The Parable of the Good Samaritan-Neighbours and Needs.
The Good Samaritan is a favourite parable for many. Stephen March reminds us that neighbours and needs should be a high priority in the Christian’s walk.
The Parable of the Good Samaritan in Luke 10
Having completed our look into the “Kingdom Parables” of Matthew 13, we move on now to one of the more recognizable teachings of Jesus, the parable of the Good Samaritan. This is a wonderful lesson, that gives both instruction on good living, but also a bit of a picture into how God’s salvation works. In fact, it was a question about salvation, or eternal life, that prompted Jesus to tell this parable. This is what we read in Luke’s gospel account, chapter 10.
And behold, a lawyer stood up to put him to the test, saying, “Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?” He said to him, “What is written in the Law? How do you read it?” 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.” And he said to him, “You have answered correctly; do this, and you will live.” But he, desiring to justify himself, said to Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?” 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 by chance a priest was going down that road, and when he saw him he passed by on the other side. So likewise a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. But a Samaritan, as he journeyed, came to where he was, and when he saw him, he had compassion. 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. 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.’ Which of these three, do you think, proved to be a neighbor to the man who fell among the robbers?” He said, “The one who showed him mercy.” And Jesus said to him, “You go, and do likewise.”
Luke 10
A Lawyer Quizzes Jesus
The scene starts with a lawyer coming to Jesus. Now, this is not a lawyer as we would think of one today, which would be someone who goes to court and prosecutes or defends another person. These were people who had the profession of knowing and teaching the law of Moses, the scriptures, and all the different rabbinical traditions of the Jews. The Bible tells us that he was trying to test, Jesus, trying to trap him by getting him to say something that would go against their law and customs.
The reason for this was simple. Many people were believing Jesus to be the Christ, the Saviour promised by God in the Old Testament. The signs and miracles he performed certainly led credibility to that. The Pharisees, and other religious leaders, including the scribes, or lawyers, did not believe this, but they had absolutely nothing against Jesus that would discredit him, so they had to try to trap him, or at the very least test him to see if he was who he said he was.
How to Inherit Eternal Life
The lawyer’s question to Jesus was straightforward, how does one inherit eternal life? Jesus’ answer was straightforward, love God and love your neighbour, as the scriptures say. So the lawyer then wants to justify himself and asks who his neighbour is, the one he is supposed love. Why he seeks this justification could be one of two reasons, possibly even both.
First, he had just asked a question that he should have known the answer to, so trying to save face, he continues as if the answer provided was incomplete, or at the very least unclear. In other words, he had a good reason for asking this question. Secondly, these religious types found in the Bible quite often prided themselves on their own righteousness received through adherence to the law.
This man would have considered himself as such, so when Jesus tells him “Do this, and you will live.” it would have been taken as if Jesus was telling him he was not righteous enough. His next challenge then, was to determine how he is falling short. As if to say, well, how then am I not loving my neighbour, or loving God? What am I missing? So, Jesus gives him the parable of the good Samaritan.
The Practical Application
Right away, it is easy to see the practical application in this story. We are to be like the Samaritan, who, upon seeing another person in trouble, even though it was someone who would have been perceived as an enemy or adversary, does everything he can, even going out of his way, to provide help. And that is really a good lesson for all people, we need be compassionate, to be able to put aside social and cultural differences and be considerate of the needs of everyone around us.
That is what Jesus meant by using this parable as an answer to what it means to love your neighbour, and who is your neighbour. The underlying principle as we read this and compare it with other lessons in the Bible, is that all people are created by God, and therefore loved by God, and as such, he wants us to love all people on the basis of His love for all people, even when it is difficult, because that is the love He has for us.
God Shows Love for Us
Paul explains this in detail in chapter five of his letter to the Romans, where he writes,
“but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Since, therefore, we have now been justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God. For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life.
Romans 5
Paul is saying that even though our sin made us enemies to God, His love for us was greater, and the sacrifice of Jesus overpowered our sin and made it possible for all who believe in him not only to have their sins forgiven, but to have that proper, love relationship with God fully restored. Which leads us to the other message of this parable, which is that Jesus is telling them a story, which is serving as an example of what he is about to do for them.
The Good Samaritan Shows Love
In the story, we have a man who is overtaken by robbers, beaten, and left for dead. This man is now in a place, where without the intervention of another, he would die. That’s the implication that’s provided, he is doomed if he does not get help. Ah, but then come the people who are supposed to save him, the priest and the Levite, a picture of religion, good works and the law. Instead of helping however, they did nothing, they walked by, and the man was still dying.
Now, let’s pause here to remember who Jesus is speaking to, a lawyer, or scribe, who believes that the secret to eternal life is found through adherence to the law. Hearing that these men did not save the wounded traveler, would have been difficult to hear, the lesson to him would have been clear, that while it is a good thing to live the right way and do the things we are commanded to do, it isn’t enough to grant us eternal life, we need the intervention of another, someone to help us.
We Are Travelers Like the Good Samaritan
We are the traveler in this story. Our sin separates us from God, and leaves in a place where we are destined for eternal punishment, for condemnation, and no matter how many good things we do, they can’t outweigh our sin. The Bible says that because God is perfectly holy and righteous, that He must judge sin. And the judgement is death, perishing, eternal separation from God. There is nothing we ourselves can do about it; we need a Saviour. That’s where Jesus comes in.
In the parable, he is pictured in the Samaritan, a man that would have been despised by the Jews, an enemy to them. Yet it is him who recognizes the need of the fallen man, who goes to him, restores him and refreshes him. He lifts him up and takes him to a place of rest. He provides, at his own cost, everything this traveller requires to live.
Jesus Came to Us
God, in the person of Jesus Christ, recognizes our need, and our helplessness. He came to us, leaving the glory of heaven. He paid the full cost of our redemption, by taking the penalty for our sin when he died for us on the cross and rose again. If we have faith in him, he will restore us to God, he will remove our sin, he will lift us up, and take us to that place of rest, which is eternal life with him in heaven.
What are you relying on for eternal life? If it isn’t Christ, it’s not enough to save. Believe in him today, and be saved.
Jesus used story telling as a way to draw people into a deeper understanding of His identity. What is your response to Jesus’ parables? We would love to hear from you. Comment below or contact us at HopeStreamRadio.
Stephen March
Stephen March is the President of FBH International and HopeStreamRadio. He graduated from the Broadcasting Program at Niagara College in 2001, and has previously worked in television production and post-production.
Stephen lives in St. Catharines, Ontario, with his wife Corinne and their four children.
Read and hear more from Stephen March on his contributor’s page. Stephen currently has 5 Programs on HopeStreamRadio:
- Please Forgive Me
- Isolation Chronicles
- Faith By Hearing – The Twelve
- Bibles and Baseball
- Bible Tech Talk
More Podcasts Below:
More Blogs:
Palm Sunday, The Coming King, and the Last Week of Christ
Images courtesy of:
Good Samaritan Images by – LUMO project
Sunset – auntmasako
Love – bellostar
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