Luke 10:25–37
25 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 denarii1 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.”
1 A denarius was a day’s wage for a laborer
Section Overview
Perhaps it is significant that the importance of loving our neighbor, of being a good neighbor, follows a text on mission. We are called to bring the good news to the ends of the earth, but following Christ as a disciple means treating every person as a neighbor, loving everyone in our path. The focus on mission may blind us to needs right in front of us. This section begins with a lawyer challenging Jesus about what is required for eternal life. Jesus answers a question with a question, asking the lawyer how he interprets the law. The lawyer cites Deuteronomy 6:5 and Leviticus 19:18: love God with all one is and love one’s neighbor. Jesus agrees, saying that if he does so he will live. The lawyer seeks to vindicate himself, posing the question as to who really is his neighbor. Jesus proceeds to tell one of his most famous parables, which is usually called the parable of the good Samaritan. Jesus describes a man who is robbed and stripped going down to Jericho. A priest and a Levite both pass by instead of helping. Remarkably enough, a hated Samaritan is the one who stops and cares for him, dressing his wounds, taking him to an inn, and paying his expenses. Jesus then asks the lawyer: which one of the three was a neighbor? The lawyer replies that it was the one who showed mercy, and Jesus exhorts the man to go and do the same.
Section Outline
IV. Galilee to Jerusalem: Discipleship (9:51–19:27)
A. The Journey Begins (9:51–13:21) . . .
2. Living as a Disciple (10:25–11:13)
a. Parable of the Good Samaritan (10:25–37)
Response
We live in a charged environment today in which people blast their enemies, especially on social media. Jesus reminds us that everyone is our neighbor, that we are to love all people everywhere regardless of race, color, gender, class, or political affiliation. Showing love to all does not mean we always agree with them or think their life choices are morally right, nor does it mean that we do not tell them when we disagree. Jesus, after all, makes it clear when he disagrees with others about their way of life. Still, we are to show human concern and compassion for all who are in need. We demonstrate that we love God when we truly care for the lives of others, when we show practical love for them in their time of distress. As believers we stand out in social media if we do not engage in name-calling, if we “take it” when others use their platform to abuse us and to call us out—all in the name of truth telling. May the Lord give us a passionate desire for truth and love.
A denarius was a day’s wage for a laborer
10:25–27 A lawyer confronts Jesus, asking him what people must do to inherit eternal life. Such a question is hardly surprising, as it was the subject of discussion and debate in Jewish circles. Later in the Gospel a rich ruler asks Jesus the same question (Luke 18:18), but the motivation here in chapter 10 is to test Jesus. In good rabbinic fashion—not at all uncommon—Jesus replies to a question with a question, asking the man what the Law says in the lawyer’s opinion. Jesus is seeking to ascertain how the lawyer interprets the matter in light of the revelation of God in the Torah. The lawyer replies by citing Deuteronomy 6:5 and Leviticus 19:18. Jews recite the Shema from Deuteronomy 6:4, the previous verse, every day, and the next verse would obviously be well known. To obtain eternal life one must love the Lord with all that one is—with one’s mind, heart, emotions, and will. God must be supreme in one’s affections, and at the same time one must love one’s neighbor as oneself (Lev. 19:18). Such an answer is scarcely unique and is reflected in other Jewish sources (T. Iss. 5:2; 7:6; cf. T. Benj. 3:3; Jub. 36:7–8; cf. also Deut. 10:12; Josh. 22:5; Matt. 19:19; Rom. 13:9). Jesus himself gives a similar answer in Matthew 22:34–40 and Mark 12:28–34.
10:28 Jesus affirms that the man has answered rightly, saying that if he did these things he would live. Jesus’ answer reflects Leviticus 18:5, which promises life if a person keeps the law. In its historical context, Leviticus 18:5 refers to life in the land (cf. Deut. 4:1; 8:1), but the verse was picked up and applied to eternal life in contemporary Jewish sources and the writings of Paul (Rom. 10:5; Gal. 3:12). Both Ezekiel (Ezek. 20:11, 21) and Nehemiah (Neh. 9:29) also pick up on the Leviticus text, indicting Israel for failure to keep the law. Eternal life refers to the resurrection life to come (Dan. 12:2), to life with God that never ends. One question raised is whether Jesus’ answer here contradicts Paul’s reading in Galatians 3:10–12 and Romans 10:5–8. Paul appeals to Leviticus 18:5 to say that righteousness and life can be obtained not by keeping the law but through faith in Jesus Christ. Some read the account here as if Jesus were arguing that life is obtained by keeping the law, as the story concludes with him saying that the lawyer should “do” just what the Samaritan did (Luke 10:37).
One way of resolving the tension is to read the story as revealing the inability of the lawyer or anyone else to do what the law commands. In that sense the story casts one onto the mercy of God. Certainly, Luke often teaches that people need forgiveness and God’s merciful grace (e.g., 5:17–32; 7:36–50). We read on several occasions that faith saves (7:50; 8:48; 17:19; 18:42). Furthermore, in Acts we find that people need forgiveness of sins (Acts 2:37–39; 3:19; 5:31) and that obedience to the law cannot save or justify (Acts 13:38–39; 15:7–11). In one sense the proposed way of resolving the apparent contradiction is correct, since it is evident that the lawyer is trying to justify himself, that he feels a deep sense of inadequacy when he realizes what is demanded in loving one’s neighbor. In other words, he too needs to be forgiven of his sins.
Saying only this is inadequate, however, because Jesus clearly teaches that neighbor love is necessary for eternal life. But there is no contradiction with Paul, because here the matter is seen from another angle and perspective. If we consider the whole of Luke’s theology, which includes the need for mercy and forgiveness, love for neighbor reflects the fruit of repentance, the evidence that one has truly repented and believed (Luke 3:8; Acts 26:20). Paul himself also teaches that good works demonstrate that one truly belongs to God (cf. Rom. 2:6–11, 26–29; Gal. 5:21; 6:8; 2 Cor. 5:10; 11:15; Phil. 3:19). When Paul excludes righteousness by works, he argues that no one is right before God by virtue of one’s obedience, which Jesus affirms as well (Luke 18:9–14). We all need God’s mercy. We see the same teaching in 1 John. Believers are saved by God’s love for them, by Christ’s death, which secured their forgiveness (1 John 4:1–16); our love for God is a reflective love—he loved us first. On the other hand, those who do not love brothers and sisters do not really love God or belong to him (1 John 4:20). Only those who truly love God and their neighbors will enjoy eternal life. The new life required for believers does not demand perfection, but must involve clear evidence of a transformation.
10:29 The lawyer, realizing that he has been cornered, attempts to justify and vindicate himself in his reply (cf. Luke 16:15). Jesus has appealed to his conscience, and he realizes he falls short of what is demanded. He could evade the barbs of conscience if he defined neighbor in a satisfactory way, and thus he asks who qualifies as his neighbor. Perhaps he defines neighbor as a fellow Israelite and thus limits the definition to those in his circle. Some evidence from Jewish sources suggests that some defined neighbor to exclude Samaritans, foreigners, apostates, or resident aliens (Sifra to 20:10; Avot of Rabbi Nathan 16; Babylonian Talmud, Sanhedrin 57a).
10:30–32 Jesus proceeds to tell what is perhaps his most famous parable. The 17 mile (27 km) journey from Jerusalem to Jericho was commonly made; it involved a descent of 3,600 feet (1,100 m) “through rocky desert terrain.” Robbers could easily be lying in wait as one made the trip. In this fictive instance, the robbers strip the man of his clothing, beat him up, and leave him hovering between life and death. A priest happens to be passing by but, seeing the injured man, avoids him, traversing to the other side. We are not told why the priest stays away; perhaps he fears uncleanness from a man who might be dead (Num. 19:11–19), or perhaps he thinks the robbers are lying in wait to pounce on him next. In any case, the listeners would esteem the priest for his godliness and devotion to the Lord, but in this instance he does not lift a finger to help. Next a Levite comes by, one who would garner similar esteem from the audience, but he acts the same way the priest has, probably for the same reasons. He stays as far away as he could, avoiding any contact.
10:33 The priest and Levite ignore the man’s plight, but then a Samaritan comes by; in contrast to the priest and Levite, he has compassion on the suffering man. The reference to the Samaritan would have shocked Jesus’ hearers, since Samaritans were hated enemies (cf. Josephus, Antiquities 11.8.6; Jewish Wars 2.12.3–5; cf. Sir. 50:25; T. Levi 7:2) and considered unorthodox. Samaritans were considered to be half-breeds, products of the Assyrian exile, in which foreigners were brought in to mix with the natives of northern Israel (2 Kings 17:24–41). The Samaritans granted canonical authority to the Pentateuch only and believed that Mount Gerizim instead of Mount Zion was the place where the temple should be built (John 4:20; Josephus, Antiquities 12.1.1; 13:3.4). The Samaritans wanted to assist in the building of the temple in 536 BC when the Jews returned to Jerusalem, but Zerubbabel rejected their cooperation, saying there was no partnership between them. The Samaritans were opposed to the building of the wall in Jerusalem as well (Neh. 4:1–2). And the opposition continued in the days of the Maccabeans (1 Macc. 3:10): John Hyrcanus, when he was ruler of Israel, burned down the Samaritan temple on Mount Gerizim (Josephus, Antiquities 13.9.1; Jewish Wars 1.2.6).
Jesus gave instructions, according to Matthew, for the Twelve to exclude Samaritans and Gentiles in their mission (Matt. 10:5), which shows that Jews effectively put Samaritans in the same place as Gentiles. We also saw that the Samaritans would not allow Jesus to travel through their city to Jerusalem (Luke 9:51–56). When Jesus talked with the Samaritan woman, she was shocked since the two peoples did not typically engage in social relations (John 4:9; cf. John 8:48). Jesus and his followers, of course, opened a new door in the relationship with the Samaritans (cf. Luke 17:11–19; John 4:4–42; Acts 1:8; 8:4–25; 9:31). Still, from this historical background we can grasp how shocking it would be for Jews to hear that the good guy in the story was a Samaritan.
10:34–35 The Samaritan’s compassion does not end with his feelings but leads to actions. He does not fear the attack of robbers or uncleanness but goes to the man to care for him. He bandages his wounds, pouring oil and wine on them. “Oil was used to soften a wound and the wine was poured on to disinfect them” (cf. Isa. 1:6; cf. 2 Chron. 28:15; Mark 6:13). Since the victim is unable to walk, the Samaritan puts him on his own animal for transport to an inn, and once he is at the inn he continues to minister to him and care for him. When the Samaritan leaves the inn for his own business purposes, he gives two days’ wages to the innkeeper to provide for all of the man’s needs. Furthermore, if there are extra expenses, the Samaritan will reimburse the innkeeper when he returns. The Samaritan cared comprehensively for the wounded man’s needs.
10:36–37 Jesus’ point is that we should ask not “Who is my neighbor?” but “Are we proving to be a neighbor?” We should not be asking whom we can eliminate from our list of neighbors but ought to be considering whether we are treating others we meet as neighbors. Thus Jesus asks the lawyer which of the three men was a neighbor. The lawyer does not say “the Samaritan,” but perhaps it is mistaken to criticize his answer, since he rightly says that the one who was a neighbor showed mercy. We see here a profound understanding of what it means to be a neighbor: showing mercy to those who are in need, as the Samaritan did (cf. Luke 1:50; 6:31, 36).