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.” ~ Luke 10:30-37
This parable of the Good Samaritan is so well known that it has become an idiom for sacrificial kindness. We call people good Samaritans who help the needy. To call someone a good Samaritan is to grant to them a compliment. But, this is really a story about how we do not inherit eternal life and how we do not love others as we do ourselves. This is a story about how the Lord Jesus is the fulfillment of those two questions. The first is in v.25, "What must I do to inherit eternal life?" Then, the second is in v.29, "Who is my neighbor?"
In v.30, we read, "In reply Jesus said: “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho." The setting of this parable is on the road from Jerusalem down to Jericho. This road was known as the “bloody pass,” it is a journey through a very dangerous place.
As we continue to read v.30 we read, "when he was attacked by robbers. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him and went away, leaving him half dead." A group of robbers jumped the man. They didn't just rob him, they stripped him of his clothes, they beat him and left him in critical condition. He was near death.
In v.31-32 we read, "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." At the right moment a priest and a Levite came upon the man, but they went in the opposite direction. They didn't want to be contaminated by what they thought was a dead body. They had no love for the man.
Notice the direction: from Jerusalem to Jericho, and not from Jericho to Jerusalem. If the priest and the Levite were going to Jerusalem they would have brought this man's uncleanness into the temple. But since he was going the other direction, he would have some weeks to go through the purification process before they came back."
Then, in v.32, the Levite did the same as the priest. Levites came from Levi. They were the assistants to the priests. At the top of the sort of religious ladder was the priest, and at the bottom was the Levite. The Levite comes to the place, he saw the severely wounded man and he passed by the other side. These are two illustrations of men who had no heart.
The point: being religious, doing the rituals, doing all the ceremonies, being Jewish, being circumcised, being a part of the whole system, being a priest and a Levite isn't going to get you in the kingdom of God. The test is to love God with all you have and to love your neighbor as yourself.
According to v.33, a Samaritan came along. It would be assumed that this man was not going to be any help at all to this half dead man because the Samaritans and the Jews despised each other. At the end of v.33 we read, "when he saw him, he took pity on him." This is what broken people do. People who have been broken by their sinfulness, are given a heart.
The two men had no love, but the outcast did. Remember the Lord Jesus is answering the question, "Who is my neighbor?" The issue of loving is not a matter of one's religion.
The Samaritan's response begins with his compassion. Then in v.34 we read, "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."
After diagnosing the man's condition, he bandaged up his wounds for he was bleeding. Since the man was naked, the Samaritan had to use his own clothes to bandage him and to clothe the beaten man. Then, he poured oil and wine on him. Wine was used as an antiseptic. It was used to sanitize and cleanse whatever might have come in there that could create infection. The oil was used to soothe and to soften the tissue. This was all a part of the healing process.
Then, having negotiated a place to stay, took the man in, put him down to rest, continued to work with him with his bandages, with his wounds, providing food, sleep, comfort, water, cleansing.
According to v.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." He stayed with him all night. He set his whole agenda aside. He gave up his own clothes, his own supplies, his own time. Then he gave his own money. This is amazing for a stranger who was his worst enemy.
In v.36 we read, "Which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?” To which the scribe replied in v.37, "The one who had mercy on him." He wouldn't even say the word "Samaritan." Then at the end of v.37, the Lord Jesus said, "Go and do likewise."
The Lord Jesus has answered two questions: "What must I do to inherit eternal life?' and "Who is my neighbor?" "Love God with all your heart, soul, mind and strength; love your neighbor as yourself." If this is what is required for any of us to get into heaven, I will not get there. Neither will you. None of us love God and others perfectly. The Ten Commandments are good but not as a tool to make us right with God. God didn't give the Ten Commandments to make us right with Him.
The Lord Jesus was driving the scribe's sword right back into this scribes heart to convict him of his inability to earn eternal life on his own and to love as he should. His Jewishness, his scribing, his circumcision, his law-keeping, his sacrificing, was not enough.
By the way, the way this Samaritan loved is how God loves us. We think we can measure up to the Law but we can't. But, the Lord Jesus can and did. As the Samaritan came to the nearly dead man, the Lord Jesus came to you and me. He who never committed one sin, took on our sin, so that we could become righteous in God's eyes through Him. Righteousness is a gift we receive not a reward we achieve. And, God's love for us was secured by the Lord Jesus. And, when God looks at us, He sees us through the lens of His perfect Son.
