The Questions Jesus Asked Part 7
This week in our Questions Jesus Asked series we will be in Luke Chapter 10 and our focus question is “which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?”
Luke 10:25-37 (NIV)
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 this well known parable in response to a question he was asked by an expert in the law (Toral Scholar) who was trying to justify himself while at the same time trying to trap Jesus into saying something heretical. The expert in the law had just answered Jesus’ question about what was written in the Law about inheriting eternal life.
Luke 10:27-29 (NIV)
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.”
In providing the correct answer, the expert in the law has a problem. The word for neighbor used here meant anyone nearby. This would be a problem for him because this would include not just the people of Israel but also the people who were considered the enemies of Israel (like the Romans and the Samaritans) who were nearby. So he is trying to find some wiggle room when he asks:
Luke 10:29 (NIV)
29 But he wanted to justify himself, so he asked Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?”
That’s when Jesus teaches the parable which will turn things upside down on the established religious community.
Luke 10:30-37 (NIV)
30 In reply Jesus said: “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, when he fell into the hands of 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, took him to an inn and took care of him. 35 The next day he took out two silver coins 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.”
The expert in the law couldn’t even bring himself to say the ‘Samaritan’ in his answer. This is because there was an intense hatred between people of Israel and the Samaritans even though they were distantly related. Samaria was a region near Israel, between Galilee and Judea. The city of Samaria was the capital of the Northern kingdom of Israel (during the time of the divided kingdoms). While many of the people of Israel were taken into exile by the Babylonians, the Samaritans were among those left behind. They developed their own worship practices and built their own Temple. Because of these and some other changes, people of Israel considered the Samaritans to be “impure”. Samaritans, on the other hand, claimed to be the true keepers of the faith because they had not been exiled to a foreign land.
So people of Israel and the Samaritans kept themselves separated and went to great lengths to avoid each other. This is why the Jewish people traveled this less than direct route around Jerusalem. It was safer then going through or near Samaria but it still wasn’t completely safe. The desert road from Jericho to Jerusalem had many places where thieves could hide out of sight and attack travelers. The lone traveler in our parable was an easy target. Robbed, beaten and left half dead, it would have been important to the two Temple officials in the story not to contract impurity by touching a corpse, so they stayed away, which preserved their purity but meant they would not obey God’s law of love.
So here we are, along with the lawyer, trying to figure out whom we’re supposed to love, and Jesus turns the question around. In effect Jesus says, “Look at this man who acts in mercy. He is your model. Stop asking, ‘Who is my neighbor?'”
The question that should be asked is “Who are you?” Are we going to be like this Samaritan who gives help when help is needed? Or are we going to be caught up in questions about who we’re supposed to help, and when and where and how? What really matters is who we are. We must never lose sight that what has happened to us in Christ is that God has made us new creatures and as we have talked about the last couple of weeks, our hearts are being transformed so that we love like He does.
Steve Lawes is a church encourager and the lead pastor of Keys Vineyard Church.
