A Surprising Picture (Part 2)

We are considering together the parable known as “The Good Samaritan,” and, to this point, a lawyer is questioning Jesus. He  has sought to justify himself and his biases with the question:

• “Who is my neighbor?”

Jesus’ answer takes the form of the parable of the good Samaritan. The road from Jerusalem to Jericho descends from 2600’ above sea level to 800’ below sea level over the course of only 17 miles. It was a way along which there were caves in which highwaymen would wait for their prey—solitary travelers. It was a road so well-worn by bandits that it became known as the “Bloody Way.” So, who walks this bloody way?

• A Certain Man- “Jesus replied and said, “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell among robbers, and they stripped him and beat him, and went away leaving him half dead.” (v.30) It is implied that he is Jewish and a businessman. He is taken out by the robbers, beaten mercilessly, robbed of all he had, and left to die.

• A Certain Priest- “And by chance a priest was going down on that road, and when he saw him, he passed by on the other side.” (v.31) “By chance” is not coincidence. It means, “By the confluence of circumstances, this is what happened next.” He served in the temple, led the worship of the people, and offered sacrifices. If the lawyer expected the priest to give the right response, the crowd didn’t (Matt.23)! See what he does, and what he does not do. The excuse usually given is that of a fear of ceremonial defilement, but the law of mercy legitimately should have taken precedent. To this priest, the law was not a tool for righteousness, but an excuse to keep from doing right. He was required by the law to show mercy to strangers (Lev.19:34) and even to enemies (Ex. 23:4), but he won’t even show mercy to a fellow Israelite. In fact, one teacher theorized that the real reason he passed by was because he could see that the man had already been robbed!

• A Levite- “Likewise a Levite also, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side.” (v.32) A temple worker who assisted in the maintenance of temple services and order. His response? Like so many today, it was just a desire to not get involved.

• A Certain Samaritan- “But a Samaritan, who was on a journey, came upon him; and when he saw him, he felt compassion, and came to him and bandaged up his wounds, pouring oil and wine on them; and he put him on his own beast, and brought him to an inn and took care of him. On the next day he took out two denarii and gave them to the innkeeper and said, ‘Take care of him; and whatever more you spend, when I return I will repay you.’” (vv.33-35)

Okay, first of all, we have totally inoculated ourselves against how thoroughly radical Jesus really was in His generation. This was a bombshell! The normal pattern for stories in that day involved the “Rule of Three.” In popular story telling, the three would have been a priest, a Levite, and an Israelite—with the common man being the hero and the religious elitists being the villains. But a Samaritan? Consider:

Samaritans were hated by the Jews (Lk.9:53; John 8:48) because they were of mixed Jewish/Gentile ancestry. In 722BC, the Northern Kingdom was captured by Assyria and some 20,000 Jews were deported to Assyria with a similar number of Assyrians taking their place. This led to a mingling of Jew & Gentile that resulted in racially mixed children that were rejected by the “ethnically pure.” As a result, the Samaritans were barred from the temple, the priesthood, the ceremonies, even the temple mount.

That is why this would have been so shocking to Jesus’ audience! It is bad enough that, for all their religious orthodoxy, the priest and Levite showed no compassion. This is worse—the ethnically hated. The racially impure. The less-than-us person is the hero! To context this, it would be like telling this story in Tel Aviv in 1946, and having a German be the hero! They might have a Jew to be pictured loving a Samaritan or another Jew, but Jesus pictures the despised one as more in tune with kingdom priorities and values than the Israelites. What a shock.

The Samaritan had compassion, a term used to describe Christ’s concern for the lost (Matt.9:36). The Samaritan was a true neighbor with a compassionate heart, a helping hand, and unlimited concern. He gave of his personal comfort, physical energy, financial resources, and valuable time. He used what was his own for a perceived “enemy” even to the point of making himself a debtor (“I will repay”) and spending two days wages (two denarii) for the care of this stranger. The life-views seen in this story are profound, as mapped out by one teacher:

• The robber: What’s yours is mine, I’ll take it.
• The religious: What’s mine is mine, I’ll keep it.
• The compassionate: What’s mine is yours, I’ll share it.

The Samaritan expressed this life-view with:

• Compassion- the heart of Christ.
• Engagement- saw the opportunity not the obstacles
• Care- gave of his own self
• Graciousness- willing to sacrifice for another’s welfare.

John Henry Jowett said, “Ministry that costs nothing accomplishes nothing.” The point is simple—yet demanding. God’s love is not limited by ethnic prejudices or religious legalities. Ours shouldn’t be bound that way either.

On Friday, Jesus will apply the story to the lawyer… and to us.