses Him with a term of respect, but remember, he is trying to test Him, not be taught by Him. It is a very important question though, so I imagine a lot of ears perked up for this, especially since it was coming from the mouth of an expert.
…29Calling for lights, the jailer rushed in and fell trembling before Paul and Silas. 30Then he brought them out and asked, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” 31They replied, “Believe in the Lord Jesus and you will be saved, you and your household.”… Acts 16: 29-31
What is written in the law - Brilliant, now Jesus is turning the question back to the man's area of expertise. What does God's law say? And Jesus was asked this same question before, and I think Christ's answer is what the man is playing off of, a flaw he thinks he sees in Jesus' logic.
Joseph Parker on what is written in the Law - "Jesus Christ never treated the Old Testament lightly. I am afraid that some of us imagine that we have got beyond the Old Testament, and therefore hardly ever turn to its ancient pages. Believe me, the testaments are one: as the day is one—the twilight and the noon-tide, as the year is one—the vernal promise and the autumnal largesse—so are the testaments of God one. And no man can profoundly interpret the New Testament who is not profoundly conversant with the Old."
Spurgeon - That was a most appropriate answer to a lawyer. “ You ask me what you should do; well, you profess to be a teacher of the law, you ought, therefore, to know what is written in the law.” - Precept Austin
…30Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ 31The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ No other commandment is greater than these.” 32“Right, Teacher,” the scribe replied. “You have stated correctly that God is One and there is no other but Him,… Mark 12: 30-32
You have answered correctly - If we love God with all our heart and our neighbor as ourselves, then we have fulfilled the law, because these two things summarize all of the law. If you love God you will obey Him, and if you love your neighbor you won't steal from him, won't take his wife, will be happy for him and not resent him when he does well. If we love God and neighbor we won't want to bring our neighbor into anything that would go against God. The lawyer gave the same answer that Jesus gave.
…8But food does not bring us closer to God: We are no worse if we do not eat, and no better if we do. 9Be careful, however, that your freedom does not become a stumbling block to the weak. 10For if someone with a weak conscience sees you who are well informed eating in an idol’s temple, will he not be encouraged to eat food sacrificed to idols?… 1 Corinthians 8: 8-10
Do this and you will live - That is the very essence of the law, but the response should be obvious, immediate, and clear to the mind, that I haven't kept this, that I failed at this, it's not an option for me. My response should be that I need to repent, that I am lost, fallen short of the mark.
…19Now we know that whatever the law says, it says to those who are under the law, so that every mouth may be silenced and the whole world held accountable to God. 20Therefore no one will be justified in His sight by works of the law. For the law merely brings awareness of sin. 21But now, apart from the law, the righteousness of God has been revealed, as attested by the Law and the Prophets.… Romans 3: 19-21
Desiring to justify himself - Yeah, it says that, but, I think I have done enough. I bought some thin mints from those girls to help their troop go to camp. I gave some money to a homeless guy, dumped a bucket of ice on my head to empathize with someone. I'm a scribe for crying out loud, there is a DR. in front of my name, several bricks with my name are laid in the synagogue for our town because our family donated a lot of money to have it built. I teach there. He doesn't want to accept the simple teaching of the law, it's meaning, the reality of it's bar, that you have been weighed in the balances and found wanting. I'm a good person, just ask my mom, the people I hang out with.
And who is my neighbor - Oh, he thinks he's saying something here. He sees a work around, a loophole, and this is probably why they used the word lawyer instead of Scribe. Jesus, you need to define neighbor, and this is a tough one because the man wants to hear from Jesus whatever he has already told himself. This is the mode of religionist, to seek a religion that makes them feel good about themselves, that justifies and exalts them. If you are offended, well then be offended, because I am talking to myself more than you right now. I can think of many people that I would not want to view as my neighbor in this sense, but have I not needed mercy, have I not irritated someone to the point of wanting me to go away? Have I not been a burden to someone else before?
But wishing to justify himself, he said to Jesus, "And who is my neighbor (plesion)? - The humble response to the impossible demand of the Law would have been to cry out "I cannot do this. Lord, how can I do this?" Justify (dikaioo from dike = right, expected behavior or conformity, not according to one’s own standard, but according to an imposed standard with prescribed punishment for nonconformity) primarily means to deem to be right. Dikaioo describes the act by which a man is brought into a right state of relationship to God. Dikaioo is a legal term having to do with the law and the the courtroom, where it represented the legally binding verdict of the judge. It is not surprising to see a "lawyer" use this term. He sought in a sense to "pronounce a verdict" (or have it rendered by a judge) that he was in full accordance with requirements of God's law to love God and to love his neighbor as himself. The lawyer wanted to vindicate himself, to clear himself from guilt, accusation, blame, etc, by evidence or argument. So he asks who is my neighbor (plesion)? Notice he did not ask "Who is God?" He assumed he was fine on that front and besides no one could see into his heart and discern whether he did or did not love God. But to love one's neighbor as one loves himself is a different issue. Vertical love to God can be feigned, but horizontal love is more difficult to fake. So he wants to see how Jesus defines "neighbor." Remember that his "goal" is to discern how to obtain eternal life (salvation).
As MacDonald observes "If His reference to the law had had its desired effect on the lawyer, he would have said, “If that’s what God requires, then I’m lost, helpless, and hopeless. I cast myself on Your love and mercy. Save me by Your grace!” Instead of that, he sought to justify himself. Why should he? No one had accused him. There was a consciousness of fault and his heart rose up in pride to resist." (Borrow Believer's Bible Commentary)
A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho - The man puts out a question, and this is how Jesus answers him. The road from Jerusalem to Jericho was about 17 miles through a wilderness notorious for bandits. It was a narrow and rocky road with lots of ambush points.
John MacArthur comments "This dramatic tale is widely used to teach the importance of helping those in need. In fact, the term “Good Samaritan” has become an idiom for those who demonstrate unusual, sacrificial kindness toward others. But while it is important to help the needy, that is not the point of the story. It is in reality a story about how one inherits eternal life, because that is the question that initiated the conversation to which this story is the conclusion. The Lord offered this story in answer to the scribe’s question, with its somewhat cynical implication that he did love all those whom he considered to be his neighbors. Jesus graciously gave him one more unforgettable, inescapably clear insight into his wretchedness; one more opportunity to acknowledge his sinfulness and cry for mercy." (See Luke Commentary) - Precept Austin
Leaving him half dead - The man was helpless.
A priest, a Levite - Priest come from the tribe of Levi, but they must be from Aaron's line. The other Levites had various jobs associated with the temple, and the whole tribe was originally set apart to the service of God. These should be the exemplary citizens, knowledgeable about the law, just like the lawyer. Both of these men saw the beaten man and could not be bothered, but chose to avoid the situation all together.
…8At that time the LORD set apart the tribe of Levi to carry the ark of the covenant of the LORD, to stand before the LORD to serve Him, and to pronounce blessings in His name, as they do to this day. 9That is why Levi has no portion or inheritance among his brothers; the LORD is his inheritance, as the LORD your God promised him. 10I stayed on the mountain forty days and forty nights, like the first time, and that time the LORD again listened to me and agreed not to destroy you.… Deuteronomy 10: 8-10
But a Samaritan - Jesus has opened a wound and is now pouring salt into it. The Jews hated the Samaritans, but Christ makes the Samaritan the hero, the definition of "neighbor". He had compassion. This goes beyond thinking that you might be repaid, for the man doesn't know who he is, but he knows that he needs help.
Bound up his wounds, pouring on oil and wine - The wine would burn like an antiseptic, and the oil would sooth, also providing a protective covering.
Two denarii - He gives the inn keeper two days wages so that the man can rest up, but also promises to return and settle up with the inn keeper if the man's provisions exceed this. This isn't a passing feel good moment, tossing a coin to a panhandler. This is consciously perceiving a real need, weighing it out, owning the inconvenience of stopping ones own journey, reaching into his own pocket for resources, and caring for someone who may not even like you if they knew you were a Samaritan and didn't need your help.
The one who showed him mercy - I would have loved to see the eyes, the body language associated with this answer. It is the right answer, but Jesus follows up with what it means to actually own it, to keep the law, He says, "you go, and do likewise." Like the Samaritan, like your natural born enemy, the guy you would never acknowledge as your neighbor, go and do what he did. Obedience is the fruit on the tree of the one who actually keeps the law, who does what God says to do. If you want the power to do this, well God only gives that to the broken and contrite, the ones who admit they are imperfect, in need, just like the man lying in the road.
…6Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled. 7Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy. 8Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.… Matthew 5: 6-8
…17So too, faith by itself, if it does not result in action, is dead. 18But someone will say, “You have faith and I have deeds.” Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by my deeds. 19You believe that God is one. Good for you! Even the demons believe that—and shudder.… James 2: 17-19
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