The Story of the Good Samaritan Luke 10:25-37
“One day an expert in the law stood up to test Him. “Teacher,” he asked, “what must I do to inherit eternal life?”
“What is written in the Law?” Jesus 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 said. “Do this and you will live.”
But wanting to justify himself, he asked Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?”
Jesus took up this question and said, “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho when he fell into the hands of robbers. They stripped him, beat him, and went away, leaving him half dead.
Now by chance a priest was going down the same road, but when he saw him, he passed by on the other side. So too, when a Levite came to that spot and saw him, he passed by on the other side.
But when a Samaritan on a journey came upon him, he looked at him and had compassion. He went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he put him on his own animal, brought him to an inn, and took care of him.
The next day he took out two denarii (two days’ wages for a working man) and gave them to the innkeeper. ‘Take care of him,’ he said, ‘and on my return I will repay you for any additional expense.’
Which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?”
“The one who showed him mercy,” replied the expert in the law.
Then Jesus told him, “Go and do likewise.”
A teacher of the Law has sidled up to Jesus and is now quizzing him. First, the man asks Jesus what he must do to inherit eternal life. Jesus turns the question back on his examiner, whose answer is straight out of the Scriptures as he quotes Deuteronomy 6:5 ”You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your strength.” and Leviticus 19:18 “…you shall love your neighbor as yourself.” “You have answered correctly,” Jesus said. “Do this and you will live.”
This guy isn’t satisfied; he wants to know whom God considers his neighbor. That’s when Jesus tells this story. But before we go into the story, you need to understand who the Samaritans were and why the Jews despised them so.
The city of Samaria was the capital of the northern kingdom of Israel. Samaria was founded by Omri, the father of wicked King Ahab, and got its name from Shemer, the man from whom Omri bought the hilltop on which he founded the city. When the Northern Kingdom was destroyed by the Assyrians, most of its citizens were slaughtered or carried off into exile. The Assyrians moved in a mixed rabble who began worshiping their own gods. But God sent lions among these people and they had to import a priest to teach them about the worship of the One True Living God. The Samaritans eventually combined worship of their traditional gods with worship of Yaweh, causing the Jews to despise them as heretics. During the time of Jesus, Samaria was located between Galilee to the north and Judea to the south.
Biblestudytools.com tells us, “They established as their center of worship a temple on Mount Gerizim, claiming it was where Moses had originally intended for the Israelites to worship. They had their own unique version of the five books written by Moses, the Pentateuch, but rejected the writings of the prophets and Jewish traditions. The Samaritans saw themselves as the true descendants of Israel and preservers of the true religion, while considering the Jerusalem temple and Levitical priesthood illegitimate.
When Jews returned to rebuild Jerusalem (under Ezra and Nehemiah), they were opposed by Samaritans. This led to further ill-will as the two sects were established in the land in opposition to one another. To the Jews, a Samaritan was more revolting than a Gentile (pagan); Samaritans were half-breeds who defiled the true religion.”
Jesus begins his story very simply. ““A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho when he fell into the hands of robbers. They stripped him, beat him, and went away, leaving him half dead.” Everybody knows the dangerous road between Jerusalem and Jericho that runs through the desert. There are many places where the road is so narrow that robbers can easily block the road, assault travelers, strip them of everything, and then escape. Those traveling that road try to go in large groups to discourage robbers.
“Now by chance a priest was going down the same road, but when he saw him, he passed by on the other side. So too, when a Levite came to that spot and saw him, he passed by on the other side.” Why wouldn’t either of these men stop to help this poor fellow? Perhaps the priest and the Levite feared that the robbers were still near and wanted to escape as rapidly as possible; after all, each of them is traveling alone. Perhaps this man appeared to be dead; as religious men, they didn’t want to become ritually unclean by touching a dead body and then having to go through the rituals of purification. Perhaps they failed to stop because the robbery victim was not of their social class or his skin was darker than theirs. Perhaps night was falling and they didn’t want to be out on that road at night. And perhaps they failed to stop because they feared the victim might be a Samaritan or a Gentile and they wanted nothing to do with Samaritans or Gentiles.
By now, the legal expert is hooked and wants to know how the story will play out. Imagine his surprise when the hero turns out to be a hated Samaritan. Not only does this pagan tend the man’s wounds but he also loads the injured man on his own donkey, takes him to an inn, and even leaves two days’ wages for a working man as a down payment on the injured man’s expenses, promising to make up the difference on his way back. And now Jesus asks the key question: “Which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?” What’s the legal expert to do? He must answer honestly. “The one who showed him mercy,” replied the expert in the law. Then Jesus told him, “Go and do likewise.”
Jesus uses the hated Samaritan as the hero to demonstrate that God has no interest in our pet prejudices. Assuming the injured man is a Jew, the Samaritan might easily pass by on the other side as have the priest and Levite. But the Samaritan is more interested in mercy than in racism. Jesus’ point is simple: everyone is our neighbor and everyone deserves mercy.
How many of us have been tempted to behave like the fictional priest and Levite? So many times we criticize others while being blind to our own prejudices. We have lived in Charleston, SC, Memphis, TN, and New Orleans. Each of these cities was once a center for the slave trade, and each of these cities is riddled with pools of spiritual darkness and racial tension. I have listened while doctors have expressed all kinds of general racial prejudices, only to work tirelessly to save individual members of the same race they have just criticized.
Here in Ghana, tensions among tribes may have existed for hundreds of years. There is a general prejudice among those from the South against Northerners, much of which may have its roots in the short-sighted policies of British colonialism. While the British brought education to the south and established schools even in small villages, they left the North alone, preferring to use uneducated Northerners to work in the gold mines and cocoa farms of the South. Those managing various operations would train a few Northerners as translators while using educated Southerners as clerks. I have spoken in Southern churches, urging their members to help us at the hospital. As soon as I have begun describing spiritual darkness in Northern Ghana, my translator has stopped, assuming that I have so little command of his language that I don’t realize what he is doing. (WRONG! I hear more than I can speak!)
The TV icon Mr. Fred Rogers inspired and comforted millions of viewers by creating an imaginary neighborhood to which he invited them, singing, “It’s a beautiful day in the neighborhood….won’t you be my neighbor?” Rogers was an ordained Presbyterian minister with additional training in early childhood development. For 33 years Rogers invited viewers to be his neighbors while he tackled a whole range of problems children might face such as death, trauma of various kinds, criticism from school mates, etc. Although the program was aimed at pre-school children, Rogers’ kind approach and loving manner attracted viewers of all ages. There are many adults today who credit Rogers with being the single most important influence in their lives as they grew up.
Many of us are kind to people when they are kind to us, but how many of us are willing to attack when people disappoint us or fail to please us? When we fail to give mercy, we are behaving like those who left the man bleeding and dying on the roadside, or worse-like the robbers! Jesus’ message to us is clear: we are always to give mercy. And remember this: one of the immutable laws of the kingdom of God is that the measure you give out is the measure you will receive. We all want mercy, but we must first give it if we are to receive it.
PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and for caring for us. Lord, help us to be merciful to all those around us. In the mighty and precious Name of King Jesus. Amen.
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