73 The Parable of the Good Samaritan [Luke 10:25–37]
The Bible passage: [Luke 10:25–37]
The Story:
An expert in the Jewish law tried to test Jesus, saying, “Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?”
Jesus asked him, “What does it say in the law? How do you read it?”
He answered, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, and with all your mind; and love your neighbor as yourself.”
“That is the correct answer,” Jesus told him. “Do that and you will live.”
The man, wanting to show that he had followed the law, asked Jesus, “Who is my neighbor?”
Jesus didn’t directly answer the question but said: “A man was traveling from Jerusalem to Jericho and was attacked by robbers. They robbed him, beat him, and ran away, leaving him half dead on the side of the road.
“A priest happened to be going down that road. When he saw him, he crossed to the other side of the road and passed on by. In the same way, a Levite, when he arrived at that spot, passed by on the other side of the road.
“But a Samaritan on a journey came up to him. When he saw the man, he had compassion. He treated and bandaged his wounds. Then he put the man on his own animal, brought him to an inn, and took care of him. The next day he took out two days’ wages and gave them to the innkeeper. He said, ‘Take care of him. I’ll come back and I’ll reimburse you for any extra you spend.’
“Which of these three do you think showed himself to be a neighbor to the man who had been beaten by the robbers?”
The expert in the law answered, “The one who showed mercy to him.”
Jesus told him, “Go and treat others the same way.”
The Lessons:
- A parable is a concrete story that helps explain an abstract principle. Jesus often used parables to describe to His disciples what He was trying to say.
- Jews looked down on Samaritans. In this story, Jesus made a Samaritan man the hero of the story. Notice that this expert in the law wouldn’t even refer to the “hero” as a Samaritan.
- In explaining what a good neighbor is, Jesus stressed compassion over religion.
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