THE PARABLE OF THE GOOD SAMARITAN

#46. The Parable of the Good Samaritan (Luke 10:25-37)

by Dr. Ralph F. Wilson

Text

Luke 10:25-37

[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 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."

Exposition

Of all Jesus' parables, none has worked its way deeper into the American
consciousness as the Parable of the Good Samaritan. The phrase "Good
Samaritan" is used to describe any person who goes out of his way to help
another. It's a theme that newspaper reporters love to feature because it

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captures readers' attention and fires the imagination. The largest recreational
vehicle club in the United States is termed the "Good Sam Club" from its ideal of
members helping one another.

But the Parable of the Good Samaritan says more than "It's good to help people
in need." The parable is also about excuses. About self-justification. About
letting oneself off the hook. Dig with me to mine the riches of the parable.

Sometime during the Judean part of Jesus' ministry -- we're not told exactly
when and where[1] -- Jesus encounters a lawyer, Greek nomikos, "legal expert,
jurist, lawyer,"[2] a man skilled in interpreting the Jewish Torah (i.e., the first
five books of the Old Testament, also called the Pentateuch). It's fascinating to
see that Luke places this incident directly following Jesus' rhapsody to his
Father, "You have hidden these things from the wise and learned, and revealed
them to children...." (10:21) The "children" are Jesus' disciples, his followers,
who have just learned about spiritual power in the name of Jesus. Now we meet
the "wise and learned," represented by a legal expert, schooled in all the
intricacies and interpretations of the Torah, a very sophisticated scholar. The
children and wise are placed in sharp contrast.

1. Do This and You Will Live (10:25-28)

"On one occasion an expert in the law stood up to test Jesus. 'Teacher,' he
asked, '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.' "
(10:25-28)

TFN: Be ye doers of the word, not hearers. Out of ten commandments HE

said, do one, and another and in so doing, ye shall fulfil the Law and the
Prophets.

The lawyer's question is an important one: "What must I do to inherit eternal

life?" Later, the Rich Young Ruler asks Jesus the same question (18:18). In
essence, he is asking Jesus to capsulize what is important for a Jew to do in
order to be saved. And what is more important than salvation?

TFN: Yes, loving God alone, does not cut the mustard. Loving God is only half
the DOING in being you doers, the proof is in the Pudding. And the recipe for
the pudding is in Isth 4:7 and 8.

And you have ought against a brother, and go worship God, God says no, first
go and make things right with the brother. Yes, go be a doer of 1 st John 4:7-8.

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But Luke tells us that the lawyer has an underlying motive, "to test Jesus." The
Greek word is ekpeirazo, "put to the test, try, tempt."[3] In this case, the
lawyer isn't trying to tempt Jesus in the sense of lead Jesus into sin. Rather,
the skilled teacher of the law is testing this unofficial, Gallilean lay teacher to
see how well he will answer difficult theological questions. The lawyer's motive
could be simple intellectual curiosity about Jesus' insight into the Scriptures.
But he has doubtless already heard Jesus speak, or heard reports of Jesus'
message. So his motive, more likely, is to see if he can expose Jesus' naivet
in contrast to his own sophistication. Perhaps intellectual pride or jealousy of
Jesus' immense following prompt this testing. Jesus will face many such
challenges in the Judean phase of his ministry: on rendering taxes to Caesar
(Matthew 22:17-18: Mark 12:15; Luke 20:22-23), on divorce (Matthew 19:3;
Mark 10:2), on the resurrection (Matthew 22:23-32), on doing some sign
(Matthew 16:1; Mark 8:11; Luke 11:16), and on stoning a woman caught in
the act of adultery (John 8:6).

In this case and in others, Jesus doesn't answer the question. Instead he
appeals to the expert's self-perception of being an authority, and turns the
question back to him. " 'What is written in the Law?' Jesus replies 'How do you
read it?' " (10:26) Jesus is saying, "You're an expert on the Torah. What does
your reading tell you is the answer to your question?"

The legal expert's answer shows much insight. In fact, he agrees exactly with
Jesus' own assessment of the Torah's essential message: "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," quoting
Deuteronomy 6:5 and Leviticus 19:18, respectively.

Jesus compliments him on his answer: "You have answered correctly," and so
in the balance of this relationship between expert and novice, Jesus now
assumes the role of expert on the Law, commenting on the rightness or
wrongness of another's interpretation. The lawyer who has sought to test Jesus
is now himself being tested and evaluated.

But when you think about it, Jesus' compliment is remarkable. So often Jesus
has to deal with Pharisees whose understanding of the Law is all out of
proportion. They emphasize the minor details and neglect the big picture; they
"strain out gnats" but "swallow camels" (Matthew 23:23-24). But this man sees
the big picture. He understands, or so it would seem, "justice, mercy, and
faithfulness" that the Pharisees neglect (Matthew 23:23).

The lawyer recites what Jesus has termed the Great Commandment, to love
God and love one's neighbor. "Do this and you will live," is Jesus' reply to the
lawyer's question, "What must I do to inherit eternal life?"

Contrary to some who interpret this passage, I don't think that the issue is
"works righteousness," a salvation based on doing good works. Rather the issue
is: What is the quintessential message of the Torah? Let's not import Paul's
important emphasis on faith vs. works into a Gospel context where it doesn't
belong.

Who Is My Neighbor? (10:29)

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"But he wanted to justify himself, so he asked Jesus, 'And who is my neighbor?'
" (10:29)

The power of the truth that the lawyer is has spoken is too much for him. By
his own words he has correctly stated the heart of the Law: "Love your neighbor
as yourself," and is feeling convicted by it. After all, he might say, the context
of the verse he had quoted limits the definition of "neighbor": "Do not seek
revenge or bear a grudge against one of your people, but love your neighbor
as yourself. I am the Lord." (Leviticus 19:18)

So, in typical lawyer fashion, he seeks to defend his position by closely defining
words. What is your definition of "neighbor," he asks Jesus. At this point we
see an exchange between a pair of rabbis, teachers. One has stated the essence
of the law, and the other has acknowledged truth of his answer. Now the first
asks the second to clarify the answer. The rabbinical writings of the Talmud are
full of carefully reasoned legal distinctions about when a law is in effect, and
when it is not.

The Jews typically interpreted "neighbor," meaning "one who is near," in terms
of members of the same people and religious community, that is, fellow Jews
(as in Matthew 5:43-48). The Pharisees tended to exclude "ordinary people"
from their definition. The Qumran community excluded "the sons of darkness"
from their definition of neighbors.[4]

The lawyer agrees that the essence of the Torah is to love one's neighbor as
oneself, but then seeks to limit the application of this to fellow Jews only. Love
your own race and faith community, he believes, and you have fulfilled the law.

Luke tells us that his first motive is to "test" Jesus; his second motive is to
"justify himself," to defend his own limited interpretation of the Torah. Here is
a scholar struggling with integrity between his beliefs and actions.

Parables and Stories

"In reply Jesus said: 'A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho....' "
(10:30)

If someone were to ask you the definition of neighbor, you might respond with
a carefully-worded definition, the kind of phrase you find in Webster's
Dictionary. But Jesus answers with a parable. Parables are stories told to make
a point. They aren't actual history, but they capture true-to-life details in such
a way that hearers' identify with the elements of the story and can grasp of the
spiritual lesson of the story. There was no actual Good Samaritan that Jesus is
referring to. But he is calling upon his hearers' awareness of the dangers of
traveling alone on the Jericho-Jerusalem road, and from there presenting a
hypothetical situation designed to make a point.

Robbers on the Jericho Road (10:30)

"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." (10:30)

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Jerusalem is located along the ridge of coastal mountains running north and
south in Palestine. Jericho, on the other hand is located in the plain of the
Jordan River in a geological rift zone hundreds of feet below sea level. The 17
mile road that connects these two cities descends some 3,300 feet through
desert and rocky country that could easily hide brigands or bandits. Josephus
notes that Pompey destroyed a group of brigands here, and Jerome spoke of
Arab robbers in his time.[5] Law and order hasn't eliminated robbery. American
legend thrives on stories of Jesse James robbing stage coaches. Modern-day
city dwellers live in fear of mugging on streets and in subways.

The robbers on the Jericho Road were pretty desperate. Even if a man had little
of value, they would attack him for the value of his clothing alone. But they
didn't just threaten him and take his clothing. They stripped him of his clothing
and then beat him, probably with wood staffs. The Greek uses two words to
describe the beating: epitithemi, "to lay on, inflict"[6] and plege, "blow,
stroke."[7] They beat him in order to incapacitate him from following them, or
perhaps to intimidate him from trying to identify them. Apparently they didn't
seek to kill him, however. Jesus says that they left him literally "half-dead"
(Greek hemithanes). Jesus isn't telling of an actual man, of course, but adding
some details in order to paint a picture. His listeners are now eager to see what
happens to the unfortunate man.

Priests and Levites (10:31-32)

"A priest happened to be going down the same road, and when he saw the
man, he passed by on the other side. So too, a Levite, when he came to the
place and saw him, passed by on the other side." (10:31-32)

Jesus places in his story two well-known figures in society, priests and Levites.
The priest would be returning to Jericho from service in the temple at Jerusalem
-- Jericho was known as a principal residence for priests.[8] In New Testament
times, Levites were an order of cultic officials, inferior to the priests but still a
privileged group in society, responsible for the liturgy in the Temple and for
policing the Temple.[9] While both priests and Levites were from the tribe of
Levi (descendants of Jacob's son Levi), the priests were also descendents of
Aaron, the first High Priest.

In Jesus' story, both the priest and Levite see the wounded man and pass on
the other side of the road. They see the man's need but choose not to help.

"Typical!" the hearers are thinking. There were probably various anti-clerical
stories circulating among the populace, and you can almost see Jesus' hearers
nodding and smiling at the caricature. I'm sure that the legend of the
hypocritical clergyman has been circulating since Biblical times.

The Excuse of Religious Purity

Some believe that the priest and Levite might have had some justification for
their actions. After all, as temple officials they were especially concerned about
ceremonial cleanness. The Law stated that the high priest "must not enter a
place where there is a dead body. He must not make himself unclean, even for
his father or mother" (Leviticus 21:11). Even a regular priest "will also be

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unclean if he touches something defiled by a corpse" (Leviticus 22:4; Ezekiel
24:25). What if the man lying beaten by the side of the road were dead? The
man may not have been stirring. One can't be too careful, you know. According
to scholar J. Mann, the Pharisees held that a priest would not be defiled by
touching a dead body when there was nobody else available to perform the
burial, but the Sadducees (that may have included many of the priests)
contended that he would be defiled.[10]

On the other hand, the law is pretty clear about helping those who are in need,
both man and beast, friend and foe -- even if he is your enemy!

"If you come across your enemy's ox or donkey wandering off, be sure to take
it back to him. If you see the donkey of someone who hates you fallen down
under its load, do not leave it there; be sure you help him with it." (Exodus
23:4-5)

"Do not gloat when your enemy falls; when he stumbles, do not let your heart
rejoice, or the Lord will see and disapprove and turn his wrath away from him."
(Proverbs 24:17-18)

"If your enemy is hungry, give him food to eat; if he is thirsty, give him water
to drink. In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head,
and the Lord will reward you." (Proverbs 25:21-22)

And, of course, the very verse the lawyer had quoted makes the priest's and
the Levite's obligations clear: "Love your neighbor as yourself. I am the Lord"
(Leviticus 19:18).

Placing religious purity over helping a person who was perhaps still alive is
gross hard-heartedness and selfishness. And walking on the other side of the
road displays a deliberate "I don't want to know!" attitude. The less they saw
about the man's condition, the less they would feel obligated to help him. After
all, he might be dead that then there would be nothing they could be obligated
to do. Our modern-day equivalent of this attitude is, "I don't want to get
involved."

Samaritans, the Hated Step-Brothers

A priest, a Levite ... and the hearers would be expecting a Jewish layman to be
the third and climatic character. Three people or situations are often found in
stories of that period and our own (Matthew 25:14-30; Luke 19:11-27; 14:18-
20; 20:10-12). But, no. Jesus introduces a Samaritan into the story.

The Samaritans were particularly hated in Jesus' day. They lived in an area
south of Galilee and north of Judea, part of the old Northern Kingdom of Israel.
In 721 BC Israel was conquered by Assyria, and Sargon II conducted a mass
deportation of the entire region, carrying off some 27,270 captives and
resettling the area with colonists from other parts of the Assyrian empire (2
Kings 17:24).[11] Their descendents were looked upon as half-breeds and
heretics by the Jews of Jerusalem. Though Samaritans believed in the Torah,
they worshipped at Mt. Gerizim rather than Jerusalem (John 4:20-22). At times,
relations between the Jews and Samaritans had been civil, but in Jesus' day

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feelings were definitely hostile. Sometime between 6 and 9 AD at midnight
during a Passover some Samaritans had deliberately scattered bones in the
Jerusalem Temple in order to desecrate it.[12] The Jews were outraged! What
remained now was disdain and hatred, as John observed: "Jews do not
associate with Samaritans" (John 4:9b).

For Jesus to introduce the Samaritan as the caring person, after a priest and a
Levite had neglected mercy, must have been intended as an especially biting
commentary on what passed for "mercy" among the pillars of Judaism.

Taking Pity upon the Man (10:33)

"But a Samaritan, as he traveled, came where the man was; and when he saw
him, he took pity on him." (10:33)

The Samaritan traveler doesn't move over to the other side of the road, but
when he sees the wounded man he takes pity on him. The word translated
"pity" is Greek splangchizomai, "have pity, feel sympathy," from splangchnon,
"literally, 'inward parts, entrails' ... figuratively of the seat of the emotions, in
our usage 'heart.' "[13] Love, sympathy, and mercy are motivated by the need
of another, while withholding mercy is essentially an act of selfishness, of self-
protection.

Binding Up His Wounds (10:34a)

"He went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine." (10:34a)

The Samaritan binds up the wounds (Greek trauma) of the injured man,
perhaps with his own headcovering or by tearing strips from his garment. The
Samaritan also pours on oil and wine as healing agents. Olive oil was widely
employed to keep exposed parts of the skin supple, to relieve chafing, to soften
wounds, and to heal bruises and lacerations.[14] We can see something of the
treatment of wounds in a passage from Isaiah that speaks in literal terms about
spiritual sickness:

"From the sole of your foot to the top of your head there is no soundness only
wounds and welts and open sores, not cleansed or bandaged or soothed with
oil." (Isaiah 1:6)

Wine, perhaps, was poured on for cleansing. Though they had no knowledge of
germ theory, we know that wine, which ferments naturally to about 7% to 15%
alcohol, would have had some disinfectant properties.[15]

Prepaying the Man's Motel Bill (10:34b-35)

"Then he put the man on his own donkey,

took him to an inn

and took care of him.

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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.'
" (10:34b-35)

The Samaritan's love of his neighbor proved costly.

He used his own supplies to

cleanse and soothe the man's wounds,

his own clothing to bandage him,

his own animal to carry him while the Samaritan himself walked, his
own money to pay for his care, and his own reputation and credit to vouch for
any further expenses the man's care would require. Love can be costly. But if
we have the means to help, we are to extend ourselves. The Apostle John
taught, "If anyone has material possessions and sees his brother in need but
has no pity on him, how can the love of God be in him? Dear children,

let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth" (1
John 3:17-18).

There wasn't an emergency room where the Samaritan could take the man.
Instead, he took him to a "motel" and cared for the man himself that night.
Edersheim sees the inn as a khan or hostelry, found by the side of roads,
providing free lodgment to the traveler. They also provided food for both man
beast, for which they would charge.[16]

It seems likely that the Samaritan was a merchant who frequently traveled this
way and had stayed at this inn before. He trusts the innkeeper enough to
advance him money to care for the wounded man. And he promises the
innkeeper -- who also seems to trust the Samaritan -- to reimburse him for any
additional costs when he returns from his trip. The Samaritan's mercy is a
generous mercy. A mercy that doesn't just keep the letter of the law, but its
spirit as well. "Whatever he needs," is the limit of his mercy.

Who Was Neighbor to the Man? (10:36-37a)

" '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.' " (10:36-37a)

Now Jesus punches home his point. He asks the lawyer which of the three
proved to be a neighbor to the wounded man, and the lawyer is forced to reply,
"The one who had mercy on him."

The Greek word used is eleos. In classical Greek eleos is the emotion roused
by contact with an affliction which comes undeservedly on someone else. The
New Testament meaning of eleos draws on the Hebrew concept of hesed,
faithfulness between individuals that results in human kindness, mercy, and
pity.[17] One summary of godly piety is found in Micah 6:8:

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"He has showed you, O man, what is good. And what does the Lord require of
you? To act justly and to love mercy (Hebrew hesed, Greek Septuagint eleos),
and to walk humbly with your God."

Mercy is required of us (Isaiah 58:6-7; Hosea 6:6). Jesus commands his

disciples very specifically: "Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful" (Luke
6:36).

The lawyer began by asking for a definition of "neighbor" in order to justify

limiting his love to his fellow Jews only. Jesus doesn't define "neighbor" in so
many words, but his story makes it clear that our neighbor is whoever has a
need. It doesn't matter who they are. Jesus' command to love our neighbor as
ourselves knows no self-satisfying limits.

Go and Do Likewise (10:37b)

"Jesus told him, 'Go and do likewise.' " (10:37b)

Jesus isn't content just to define what "neighbor" means. He commands us to

do as the Samaritan does, to show mercy to our fellow man who is in need.

Are Christians to be "do-gooders"? Yes, I suppose. But our motivation for doing
good must be love for others, an interest in meeting their basic needs, a heart
of mercy that is moved by compassion.

I must ask myself, what we -- as disciples of Jesus -- are supposed to learn

from this story. And for me the answer is to examine my own heart. What
motivates me? How much have selfishness and a dogged adherence to my own
agenda leached away the mercy that Jesus holds dear and wants to flourish in
my heart through his Holy Spirit? I may be efficient, but am I merciful. When
"push comes to shove" do I put myself first, or do I put the needs of others
first? I think of the words to the song, "Only one life, 'twill soon be past. Only
what's done for Christ will last."[18]

For me, Jesus' command, "Go and do likewise," means that I must value acts
of mercy over personal productivity. What does it mean for you?

Prayer

Father, the parable of the Good Samaritan reminds me that sometimes I seek
to justify my own selfishness. I'm a lot like the lawyer. I've studied much and
know a great deal about theology and the Bible. But knowledge isn't what you
seek. It is my heart that you seek, and the acts of love and mercy that should
flow freely out of my heart. Forgive me, Lord, for my selfishness. Forgive me
for excusing myself. And let your flame of love and mercy flare up afresh in my
heart and consume my selfish tendencies. I pray this as a disciple -- in Jesus'
name. Amen.

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 Key Verse

"But a Samaritan, as he traveled, came where the man was; and when he saw
him, he took pity on him." (Luke 10:33)

Questions

1. If you were to select three themes that this passage discusses, what would
they be? What is the chief theme?

2. How is it possible to be able to correctly recite the greatest commandments in

the Bible (10:27-28), and still not have them "installed" in your life?

3. Have you ever heard a Christian try to justify a less-than-Christian attitude or

action? Why do we constantly try to justify our actions? What motivates
justifying ourselves?

4. How did the lawyer justify his actions? How do you think the priest and Levite
in this story justified their actions?

5. Extra Credit: Jesus wasn't reciting an historical incident; he was creating a

hypothetical incident for teaching purposes. Why do you think that the hero of
the story was a Samaritan? What was Jesus' point by including the Samaritan?
How do you think the lawyer felt about it?

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6. What does the parable of the Good Samaritan illustration? What does it teach
us about love? About mercy? About selfishness?

7. How are we to emulate the Good Samaritan by "doing likewise"? What is God
speaking to you from this passage?

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