The Good Samaritan - Luke 10:25-37

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[Luke 10:25-37 – The Parable of the Good Samaritan]

 And behold, a lawyer stood up to put him to the test, saying, “Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?” ²⁶ He said to him, “What is written in the Law? How do you read it?” ²⁷ 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.” ²⁸ And he said to him, “You have answered correctly; do this, and you will live.”

²⁹ But he, desiring to justify himself, said to Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?” ³⁰ 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. ³¹ Now by chance a priest was going down that road, and when he saw him he passed by on the other side. ³² So likewise a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. ³³ But a Samaritan, as he journeyed, came to where he was, and when he saw him, he had compassion. ³⁴ 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. ³⁵ And the next day he took out two denarii^[a] and gave them to the innkeeper, saying, ‘Take care of him, and whatever more you spend, I will repay you when I come back.’ ³⁶ Which of these three, do you think, proved to be a neighbor to the man who fell among the robbers?” ³⁷ He said, “The one who showed him mercy.” And Jesus said to him, “You go, and do likewise.”

You Will Be a Neighbor

Imagine, giving up such a great thing for the sake of something so small. The lawyer in our Gospel reading asks Jesus, “What shall I do to inherit eternal life?” Nothing is bigger than that. But he is then willing to risk the whole thing just so he can keep not liking the group of people he doesn’t like. The Samaritans.

“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 love your neighbor as yourself.” “Yes”, Jesus says, “Do this, and you will live.” But the man will risk it all rather than call that person or those people his neighbor.           

I.

Our Lord Jesus shows us by this parable that “You shall love your neighbor as yourself” doesn’t get it to mean that some people are your neighbors and others aren’t. No, the commandment means “you shall be a neighbor” to each person.

So Jesus ends the parable asking the lawyer, “Which of these three – the priest, the Levite, or the Samaritan – proved to be a neighbor to the man who fell among robbers?” “The one who showed him mercy.” “You go and do likewise.”

“You shall love your neighbor as yourself” means “You shall be a neighbor to them” regardless of who they are. Would you give up eternal life so you don’t have to be a neighbor to that person who wronged you? Or, those people?

This command is at the backbone of the Law of God: “For the commandments, ‘You shall not commit adultery, You shall not murder, You shall not steal, You shall not covet,’ and any other commandment, are summed up in this word: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself’” [Romans 13:9]. “So whatever you wish that others would do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets” [Matthew 7:12].

And to love your neighbor as yourself doesn’t mean only to love those who love you back: “If you love those who love you, what benefit is that to you? For even sinners love those who love them. And if you do good to those who do good to you, what benefit is that to you? For even sinners do the same.” [Luke 6:32-33]

“You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for them…” [Matthew 5:43-44]. Where the world has an “us” vs. a “them”, we have a neighbor.

II.

Our Lord’s parable in today’s Gospel makes the “to whom” clear in the command, “Be a neighbor.” We should also think about the “where”. Where am I to be a neighbor?

You are called to be a neighbor at home. To your husband. To your wife. To your children. They are your first neighbor. When they’re doing what you like and when they’re not doing what you like, love your neighbor as yourself. Be a neighbor to them. Also to mom and dad, and brother and sister.

You are a neighbor at work. To the well liked and to those not well liked. To those with common interests and to the annoying and the odd. You shall be a genuine neighbor and friend to them. When there’s no advantage to you. For their sake.

You are a neighbor on the road, on the sidewalk, in the parking lot, in the store. In your neighborhood (to your neighbors!), in your building.

Being a neighbor as we go about our day means extinguishing that thought within us which says, “It’s not my concern.” Being a neighbor means not just looking straight ahead but seeing my neighbor’s needs or inconveniences as my concern. You are your neighbor’s keeper, not just your brother’s keeper [Genesis 4:9].

What the fellow shopper or the cashier needs out of you – which might just be your friendliness, your acknowledgment that they are there, and that you’re happy they are there – this is your concern, as if it’s a need in your own day that day. Love your neighbor as yourself.

And, finally, you shall also be a neighbor when no one’s around and you’re watching the news at home. “Who is my neighbor?” There’s not a place or a space, not even on a screen, where the Lord let’s us say, “Not them!”

Though you may never meet the people on the screen, spitting venom along with the world at people in the news – though the words will never reach their ears – it does affect your heart for the worse. Aren’t you training your heart to hate your neighbor? Is that pleasing to God?  

Every person on the screen – TV or phone – is a real person, created by God, who exists, has a life, and is sitting somewhere right now – at home, at work, at a church…

How you interact affects your heart. And, in truth, contributing to a general negative attitude, or a general positive attitude, about others in your nation does eventually really affect others, for good or for bad.

III.

It really is true, what our Lord said, that if we kept those two great commandments – to love God and our neighbor – we would inherit eternal life. But it is just as true than none of us have kept those two laws.

This is how God’s Law works. If you keep the Law, you will live. But everyone who does not keep all the things written in the Law are under a curse [Galatians 3], condemnation. That is how the Law works, and the lawyer asked about what he must do – which is a Law question. The Law leaves each of us condemned.

The way the Gospel works is this: Jesus Christ has come to redeem, to save, sinners. Jesus, the only man who has kept those two great commandments in their fullness, is also the one who has now, on the cross, suffered that curse – condemnation – for the sins of the world. Your sins and mine.

“Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us—for it is written, ‘Cursed is everyone who is hanged on a tree’” [Galatians 3:13]. “He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.” [Colossians 1:13-14]

Jesus has been the perfect neighbor – He has loved you as Himself. He has given His life for you. By His offering, your sins are forgiven. Your falling-short of those two great commandments is forgiven. Jesus, the very Son of God, has been a neighbor to you.

And now, because of Jesus, “You shall be a neighbor” has become “You will be a neighbor.” Inch by inch, Jesus is lifting you up to this heavenly goal – to be to others what He has been to you – and He will bring His work to completion in you on His day [Philippians 1:6]. Thanks be to God. Amen.