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Seeing Ourselves in the Mirror of Jesus’ Parables... (5 of 6)
Looking in the Mirror and Asking the Question: Where do I fit in Jesus’ parable?
Luke 10:25-37
Jesus’ parables have a unique way of compelling us to see and consider questions we’re not prepared to face. They often accomplish this through unexpected twists in the storyline.
The Parable of the Good Samaritan. Laws, organizations and hospitals are known by this name.
Luke 10:25-37 (ESV) –
“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.”
1. Questions fly between an expert in the Old Testament Law and Jesus.
We see a lawyer (an expert in the Old Testament) and Jesus exchanging questions.
Luke 10:25 (ESV) –
“Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?”
Luke 10:26 (ESV) –
“What is written in the Law? How do you read it?”
Luke 10:27 (ESV) –
“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.”
Deuteronomy 6:4-5 (ESV, emphasis mine) –
“Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might.”
Leviticus 19:18 (ESV, emphasis mine) –
“You shall not take vengeance or bear a grudge against the sons of your own people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself: I am the Lord.”
Luke 10:28 (ESV) –
“You have answered correctly; do this, and you will live.”
Matthew 22:35-40 (ESV, emphasis mine) –
“...a lawyer, asked him a question to test him. ‘Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?’ And he said to him, ‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets.’”
James 2:10 (ESV) –
“For whoever keeps the whole law but fails in one point has become guilty of all of it.”
Romans 7:7 (ESV) –
“Yet if it had not been for the law, I would not have known sin. For I would not have known what it is to covet if the law had not said, ‘You shall not covet.’”
The law shows us our sin and our desperate need for the Savior.
Luke 10:29 (ESV) –
“And who is my neighbor?”
If the circle of who counts as a neighbor is narrow enough then the command seems easier to keep – especially if your neighbor is only those who like you.
When we deny our sin, we’ll eventually deny our need for the Savior. Pride says – I’ve got this. the Gospel says – I don’t, I need to be saved.
Jesus shares the following parable to answer the question – And who is my neighbor? It’s like Jesus says – Wrong question!
2. Jesus tells the parable in answering the question – And who is my neighbor?
Jerusalem to Jericho was a 17-mile downhill walk through rocky desert terrain. Jerusalem is 2,500 feet above sea level while Jericho is 800 feet below sea level.
The man was attacked, robbed, beaten, and left half-dead. It would be impossible to survive for long in these conditions.
Two different religious leaders ignored the situation and passed by on the opposite side of the road. The storyline has an unexpected twist when a third traveler comes down the road, a Samaritan. He took pity on the man and jumped into action to help.
We need to know that there was a deep-seated hostility between Jews and Samaritans. The appearance of a Samaritan in the story would have been entirely unexpected.
John 4:9 (ESV) –
“The Samaritan woman said to him, ‘How is it that you, a Jew, ask for a drink from me, a woman of Samaria?’ (For Jews have no dealings with Samaritans.)”
The appearance of a Samaritan in the story would have been entirely unexpected.
Luke 10:36-37 (ESV) –
“‘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.’”
Jesus asks the last question and gets the last word. He asks – Which one proves he is the good neighbor by his actions? The answer couldn’t be more obvious, the Samaritan.
The lawyer was caught by the question – the answer was obvious but he didn’t want to say it.
Luke 10:37 (ESV) –
“The one who showed him mercy.”
Luke 10:37 (ESV) –
“You go, and do likewise.”
3. Let’s consider where we see ourselves in the mirror of this parable.
The context is the question: What shall I do to inherit eternal life?
Luke 10:25 (ESV) –
“Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?”
Acts 16:30-31 (ESV, emphasis mine) –
“Then he brought them out and said, ‘Sirs, what must I do to be saved?’ And they said, ‘Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household.’”
Considering the picture of the injured man in desperate need of rescue ought to remind us of our desperate need for salvation. The Bible speaks about justification being by faith, grace and the blood of Jesus. How do we receive eternal life? Only through faith in Jesus Christ alone!
Romans 5:1 (ESV, emphasis mine) –
“Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.”
Romans 5:9 (ESV, emphasis mine) –
“Since, therefore, we have now been justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God.”
Galatians 2:16 (ESV, emphasis mine) –
“...yet we know that a person is not justified by works of the law but through faith in Jesus Christ, so we also have believed in Christ Jesus, in order to be justified by faith in Christ and not by works of the law, because by works of the law no one will be justified.”
John 3:16 (ESV) –
“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.”
John 6:47 (ESV) –
“Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes has eternal life.”
Do I have a personal relationship with Jesus? Am I trusting in Him alone to save me? Do I recognize that I deserve judgement because of my sin and that I am unable to justify myself?
The desperate plight of the injured man ought to fill us with compassion. Unpacking this story reminds us how easy it is be to plug our ears to the cries of those in desperation. Ask – Do I have compassion for those who are vulnerable?
Mark 6:34 (ESV, emphasis mine) –
“When he went ashore he saw a great crowd, and he had compassion on them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd. And he began to teach them many things.”
It’s good to be moved with a deep compassion that we can feel and the greatest need of compassion is for the lost who don’t have eternal life.
The account of priest and the Levite ought to bother us. What happened is so offensive and it ought to push us away from falling into the same error.
Considering the Good Samaritan, we need to listen to who Jesus says our neighbor is. Even my enemy is my neighbor! Jesus teaches us to love across boundaries even when it’s personally costly.
How is God tugging on your heart? Does my view of who is my neighbor need to be adjusted? Is there an attitude that needs to change? Are there steps of obedience that need to be taken?