When you ask someone who their neighbor is, they usually think you mean the person who lives next door to them. Some who live in rural areas may answer with, “I do not have a neighbor.” However, Jesus gives us a different description of who our neighbor is in Luke 10:25-37.
In this passage, Jesus is being challenged by a lawyer who attempts to test Jesus with the ultimate question: “What must I do to inherit eternal life?” Jesus asks him, “What is written in the law? “When the conversation turns to loving one’s neighbor, the lawyer tries to justify himself by asking for boundaries: “And who is my neighbor?” I can sense the lawyer’s smugness as he thinks he has tripped Jesus up with this question.
Luke 10:25-29 “And, behold, a certain lawyer stood up, and tempted him, saying, Master, what shall I do to inherit eternal life? He said unto him, What is written in the law? How readest thou? 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 neighbor as thyself. And he said unto him, Thou hast answered right: this do, and thou shalt live. But he, willing to justify himself, said unto Jesus, And who is my neighbor”
To answer the lawyer’s question, Jesus tells a parable, which is an earthly story with a heavenly meaning. This parable is about a man who was traveling, overtaken by thieves and left by the side of the road. They had robbed him, stripped him of his clothing, beaten him, and left him for dead. The man was powerless to help himself.
Luke 10:30 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.”
As the man lay there, people began to pass by and notice the man in his misery. The first one was a priest, and the second a Levite. Both of these men would have been highly respected. They represented God to the people. They were men of public character whose offices obligated them to show compassion to anyone who was in need. They were to be an example of love and tenderness to others. It was their duty to extend love. They were so determined not to be bothered by this man that they walked on the other side of the road. I believe in their minds, they could tell others who mentioned the incident that they did not see him. They could not only avoid having to help the man, but they could also justify their actions to others because they were unaware of his demise. They felt no reason to interrupt their day with a dying stranger.
Luke 10:31-32 “And by chance there came down a certain priest that way: and when he saw him, he passed by on the other side. And likewise a Levite, when he was at the place, came and looked on him, and passed by on the other side.”
Now comes the hero of the story. A Samaritan, a race of people despised by the Jews, and Samaritans felt the same way about the Jews. We know this from Luke 9:53. Jesus was teaching in a Samaritan village, and they rejected Him because He was going to Jerusalem after He left them. “But the people did not receive him, because his face was set toward Jerusalem.” This enemy of the Jews was not locked into what others did or did not do. His love was not a passing emotion, nor did he see this wounded man as a duty. The Samaritan was moved with compassion. He used his own supplies, the oil and wine, to treat his wounds, his own animal to transport the man, and his own money to pay for the care at the inn until he was well enough to travel on his own.
Luke 10:33-35 “But a certain Samaritan, as he journeyed, came where he was: and when he saw him, he had compassion on him, 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. 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.”
I believe Jesus expects us to follow the Samaritans’ example. He took a risk on an obviously dangerous road to help this man. He crossed boundaries by helping someone outside of his social and ethnic circle. He set aside his agenda and offered his time and resources to help the man.
It is time to examine ourselves by this passage of scripture. When was the last time you ignored a situation because it was inconvenient, uncomfortable, or maybe dangerous? Has someone crossed your path who needs practical help? When this happens, do you use the shovel and throw it over your shoulder as if it were someone else’s job? We must remember that if you are saved, we were once the ones broken without hope, destined for hell, until Jesus, our Good Samaritan, came to our rescue, with tender love, bound up our wounds, and paid the price for our healing. It is time we open our eyes and see the needs of others. Their greatest need is Jesus, but before they will listen to us when we tell them about the love of Jesus, they must see the love of Jesus in us toward them. Who’s your neighbor? Anyone Jesus places in your path.
Luke 10:36-37 “Which now of these three, thinks thou, was neighbor unto him that fell among the thieves? And he said, He that shewed mercy on him. Then said Jesus unto him, Go, and do thou likewise.
