Luke 10:25-42 Bible Teaching

The Good Samaritan in Luke 10

Welcome Prayer Song Silence

And so we pick it up at verse 25 in Luke chapter 10:

The Lawyer's Question

Luke 10.25-end November 17th 2019 Meat
Luke 10:25 And, 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? 27 And 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. 28 And he said unto him, Thou hast answered right: this do, and thou shalt live. 29 But he, willing to justify himself, said unto Jesus, And who is my neighbour? 30 And 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. 31 And by chance there came down a certain priest that way: and when he saw him, he passed by on the other side. 32 And likewise a Levite, when he was at the place, came and looked on him, and passed by on the other side. 33 But a certain Samaritan, as he journeyed, came where he was: and when he saw him, he had compassion on him, 34 And 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. 35 And 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. 36 Which now of these three, thinkest thou, was neighbour unto him that fell among the thieves? 37 And he said, He that shewed mercy on him. Then said Jesus unto him, Go, and do thou likewise.

38 Now it came to pass, as they went, that he entered into a certain village: and a certain woman named Martha received him into her house. 39 And she had a sister called Mary, which also sat at Jesus' feet, and heard his word. 40 But Martha was cumbered about much serving, and came to him, and said, Lord, dost thou not care that my sister hath left me to serve alone? bid her therefore that she help me. 41 And Jesus answered and said unto her, Martha, Martha, thou art careful and troubled about many things: 42 But one thing is needful: and Mary hath chosen that good part, which shall not be taken away from her.

Analysis of Luke's Account

Okay two big stories often repeated here in our text today. So back to verse 25:

Luke 10:25 And, behold, a certain lawyer stood up, and tempted him, saying, Master, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?

Matthew mixes this event up into two separate places. In chapter 19 he has Jesus tell the story of the Good Samaritan to a non-descript man and in Matthew 22:35 he has a scribe come and tempt him but does not tell the story of the Good Samaritan.

Luke puts them together and it is probable that all three accounts are accurate as Jesus was probably asked this question by numerous people over the course of his Ministry.

So we are going to take Luke’s account without considering the interpretations of others.

And behold . . . “a certain lawyer”

Scribes and Lawyers in Context

The titles "scribes" and "lawyers" are used interchangeably in the Gospels (Matthew 22:35 ; Mark 12:28 ; Luke 20:39 , etc.) and in the days of the Lord they were the public teachers of the people, experts (so called) in the Law.

The reason we read lawyer here is because the Greek term used for them is NOMOS and means law. The reason we read scribe is because the Greek term used is GRAMMATUS, which refers to writing – but they are one in the same.

They often come up against Jesus as He was the Word and they USED and INTERPRETED the WORD as a means to catch or trap him. Here it says that this scribe came to Jesus to tempt him – meaning to test him. Once Jesus ascends most of the scribes of that day became extremely aggressive toward the apostles. I find that interesting because they probably thought they could run circles around the apostles using the word against them.

However, there are always exceptions to every rule as Gamaliel, a teacher of Paul, advised.

Understanding Eternal Life

The Sanhedrin, when the apostles were before it, were charged with "teaching in the name of Jesus to "refrain from these men and let them alone." (that’s in Acts 5:34-39). In any case, here comes a scribe, well-versed in the Law of Moses, to test Jesus, and Matthew says he stood up and asked: “Master, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?” Built into this question is the idea that there was a life that could be inherited or bestowed that was eternal or defined as eternal and that it stood in opposition to an afterlife existence that could not be described as such. Inherit eternal life. Be saved. This was the common inquiry among the Jews. They had said that man must keep the commandments–the written and oral law.

26 He said unto him, What is written in the law? how readest thou? What we call the New Testament uses the term eternal like in a very succinct manner and on several occasions a number of Jews in that day were fixated on discovering the means by which to obtain it. In Matthew 19:16 we read, “And, behold, one came and said unto him, Good Master, what good thing shall I do, that I may have eternal life?” And in Mark 10:17 we read of another running and kneeling before Jesus and asking the same. Jesus said in this later conversation (Mark 10:30) of those who have sacrificed for the kingdom while on earth: “But he shall receive an hundredfold now in this time, houses, and brethren, and sisters, and mothers, and children, and lands, with persecutions; and in the world to come eternal life.”

The Biblical Perspective

We read in John 3:15 “That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life.” That word perish means to suffer loss, suggesting that those who have inherited eternal life will not suffer loss. Jesus said in John 5:39 “Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me.” He also added to them in that day: John 6:54 Whoso eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, hath eternal life; and I will raise him up at the last day. Because of this verse and others, I am of the opinion that eternal life and the type of resurrection every person receives are inextricably linked – that those who are His, who suffer no loss in the afterlife, inherit bodies that are equipped to dwell in the presence of God and perhaps those who are not a given resurrected bodies that cannot dwell in the light, and therefore endure some sort of loss.

Regarding His sheep in that day Jesus said in John 10:28 “And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand.” And then speaking of some Gentiles in Acts 13:48 we read: “And when the Gentiles heard this, they were glad, and glorified the word of the Lord: and as many as were ordained to eternal life believed.”

Paul's Teachings on Eternal Life

When we get to the epistles Paul spells out more clearly exactly how eternal life is bestowed, saying in Roman 5:21 That as sinMissing the mark of faith and love—no punishment, just lost growth or peace. hath reigned unto deathSeparation from God—now overcome. Physical death remains, but it no longer separates us from life with God., even so might grace reign through righteousness unto eternal life by Jesus Christ our Lord. And then again in Romans 6:23 For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. In 1st Timothy 6:12 Eternal life and the possession of it appears to include a fight for it as Paul says “Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, whereunto thou art also called, and hast professed a good profession before many witnesses. And then again in 1st Timothy 6:19 adds “Laying up in store for themselves a good foundation against the time to come, that they may lay hold on eternal life.”

Titus speaks of the reality of eternal life in human beings as a hope, saying in Titus 1:2 “In hope of eternal life, which God, that cannot lie, promised before the world began; And reiterates this idea again in Titus 3:7 “That being justified by his grace, we should be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life.” Interestingly, John the beloved calls Jesus himself “that eternal life,” in 1st John 1:2, saying “(For the life was manifested, and we have seen it, and bear witness, and shew unto you that eternal life, which was with the Father, and was manifested unto us;” And in the next chapter reveals that it is a promise, saying

Understanding Eternal Life

In 1st John 2:25:
“And this is the promise that he hath promised us, even eternal life.”

Then John tells us where this life actually resides, saying in 1st John 5:11:

1st John 5:11
And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son.

Two verses later John the Beloved adds (1st John 5:13):

These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God.

And then in verse 20 of 1st John 5:
“And we know that the Son of God is come, and hath given us an understanding, that we may know him that is true, and we are in him that is true, even in his Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God, and eternal life.”

Finally, Jude puts eternal life in a place of hope again, with conditions, adding:

Jude 1:21
Keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life.

The Lawyer's Question

This lawyer, we can surmise, appears to believe that by keeping the Law – every whit and bit – was key to obtaining eternal life and coming to Jesus wanted to test him and his response to the idea. So the question from the scribe was, “What must I DO to inherit eternal life.” Notice that this was the question. Not what must I believe nor who can save me from myself, “but what must I DO TO . . . inherit eternal life?” If the scribe had asked Jesus, How can a human inherit eternal life? I think the answer would have been, “Believe on me.” And again, to put it all together what that would mean would be, “When a human believes on the one whom God has sent they will be equipped with a resurrected body by God that is capable of dwelling in the presence of God and His Son, which is eternal life.”

But because the scribe asked “what he must DO to inherit eternal life?” Jesus answers him the perfect answer by referring him to the law. In so doing Jesus entered into the arena this man believed he had dominance over and used his own presupposition to crack him wide open. Scribes trusted to his own works and to destabilized the man Jesus directly showed him what the law required and in doing this perfectly proved that the man needed something more than just the Law. Paul explains that this was the purpose of the law – to bring people as a schoolmaster, to belief on Christ because the Law itself shows all people failures and therefore sinners.

Jesus' Answer

So to this question Jesus replies with another question, saying (verse 26):

26 What is written in the law? how readest thou?

You are the lawyer. You tell me? And so the man replies:

27 . . .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 neighbor as thyself.

And Jesus succinctly states:
“You have answered correctly. DO this and thou shalt live.”

No need for Jesus mentioned in this reply to the scribe. No need than affirming these very simple instructions, right?

“Thou shalt love the Lord thy God

HOW?

with all thy heart,
and with all thy soul,
and with all thy strength,
and with all thy mind;

Notice that any variance to the totality of these instructions automatically means a disqualification from obtaining an inheritance of eternal life? In other words, by citing this the scribe admits that to merit (to do) eternal life, a human being must LOVE GOD with “all” (start to finish) ALL of their “heart, soul, strength and mind.” All of it – one ounce missing – and there is a fail. And who has done this ever? No one.

But then the scribe, perhaps not realizing that all people fail miserably in loving God honestly adds the clincher, saying “and thy neighbor as thyself.” Being a scribe he has cites the Law, found in Leviticus 19:18 and Deuteronomy 6:5 the Great Shema.

Verses 27-28. See Barnes for Mt 22:37; See Barnes for Mt 22:38; See Barnes for Mt 22:39; See Barnes for Mt 22:40.

28 And he said unto him, Thou hast answered right: this do, and thou shalt live.
Le 18:5; Ne 9:29; Eze 20:11,13,21; Ro 10:5
Verses 27-28. See Barnes

Understanding the Parable of the Neighbor

for Mt 22:37; See Barnes for Mt 22:38; See Barnes for Mt 22:39; See Barnes for Mt 22:40.

29 But he, willing to justify himself, said unto Jesus, And who is my neighbour?

What this means is the scribe, looking to prove himself obedient to the Law, which he just cited, wanted to show that he was worthy of meriting eternal life. See, to the Pharisees in that day, love to neighbor meant fulfilling the Law relative to other faithful Jews alone – no others. We might believe that he thought that Jesus, when asked, who is my neighbor, would have said, “Your brethren, the faithful Jews.” But talk long enough with Jesus and if you are not open and honest you will wind up holding your own head in your hands. And it is here that Jesus, having found the crack in this mans logic, was about to destroy him. And he begins by rejecting the false Pharisaical notion that a person’s neighbor is only those with whom they agree. (verse 30)

The Journey from Jerusalem to Jericho

30 And 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.

Jericho was situated about 15 miles to the north-east of Jerusalem and about 8 west of the river Jordan. The word thieves typically means someone who merely takes property but the word robbers better describes these who the man fell among because robbers will also inflict bodily injury. From Jerusalem to Jericho the country was rocky and mountainous, and some parts were not even habitable it was so desolate. Due to these rock outcroppings robbers were able to hide themselves as a means to sneak up on their passing prey. It is said that this road was well known and traveled as Jericho was a large place and was highly traveled as a means to get to a from Jerusalem. Josephus says that Herod the Great fired some forty thousand men who were working on the temple and many of them became robbers lurking on this road. (Josephus' Antiquities, xv. 7).

All the way back in 1822 one Professor Hackett wrote:

"It is famous at the present day as the haunt of thieves and robbers. No part of the travellers journey is so dangerous as the expedition to Jericho and the Dead Sea. The Oriental pilgrims who repair to the Jordan have the protection of an escort of Turkish soldiers; and others who would make the same journey must either go in company with them, or provide for their safety by procuring a special guard. I was so fortunate as to be able to accompany the great caravan at the time of the annual pilgrimage. Yet, in spite of every precaution, hardly a season passes in which some luckless wayfarer is not killed or robbed in 'going down from Jerusalem to Jericho.'

Apparently, this is largely due to the desolate nature of the route. As a result of all of this, I think it is safe to assume that anyone from that vicinity would be familiar with the setting of the story Jesus was telling. Add in the fact that Jericho was a city of priestly things so the constant passing of priests and Levites between it and Jerusalem was an everyday occurrence.

The Scribe was now about to have his head removed as Jesus masterfully (pun intended) made the man his own judge and jury by introducing characters that would directly challenge his piety. So, verse 30

“A certain man went down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell among robbers who stripped him of his raiment, and wounded him, and departed, leaving him half dead. Perhaps this is a general description of all of us in life, every inhabitant on earth and how we are either the prey or the predator, and if the former, are in need of the love and attention of others to assist us in the course of this life.

We note that Jesus, the Son of God, tells a story that automatically supports free will, as these Robbers were neither sent by God to do their evil nor where they stopped by him. They just were. And here on earth, after they caused their carnage, lays a man who was devastated by their selfish sinful ways.

Unexpected Encounters

So who does Jesus introduce next to this scribe “seeing to justify himself?”

31 And by chance there came down a certain priest that way: and when he saw him, he passed by on the other side.

Interestingly,

The Good Samaritan: Mercy Over Religious Duty

“And by chance . . .” meaning, that the priest by coincidence – SU-ONG-KOO-REE-AH – “there came a priest by that way, and when He saw Him, he passed by on the other side.” In other words just in the course of life and not for any other reason than happenstance, the priest came by that way and when he saw him passed by the other side. Historically, it seems that some 12,000 plus priests and Levites lived in Jericho and since their business was at Jerusalem (which is where the temple was located) there would naturally be a lot of them on that road. When Jesus says that he, “passed by on the other side,” it better means he went WAY out of the way to avoid him.

32 And likewise a Levite, when he was at the place, came and looked on him, and passed by on the other side.

Duties of Priests and Levites

Both the Levites, as well as the priests, were of the tribe of Levi and were specifically set apart to fulfill the duties of the religion. The peculiar duty of the priest was to offer sacrifice at the temple; to present incense; to conduct the morning and evening services of the temple. The office or duty of the Levites was to render assistance to the priests in their services. In the journey of the Israelites through the wilderness in Moses' day it was their duty to transport the various parts of the tabernacle and the sacred utensils and to see that the tabernacle and the temple were kept clean and to supply the sanctuary with oil, wine, and incense. They had also the care of the sacred revenues and after the time of David they conducted the sacred music of the temple service (according to Numbers 8:5-22; and 1st Chronicles 23:3-5,24-32; 24:27-31).

What we are seeing here is these two men were very busy with the demands of the law, the material focus, the outer, external stuff. And apparently, by and through it, they felt justified and sanctified before God. In the case of the priest and the injured man he appears to have caught a glance of him and continued on but in the case of the Levite he saw him and then came and looked more closely – but did nothing.

The Heart of God

What we are reading here is the antithesis of Hosea 6:6 where God says plainly:

“For I desired mercy, and not sacrifice; and the knowledge of God more than burnt offerings.”

This is the heart of the matterTGNN’s original show where Shawn McCraney deconstructed religion and developed fulfilled theology. – the heart of God, that His children will always put compassionate views and treatment of others – all others in every case – ahead of religious demands. And this was at the heart of the discussion that Jesus was having with this scribe who asked what He must do to inherit eternal life and then answering Jesus' query as to what the law essentially admits

To love. God consummately and neighbor as self ultimately.

At verse 33 Jesus drives the nail home and adds

33 But a certain Samaritan, as he journeyed, came where he was: and when he saw him, he had compassion on him,

The priest and the Levite, proficient in fulfilling the material demands of the Law in their lives in the name of God failed to embrace what God wants most – mercy, compassion toward others – which evidence His love, which is ironically sacrificial in an extreme. Of course Jesus use of the Samaritan is just icing on the cake and would have really sunk down deep into the heart of the scribe as we know by now that the Samaritans were inveterate foes of the Jews who had no dealings with them.

I mean, it appears that the afflicted man was a Jew – their own countryman – to whom they turned a blind eye. But to have a Samaritan step in with Godly love! Look out. And what does Jesus, illustrating what it looks like for a real neighbor to love others as he loves himself, have the Samaritan actually do? He has him ACTUALLY, LITERALLY, PHYSICALLY extend sacrificial love, again in action, toward the wounded fellow.

34 And he, (the Samaritan) went to him, (unlike the Priest and Levite who went around him and avoided him this Samaritan took action TOWARD the man) and bound up his wounds, (which took compassion and

The Parable of the Good Samaritan

In the parable, a Samaritan comes across a man who has been wounded by thieves. He takes significant personal steps to care for the stranger: pouring in oil and wine, which required a sacrifice of his own goods and materials, and setting him on his own beast, meaning he walked while transporting the wounded. He then brought him to an inn, presumably a destination that was not his, and took care of him.

And on the morrow when he departed, he took his time to be with the man. The Samaritan took out two pence and gave them to the host, spending more of his material wealth, and said unto him, "Take care of him; and whatsoever thou spendest more, when I come again,"—taking personal responsibility for anything else—"I will repay thee." He promised more material sacrifice for the wounded man in the future, all for an enemy!

Then Jesus, the Master and the Master teacher, asks the scribe:

36 Now which of these three, do YOU think, was neighbor to him that fell among the thieves?

The lawyer had asked Jesus, as a means to justify himself, "who was his neighbor?" And in a most marvelous reply via this story, Jesus beautifully portrays the answer in an extreme, making all other applications permissible. If a Samaritan was merciful and compassionate and showed sacrificial love to a Jew, then a Jew to a Jew was a neighbor, and a Gentile to a Jew and then any and every member of society—no matter how unworthy they may appear—is a neighbor to a Christian.

In this, we not only learn a great lesson but see the wisdom of Jesus. Approaching others needing instruction can be a tedious business—and it requires skill.

Nathan and King David

In 2nd Samuel 12:1-7, Nathan the prophet comes to King David in much the same way that Jesus responds to the scribe. David had taken Uriah’s wife Bathsheba unlawfully, and Nathan came to him and told him a story about a man with many sheep coming and taking the only sheep another man owned and loved. David, always about fairness (apparently), instructed Nathan to have that man killed, and Nathan then dropped the bomb on him, saying the classic words to King David: “Thou art the man,” words which leveled David to the ground with shame.

Had Jesus started off his response to David by saying something like, "Everyone is your neighbor—even the Samaritan," it is likely that He would have been rejected. But He used similar wisdom that Nathan used, and was able to perhaps reach past the ego and the culture and into the heart of the proud scribe. So after asking the scribe, "Who in this story was a neighbor?" the scribe replied:

37 He that shewed mercy on him (who was wounded). Then said Jesus unto him, "Go, and do—and DO—thou likewise."

The Lesson from the Scribe’s Answer

The scribe asked Jesus initially, “What must I DO to inherit eternal life?” Jesus has told him plainly what He must do. He must go and DO likewise as the Samaritan who SHOWED—EVIDENCED—real Sacrificial love for his neighbor. It was not a quick-fix love. It was committed, and costly not only in terms of time and inconvenience and money, but to his ego—as a Samaritan helping a Jew. "Go, and do thou likewise," Jesus said.

Now the question becomes, in the scribe's life and in ours: "Can he/we GO and do likewise on our own?" Is it possible to love all people—enemies included—as neighbors with sacrificial love WITHOUT the aid of Jesus? We need to appeal to this scribe for our answer. He was told by Jesus to go and DO likewise. Jesus DOES not tell him to believe in Him, to accept Him as the Lord and Savior, or to confess His sin and ask for Jesus to be in His life.

In response to his question: What must I do to inherit eternal life? Jesus tells him to "go and do" like the Samaritan in the story. And so let’s assume he walks on. Remember now, he is an expert in the Law. He has it down and therefore I think it is safe to assume that he is about to be a man in conflict if he seeks to follow Jesus’ advice. I mean, as a Jew of Jews, he was going to be confronted by a culture that says, "hate the Samaritans, and avoid others, and touch not the unclean thing." He was going to be reminded that the Law was best seen…

The Lesson of the Good Samaritan

Through religious appeals and rites. And in the face of all of this, Jesus tells him to go out (now) and “serve others through sacrificial love.” The environs of this land were such that all around them were opportunities for the scribe to go and do likewise. In the face of the culture of entitlement and the written law he held so closely, the man was about to face some serious inner conflict—one where he was going to have to choose to trust Jesus' directives or to try and go and do without him.

I suggest that the failures waiting for him will serve to bring him to the feet of Jesus at some point—either literally or figuratively—where he will be forced to figure out why he cannot “go and do,” as Jesus commanded him. Ironically, the very things that were in place in his life to grant him eternal life—the Law of Moses and the culture of Judaism—were getting in the way of him actually fulfilling the Law of love. And he would have to make a choice, like all of us have to make a choice when it comes to the religious demands and doctrines we embrace.

Will we let them run interference with what we know we should do in loving all others or will we let them go, turn to Jesus, and let the two great commandments reign over us? That is the lesson of the Good Samaritan. Yes, the end goal is to go and do likewise (to sacrificially love), but the real tale of the message is to show us that it is really impossible to “go and do” so long as we are clinging to anything other than love, which can only be actually known and understood when we replace all of our religious prejudices (which come by the Law) with Jesus—who is Himself, life eternal.

Martha and Mary

And at this point we are presented with another story—and in this, I find yet another example of a person focusing on the things of this life (similar to the priests and Levites who were focused on the material rites and ritual work that they did). Her name was Martha. Let’s read:

38 Now it came to pass, as they went, that he entered into a certain village: and a certain woman named Martha received him into her house. The certain village was Bethany and it seems that Martha was the mistress of this house with her younger siblings—Lazarus and Mary—residing with her.

39 And she had a sister called Mary, which also sat at Jesus' feet, and heard his word. So it appears that they—Mary and Martha—were both listening to Jesus.

40 But Martha was cumbered about much serving, and came to him, and said, “Lord, dost thou not care that my sister hath left me to serve alone? bid her therefore that she help me.” Indirectly, this situation is similar to the Priests and Levite who were encumbered about much work—too encumbered to show love to their neighbor—and Martha was too encumbered to show love for God—which Jesus calls the better part.

Priorities

In neither sense was Jesus saying that the priests, Levites, or Martha should NOT perform their duties—He simply intimates that there was a priority at hand and that was being overlooked. To the males in that age, the priority was pious religious service. In Martha’s case, it was the duties of managing a household. Martha went so far as to sort of suggest that if Jesus was really a Messiah, he would tell Mary to do her part in cleaning the home. But Jesus replied:

41 Martha, Martha, thou art careful and troubled about many things:
42 But one thing is needful: and Mary hath chosen that good part, which shall not be taken away from her.

Remember when we started we talked about John 3:15 where Jesus said, “That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life.” And how I mentioned that the word perish—apolomahee—means to “suffer loss.” What Jesus says here to Martha is that Mary, having chosen the good part, will not have what she has focused on taken away from her, and implies that all of Martha’s cares and worries would not be of value in the Kingdom to come. Same with the priests. Same with the Levites. Same with Martha.

Questions and Comments

Same with us.

Prayer

1. What were your insights from today’s broadcast?
2. What are the key takeaways for you personally?
3. How can you apply what you’ve learned in your life?
4. Do you have questions or comments about the content discussed?
5. How can we pray for you?