Parables: The Good Samaritan

Jesus taught in parables so people could understand very hard ideas in very easy to remember stories. At the same time, some people, people who don’t want to understand, heard parables and thought they were nothing more than stories. But you and I know better than that. Parables are so fun and simple that every time you read them, there is something new for us to learn. BIBLE PASSAGE: 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 was attacked by 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, brought him to an inn and took care of him. ³⁵ The next day he took out two denarii 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.”

In this story, there was a lawyer, who thought just because he graduated from law school, was hot stuff. Unfortunately, he wasn’t hot stuff because he knew a lot of things, but didn’t know how to use it. Do you know somebody like that? They know a lot of stuff but they don’t know what to do with it? Or they know better, but they don’t act better? Anyways, he wanted to know how to go to heaven and get eternal life. Back then, going to heaven wasn’t as easy as it is now where all you have to do is believe in Jesus as your savior and allow God to change you and do good work in you. You had to earn it by following the 613 commandments and if you were even off 1, then you wouldn’t be able to go to heaven. So this lawyer asks Jesus how he can go to heaven.  But he wanted to be a smarty pants. He was lazy and didn’t really want to do anything out of his way. Jesus focuses his language now. In as many words as he used to describe the activity of the two Jewish leaders, he details all the Samaritan does to save the man—six actions in all. He comes up to the man, binds his wounds, anoints him with oil to comfort him, loads him on his mule, takes him to an inn and cares for him, even paying for his whole stay. In fact, given the amount the Samaritan leaves with the innkeeper, the injured man probably has about three and a half weeks to recover if he needs it, since the going inn rate was one-twelfth of a denarius and two denarii was two days’ wages. Jesus’ question to close the story requires no brilliant reply: “Which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?“ The lawyer knows, but he cannot even bring himself to mention the man’s race. The lawyer is choosy about his neighbors. He does not understand the call of God. Nevertheless, he answers, “The one who had mercy on him.“ This reply is correct, so Jesus simply says,”Go and do likewise.” Jesus’ point is, Simply be a neighbor. Do not rule out certain people as neighbors. And his parable makes the point emphatically by providing a model from a group the lawyer had probably excluded as possible neighbors.