Luke 10:25-37
The Parable of the Good Samaritan
25 On one occasion an expert in the law stood up to test Jesus. “Teacher,” he asked, “what must I do to inherit eternal life?”
26 “What is written in the Law?” he replied. “How do you read it?”
27 He answered, “‘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, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’”
28 “You have answered correctly,” Jesus replied. “Do this and you will live.”
29 But he wanted to justify himself, so he asked Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?”
30 In reply Jesus said: “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, when he was attacked by robbers. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him and went away, leaving him half dead. 31 A priest happened to be going down the same road, and when he saw the man, he passed by on the other side. 32 So too, a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. 33 But a Samaritan, as he traveled, came where the man was; and when he saw him, he took pity on him. 34 He went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he put the man on his own donkey, brought him to an inn and took care of him. 35 The next day he took out two denarii and gave them to the innkeeper. ‘Look after him,’ he said, ‘and when I return, I will reimburse you for any extra expense you may have.’
36 “Which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?”
37 The expert in the law replied, “The one who had mercy on him.”
Jesus told him, “Go and do likewise.”
Jesus tells us about the Parable of the Good Samaritan, and we learn about who are neighbors...Jesus has told us that we are to love our neighbors as much as we love ourselves...So when Jesus tells us this Parable, we see three different men walking by the injured man, who has been attacked by robbers...The passing men are a priest, a Levite, and a Samaritan...The priest and the Levite were Jewish, but the Samaritan who was an outcast from the Jewish society, felt pity on the injured man at the side of the road...So it is a Samaritan, as he traveled by, came where the man was; and when he saw him, he took pity on him...He went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine...Then he put the man on his own donkey, brought him to an inn and took care of him...The next day he took out two denarii and gave them to the innkeeper...‘Look after him,’ he said, ‘and when I return, I will reimburse you for any extra expense you may have.’...The Good Samaritan spent much time with the injured man...
Jesus teaches us that our love crosses country boundaries, cultural boundaries, and racist and ethnic lines, as it was the Samaritan and not the Jewish people who stopped and helped the injured man...And the Samaritan man did not know the injured one, yet he treated him as he would want to be treated...He treated him with much kindness...The Samaritan put aside his differences with the injured Jewish man and helped him...He was truly loving his neighbor as himself...So our neighbors are not always those who look like us and believe in the same things we do...
This lesson can be furthered by love and as a foreshadowing teaching...Jesus might be telling us that He is our Savior and Messiah...We may not be Jewish, but we can see Him injured and then be the one who is flogged, tortured, and left for dead on the cross...This Parable was preceded by a question...“Teacher,” someone asked Him, “what must I do to inherit eternal life?”...“What is written in the Law?” he replied...“How do you read it?”...He answered, “‘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, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’”...“You have answered correctly,” Jesus replied. “Do this and you will live.”...Jesus is telling the questioner he will have eternal life by treating others like this...And that His Divine LOVE is for everyone...
But the questioner wanted to justify himself and to make sure he truly understood Jesus' answer, so he asked Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?”...And Jesus gives us this Great Parable...Jesus asks, “Which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?”...The expert in the law replied, The one who had mercy on him.”...Jesus told him, “Go and do likewise.”...The Good Samaritan was not only very kind, but he also had much mercy for the injured one...