The Parable of the
Good Samaritan
Luke 10:25-37
Dr. William S. Epps, Senior Pastor
|
|
25And, behold, a certain lawyer stood up, and tempted him, saying, Master, what shall I do to inherit eternal life? 26 He said unto him, What is written in the law? how readest thou? 27And he answering said, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy strength, and with all thy mind; and thy neighbour as thyself. 28And he said unto him, Thou hast answered right: this do, and thou shalt live. 29But he, willing to justify himself, said unto Jesus, And who is my neighbour? 30And Jesus answering said, A certain man went down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell among thieves, which stripped him of his raiment, and wounded him, and departed, leaving him half dead. 31And by chance there came down a certain priest that way: and when he saw him, he passed by on the other side. 32And likewise a Levite, when he was at the place, came and looked on him, and passed by on the other side. 33But a certain Samaritan, as he journeyed, came where he was: and when he saw him, he had compassion on him, 34And went to him, and bound up his wounds, pouring in oil and wine, and set him on his own beast, and brought him to an inn, and took care of him. 35And on the morrow when he departed, he took out two pence, and gave them to the host, and said unto him, Take care of him; and whatsoever thou spendest more, when I come again, I will repay thee. 36Which now of these three, thinkest thou, was neighbour unto him that fell among the thieves? 37And he said, He that shewed mercy on him. Then said Jesus unto him, Go, and do thou likewise. Luke 10:25-37 KJV
Introduction
The parables of Jesus make up a crucial part of the Bible. Jesus had the wisdom to simplify the profound spiritual truths He needed to share with humanity in the form of relatable stories that are easy to understand. A parable is a tale about a simple, common subject to illustrate a deeper, valuable moral lesson. The source definition of the word “parable” means a side-by-side placement for the purpose of comparison.
Here is one of the most famous parables of Jesus. It has been suggested that no portion of scripture is so widely known and quoted as this story. The good Samaritan has become a secularized saint. Hospitals, helping groups, and civic awards are named after him, without much attention to who he is or who introduced him into the literary world in the first place. To be a good Samaritan is shorthand for helping once a week at the local soup kitchen, going out of one’s way during the Christmas season to see that the food baskets get delivered to the neediest people, sacrificing five Saturdays in a row to work on a Habitat for Humanity project.
While there is nothing wrong with lending a helping hand, mind you, our secularized saint has little resemblance to the character in Jesus’ story. It’s more than a symbol of do-goodism (usually the favored fortunate doing good to the benefit of the less fortunate) misses the sharp bite of the parable and helps us avoid its shocking and threatening challenge. I want to displace the distorted image of popular piety (Christian and non-Christian alike) and invite you to hear the disturbing tale afresh.
Consider what it means to be a Good Samaritan as
it is practiced in our society.
|
|
It is essential to begin with the lawyer’s initial interchange with Jesus (Luke 10:25-29). While his question about inheriting eternal life is raised “to test Jesus,” the mood of the scene does not seem particularly combative. When directed by Jesus to the Torah, this expert in the Torah provides the right answer. 27And he answering said, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy strength, and with all thy mind; and thy neighbour as thyself. He is commended by Jesus. But then, lest he think this a purely academic debate, he is also told, “Do this, and you will live” (10:28).
“Wanting to justify himself,” the lawyer poses the question, “And who is my neighbor?” This could have meant that he was embarrassed by his previous question about eternal life, which Jesus made him answer for himself. Is he justifying himself by raising another, more complex issue? Or is his counter-question a way of avoiding the personal directness of Jesus’ response (“Do this, and you will live”)? It is hard to tell. In either case his second question is a legitimate one, debated often by the scribes, especially since the original command to love your neighbor specifies “your kin” and “any of your people” (Leviticus 19:18; compare Matthew 5:43)
It has been suggested that the man was trying to get himself off the hook by playing with semantics. It is a natural enough reaction for any of us when we compare our own goodness with the perfection of God’s law.
There was a report about the entertainer W. C. Fields when he was on his death bed. A surprised friend found him reading the bible and asked why he was doing that. Fields answered, "I am looking for loopholes". That is kind of what this expert was doing, looking for loopholes.
Consider what it means to read the bible looking for
loopholes to justify yourself.
|
|
Jesus answers the lawyer with a parable – maybe a more direct answer than he expected. However, the lawyer is asked the question in the end like at the beginning and he answers his own inquiry. Jesus made him aware that he had the answers all the time to what he wanted to know. The answer to our questions lies within us. We know the answer even when we think we don’t.
Let’s look at this familiar parable without the preconceived notions that familiarity has given it. Let us look at the parable with the intent of seeing in it something more than just the admonition of “doing good.” There is something more here that begs to be heard and seen.
Let’s start where Jesus begins the parable. A certain man went down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell among thieves, was stripped of his clothing, and wounded, and left half dead.
In the first place, on life’s journey there is the attitude that what is yours is mine and I will take it.
The road going down from Jerusalem to Jericho was a winding, meandering road that was conducive for being ambushed. You start out in Jerusalem, which is about 2500 feet above sea level. By the time you get to Jericho, you are about 825 feet below sea level. In the days of Jesus, it came to be known as the “Bloody Pass.”
The route of travel suggests that the victim had been to Jerusalem to worship and was heading home. There would have been a safer way but it would have taken longer. On the way home from worship this person is attacked by thieves who robbed him, stripped him of his clothing, wounded him and left him half dead.
Isn’t that just like life? We get attacked, ambushed, bushwhacked, robbed and waylaid by bandits, robbers and thieves of all types.
Life is filled with bandits, robbers, and thieves.
Identity theft is a serious concern for individuals not only in the US but globally for several years. However, its frequency has sky-rocketed in the past few years. We are only a few months into 2022, but the statistics for identity theft are quite alarming. It has become become nearly an unstoppable issue with various kinds of identity theft that can harm the owner’s reputation and finances.
There are areas in this life where danger lurks and we not see it at first, but it is there and many people are hurting because of that danger. Consider the danger of the internet to children and how they are lured unsuspectingly by those who would abuse, harm and misuse them.
Who is it who has not been robbed of something at some time or another?
We are robbed of our peace of mind, our security and safety, health and strength.
People want what you have and will go to any lengths to get it. They will kill, steal, you name it, just to get what you have. They will do all they can to destroy you because they want what you have.
Beware of the back stabbers. All they want to do is take your place. (O’Jays)
Consider what it means that life is filled with bandits, robbers,
and thieves threatening our safety and security.
|
|
In the second place, on life’s journey there is the attitude that what is mine is mine and I am going to keep it.
The priest and the Levite seem to represent this attitude. While their behavior is certainly not commendable, they had good reason to do what they did. The body by the road side could have been a plant by robbers to trap a traveler. And certainly contact with a corpse would have defiled the priest and the Levite and disqualified them from their temple responsibilities. For the priest and the Levite, theirs was a choice between duty and duty. We have all come from different backgrounds and sometimes we miss out serving others and commit the sin of omission.
The priest and Levite passed by on the other side. The priest and Levite were leaving Jerusalem which suggests that they had fulfilled their duties at the temple and were heading home. They may have taken the Jericho road because it was the closest though not the safest. They may have been in a hurry to get home. They may have been cautious in making their way through the meandering pass with all of its danger. They may have been prudent in not intervening in a situation in which they may not be able to provide what was needed. Whatever the reason, they neglected to do what someone in need required. I don’t want to get involved.
Pastor Martin Niemöller is credited with the following:
In Germany they first came for the Communists,
and I didn't speak up because I wasn't a Communist.
Then they came for the Jews, and I didn't speak up because I wasn't a Jew.
Then they came for the trade unionists,
I didn't speak up because I wasn't a trade unionist.
Then they came for the Catholics,
and I didn't speak up because I was a Protestant.
Then they came for me — and by that time no one was left to speak up.
The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing. (Edmund Burke)
Consider what it means that the religious people represented an
attitude that gave them permission to walk by and not help
someone in need on the other side.
|
|
In the third place, on life’s journey there is the attitude that what is mine is yours and I will share it.
The Samaritan, the one who was despised, was willing to help. He put himself at risk. He stopped and bound up the man’s wounds. He uses oil to keep the skin supple and wine to alleviate the infection. He picks him up and takes him to where he is safe and secure. He makes provision for his continued care and says,
"Charge to my account whatever else he may require and I will repay you when I return".
After painting such a poignant picture, Jesus asked, "and who do you suppose was a neighbor to the man who fell among thieves?".
The expert in the law could not bring himself to saying the Samaritan. He said the one who had mercy on him which seems to indicate his reluctance to acknowledge that it was a Samaritan who was neighborly.
The story Jesus uses is a story of doing the right thing at the right time for the right reason, regardless of who you are doing it for! Our neighbor is whomever God places in our life that needs our help regardless of race, creed, color or socio-economic status in life. We are to show God’s love to the world.
Consider what it means to do the right thing, for the right
reason, as a way of being neighborly.
|
|
Conclusion
Our imagination is aroused by this story and the one who told it. We can see the Samaritan as Christ, the ultimate helper, who sees, has compassion for, and restores the beaten, naked figure whom religious persons have ignored. Rather than being a secularized saint, the Samaritan symbolizes the divine Prophet.
On the road of life, we have been robbed by bandits, robbers and thieves, robbed of aspirations, dreams, faith, hope, joy, liberty, material possessions, personhood, value, to name a few. When you get robbed of those things, regardless of how they occur, you find the enthusiasm for life goes out of you. But guess what, there is One who comes along, who picks you up and binds up your hurts and places you in a place of safety so you can regain your strength to carry on.
Jesus is truly the incomparable One. There is none like him.
Let me share an excerpt about The Incomparable Christ by Tim Challies:
All across the world today, Christians are gathering to worship.
They worship Jesus Christ.
More than twenty hundred years ago,
there was a Man born contrary to the laws of life.
This Man lived in poverty and was reared in obscurity.
He did not travel extensively. Only once did He cross the boundary
of the country in which He lived;
that was during His exile in childhood.
He possessed neither wealth nor influence.
His relatives were inconspicuous and
had neither training nor formal education.
in manhood He ruled the course of nature,
walked upon the waves as pavement, and hushed the sea to sleep.
He healed the multitudes without medicine and made no charge for His service.
He never wrote a book, and yet perhaps all the libraries of the world could not hold the books that have been written about Him.
He never wrote a song, and yet He has furnished the theme
for more songs than all the songwriters combined.
He never founded a college, but all the schools put together
cannot boast of having as many students.
He never marshaled an army, nor drafted a soldier, nor fired a gun;
and yet no leader ever had more volunteers who have, under His orders, made more rebels stack arms and surrender without a shot fired.
He never practiced psychiatry, and yet He has healed
more broken hearts than all the doctors far and near.
Once each week multitudes congregate at worshiping assemblies
to pay homage and respect to Him.
The names of the past, proud statesmen of Greece and Rome
have come and gone. The names of the past scientists, philosophers,
and theologians have come and gone.
But the name of this Man multiplies more and more.
Though time has spread nineteen hundred years between
the people of this generation and the mockers at His crucifixion,
He still lives. His enemies could not destroy Him,
and the grave could not hold Him.
He stands forth upon the highest pinnacle of heavenly glory,
proclaimed of God, acknowledged by angels, adored by saints,
and feared by devils, as the risen, personal Christ,
our Lord and Savior.
The incomparable Christ.
(for complete text: https://www.challies.com/quotes/the-incomparable-christ/ )
Consider what it means that Jesus was a good Samaritan to humanity as the One who addressed the aches, injuries and sufferings we experience in life.
|
|
Love Lifted Me
I was sinkin' deep in sin / Far from the peaceful shore
Very deeply stained within
Sinking to rise no more. / But the master of the sea
Heard my despairing cry
And from the waters lifted me / Now safe am I.
Love lifted me / Love lifted me / When nothing else could help
Love lifted me.
All my heart to Him I give, / Ever to Him I'll cling,
In His blessed presence live,
Ever His praises sing; / Love so mighty and so true,
Merits my soul's best songs;
Faithful loving service, too, / To Him belongs.
Love lifted me! Love lifted me! / When nothing else could help,
Love lifted me.
Souls in danger, look above, / Jesus completely saves;
He will lift you by His love, Out of angry waves,
He's the Master of the sea,
Billows His will obey; He your Savior wants to be, Be saved today.
Love lifted me! Love lifted me! / When nothing else could help,
Love lifted me.
Love lifted me / Love lifted me / When nothing else could help
Love lifted me.
Consider how love has lifted you from the limits imposed
by life's circumstances.
|
|
|
|
Love Lifted Me
Hezekiah Walker
|
|
|
2412 Griffith Ave
Los Angeles, CA 90011
Phone: (213) 748-0318
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
