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.” — Luke 10:25-37, NASB

Many are familiar with the popular expression “good Samaritan,” which is associated with someone who performs an unusual act of kindness or assistance for another in need. Many also know the actual story from which the term was coined, one of the most well-known of Jesus’s parables. The story of the Samaritan who rescues a stranger that had been beaten, robbed and left for dead exemplifies the kindness and compassion God expects that we should show to our fellow man, but more importantly it illuminates His requirements for salvation and the total inability of man to satisfy those requirements on his own.

To grasp the major point of the parable it is necessary to recognize that it was given in response to a fundamental question: “what shall I do to inherit eternal life?” It is asked of Jesus by a “lawyer” or scribe, an academic expert in the Mosaic Law who in this case is looking to “put Him to the test,” to challenge and discredit the Lord on the grounds of noncompliance with traditional Judaism.

Knowing the questioner’s angle and lack of faith, Jesus meets him on his own turf, addressing the issue solely on the basis of the law by asking the lawyer what is written in it. The scribe references Deuteronomy 6:4-5 and Leviticus 19:18, comprising the two great commandments, which Jesus confirms will indeed buy eternal life for whoever complies.

The problem of course is that the law presents a standard that no one can meet. Obtuse to that truth, yet eager to justify himself in front of the crowd, the lawyer asks Jesus to define his neighbor. He entertains no further exchange on the topic of God’s demands because surely he has satisfied them. Rather than rebuking this scribe for his pride and false belief, the Lord instead demonstrates his inability to keep the law through the illustration in the parable.

The road from Jerusalem to Jericho through the Judean Desert was an isolated, bad stretch, fraught with peril because of its steepness and rampant crime. According to the early church historian Eusebius of Caesarea, the road was known as the Ascent of Adummim (red objects) because of the blood repeatedly shed by the bandits it harbored. The audience of the day would be very familiar with the parable’s dangerous setting.

An unfortunate traveler, understood to be a Jew, has fallen prey to some of these bandits and lies by the side of the road, robbed and beaten within an inch of his life. A priest and a Levite separately come upon him, but purposely avoid assisting him. As members of the religious establishment, priests and Levites would know the law, just like the scribe questioning Jesus. Despite this, they willfully violate God’s requirement to love one’s neighbor as himself. They clearly have no love for their neighbor, but they also show they had no love for God because they do not keep His commandments.

The next person who comes by is a Samaritan. The Samaritans were a people descended from pagan tribes that had displaced the Jewish population in Samaria during the Assyrian exile some 750-plus years earlier. Half-Jew and half-gentile, they had remained at odds with Jews religiously and culturally since that time, and the mutual animosity between the two groups was at its peak in Christ’s day.

However it is the Samaritan who shows compassion and stops to assist the fallen traveler. He does not just make a token gesture and render the minimum aid. He dresses the man’s wounds, carries him away on his own beast, puts him up in an inn, stays overnight to watch over him, pays for the man’s stay plus extra for his ongoing care, and promises to cover any additional expenses. How many of us would do this for a total stranger? Not just a stranger, but a presumed enemy? Some may not even go so far for friends or family members. Truly this is an example of loving one’s neighbor as one’s self.

Jesus confronts the prejudices of the Jewish audience in general and the hypocrisy of the legalists in particular by using a Samaritan’s actions as the example of proper behavior. In contrast to the religious establishment that should have known better, it is a sworn enemy and total outsider who demonstrates true obedience to the law. In response to the scribe’s question, the parable clearly defines “neighbor” (any and every person, regardless of who they are) as well as “love” (a fullness of compassion, affection and care, without prejudice). It is interesting that the scribe can’t seem to bring himself to say “Samaritan” in verse 37. He may not like it, but this is his neighbor as far as God is concerned.

“Go and do the same,” says the Lord. The scribe wanted to know what was required to have eternal life, and Jesus directs him to the law: love your neighbor as yourself, or admit that you cannot and open your heart to God’s grace. God’s law is a product of His mercy, a measuring stick revealing the depth of our sin. We can’t really grasp the idea of grace until we understand the insurmountability of the law. Without grace we remain under its overwhelming burden, and all of humanity stands in violation.

Like the Jew left for dead on the roadside, we are likewise destined to perish, and the love of the Samaritan for his neighbor reflects the unconditional love God has for us. Through the atoning work of Christ Jesus—and that alone—redemption is graciously provided to otherwise unredeemable man. May the Lord lead all undeserving sinners to recognize and receive His holy compassion and gift of life.

Image:
Luyken, Jan (1649-1712); The Good Samaritan; Medhurst, Phillip (attribution)