Taking Another Look At The Good Samaritan

“And behold, a certain lawyer stood up and tested Him, saying, ‘Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?’ He said to him, ‘What is written in the law? What is your reading of it?’ So he answered and said, ‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, and with all your mind, and ‘your neighbor as yourself.’  And He said to him, ‘You have answered rightly; do this and you will live.’ But he, wanting to justify himself, said to Jesus, ‘And who is my neighbor?’” — Luke 10:25-29

I was talking with a friend the other evening about the parable of the Good Samaritan. I am certain you are familiar with it.  The focus of our conversation had to do with serving in response to the call of God alongside people who are not “children of the King” – Christians. The second greatest commandment that the lawyer quoted says to love your neighbor. The lawyer, I surmise, was wanting to justify not showing the love of God to people that were not of his ilk. So Jesus used the example of the Samaritan – a people that the Jews despised.

In this parable, the Samaritan was the one that was kind to the Jew who had been beaten and robbed when other Jews walked by and offered no assistance. From the lawyers perspective, the priest and Levite, the religious ones, would have been the ones who would be most inclined to show love to a fellow Jew – but not so. No, it was the one who was despised and had no reason, other than his compassion for another human being, to help the man lying in the ditch. And not just to help, but to sacrifice personally his time and money to see that the man was properly cared for.

“So he went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine; and he set him on his own animal, brought him to an inn, and took care of him. On the next day, when he departed, he took out two denarii, gave them to the innkeeper, and said to him, ‘Take care of him; and whatever more you spend, when I come again, I will repay you.’” – Luke 10:34-35

Then Jesus asked the question, “So which of these three do you think was neighbor to him who fell among the thieves?” (v36) The lawyer answered, “He who showed mercy on him.” (v37) Here is where we, so often, make a left turn in our thinking. Remember we started off with the question, “Who is the neighbor I am supposed to love?” The focus was not on the Jew in the ditch, but on the Samaritan whom the Jews despised. The point was and is that we should love others and demonstrate that love by showing mercy to others. That is how we fulfill the second greatest commandment. The priest and the Levite failed miserably but apparently felt justified before God and their fellow Jews. The parable really had nothing to do with the Samaritan – but to make the lawyer aware of the bias in his heart and lack of love for others. Remember my conversation was about serving alongside people who do not share my faith. That is not what the parable is about and, in my view is a mis-application.

Are non-Christians capable of showing compassion toward their fellow man? Of course they are. Are Christians capable of being dispassionate toward others, even other Christians? Absolutely – that is what keeps the Body of Christ divided. Should Christians and non-Christians be yoked together in spiritual service, in my opinion, no. We must not be unevenly yoked with non-believers.  (2 Corinthians 6:14) Can Christians work alongside non-Christians while having no spiritual expectation of those who are not inhabited by the Spirit of God? Yes, I think so. But it is all about context. A little leaven affects the whole loaf. In your desire to be inclusive, you must be very careful that the very spiritual work God has put your hand to do is not undermined by the influence of those who reject your faith. Should you show love and compassion towards others – WDYT? 

Our capacity to love like God loves flows out of our love for God.  Our ability to love others – our neighbor – is a reflection of our heart for God. Our unwillingness to love others – to show mercy is a reflection of our lack of love for God. For many Christians, we can’t get even get past the fact that there are other Christians, who are not like us – worship like us – sing like us – preach like us – live like us, but are saved like us. That they are part of our spiritual family. So we just walk on the other side of the road – seeking to justify ourselves like the lawyer tried to – and failed.  

“He has shown you, O man, what is good; And what does the Lord require of you But to do justly, To love mercy, And to walk humbly with your God.” – Micah 6:8

Let your light shine and give God the glory.

By Faith Alone By His Grace Alone And For His Glory Alone