Luke 10:25-37

God is compassionate, merciful and long suffering. He knows that we are mere men…all of us. His love, shown in the salvation of Jesus, covers a multitude of sin.

Jesus walked in our shoes but without sin. How marvelous the world will be when the vein of sin inherit in mankind is removed.

To God be all glory!

We need the reminder that every circumstance we encounter has been sifted first through God's fingers and then providentially allowed into our lives. Nothing happens, good or bad or in-between, without God's say-so.

Worship isn't simply a response of celebration or gratitude for what God has done but an expression of trust in who God is, regardless of our circumstances. Grief and worship can coexist in our hearts.

If your soul feels weary today with sorrow, loss, or doubt, know that it's OK not to be OK. God's Word gives us permission to grieve. There's a time to weep and a time to mourn (Ecclesiastes 3:4). Find peace today in knowing that we worship a God who saves and rescues, and He is familiar with suffering. You're not walking through the darkness alone.

Scripture does not affirm that our circumstances are always a direct reflection of our character or actions.

We won't always agree with how God works… but we don't see the full picture of God's plan. Only God knows the full plot and purpose that He's working out in our lives and in the world. First5

Luke 10:25-37

25 And behold, a certain lawyer stood up and tested Him, saying, “Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?” 26 He said to him, “What is written in the law? What is your reading of it?” 27 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.’ ” 28 And He said to him, “You have answered rightly; do this and you will live.” 29 But he, wanting to justify himself, said to Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?” 30 Then Jesus answered and said: “A certain man went down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell among thieves, who stripped him of his clothing, wounded him, and departed, leaving him half dead. 31 Now by chance a certain priest came down that road. And when he saw him, he passed by on the other side. 32 Likewise a Levite, when he arrived at the place, came and looked, and passed by on the other side. 33 But a certain Samaritan, as he journeyed, came where he was. And when he saw him, he had compassion. 34 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. 35 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.’ 36 So which of these three do you think was neighbor to him who fell among the thieves?” 37 And he said, “He who showed mercy on him.” Then Jesus said to him, “Go and do likewise.” The New King James Version

In this episode, an expert on the law tests Jesus about how to inherit eternal life. Jesus’ first answer speaks of loving God, while His second calls for loving people. After the lawyer questions Him further, Jesus illustrates the heart of His ministry through the parable of the Good Samaritan, which is unique to Luke’s Gospel.

For centuries, the righteous among God’s people had desired to see the arrival of God’s kingdom.

Since He is conversing with a legal expert, Jesus appeals to the law. The lawyer’s answer parallels Jesus’ teaching in Matthew and Mark about the greatest commandments (Mattew 22:35–40; Mark 12:28–31). These commands reflect the heart of Jesus’ proclamation of the kingdom of God: love of God and love of neighbor. 

The legal expert seeks to support his claim to be righteous (perhaps only in his own mind) and presses Jesus to define the term “neighbor.” The legal expert’s question and his own answer in Luke 10:37 frame the parable of the Good Samaritan. 

Priests performed sacrifices, maintained the temple, and provided instruction. That he passed by on the other side demonstrated his lack of compassion for the injured man. Since the priest was leaving Jerusalem (and likely the temple), it is unlikely that he was concerned primarily with matters of ritual purity.

Jews and Samaritans despised each other. For Jesus’ audience, the idea of a good Samaritan would have been a contradiction. With a Samaritan playing the positive role—and a priest and Levite in negative roles—Jesus’ parable would have been shocking. It shows the extreme universality of the term “neighbor” and demonstrates the depths of mercy that should be extended to all people. Faithlife Study Bible

Jesus contrasted the Old Testament era of expectation, in which people desired to see the Messiah but did not, with the era in which the disciples were living. If they had the spiritual insight they could witness the fulfillment in Jesus of many of God’s promises. 

The question posed by the lawyer is really a challenge, since the verse speaks of the testing of Jesus. To inherit something is to receive it. In other words, the man was asking, “What must I do to share in the reward at the resurrection of the righteous at the end?”. The Old Testament basis of this question is the hope of resurrection in Daniel 12:2. 

Jesus countered the lawyer’s test by having him answer his own question. You shall love the Lord … and your neighbor: The lawyer responded to Jesus’ questions by quoting Deuteronomy 6:5, a text that was recited twice a day by every faithful Jew. This text summarized the central ethical standard of the Law. The lawyer also alluded to Leviticus 19:18. 

The basis of the man’s response is an expression of allegiance and devotion that also can be seen as the natural expression of faith, since the total person, heart, soul, strength, and mind, is involved. The theme of love for God is picked up with its emphasis on devotion to Jesus, and in where the disciples are taught to be devoted to God in prayer. 

Jesus develops the theme of love for one’s neighbor. Jesus was not saying that righteousness is the result of works. Rather He was saying that love for and obedience to God will be a natural result of placing one’s faith in the Lord. Those who believe in Jesus and follow Him will receive eternal rewards. Luke makes it clear that the lawyer was trying to place himself in the position of satisfying the highest demands of the Law. 

Who is my neighbor? This question was an attempt to limit the demands of the Law by suggesting that some people are neighbors while others are not. The lawyer was looking for minimal obedience while Jesus was looking for absolute obedience. 

Part of the beauty of the story of the Good Samaritan is the reversal of stereotypes. The priest and Levite traditionally would have been the “good guys.” The Samaritan would have been a “bad guy,” a person who compromised in religious matters. However, the Samaritan knew how to treat his neighbor. The neighbor here was not someone the Samaritan knew or even someone of the same race, just someone in need. The NKJV Study Bible

Leviticus 19:18 

You shall not take vengeance, 

nor bear any grudge against the children of your people, 

but you shall love your neighbor as yourself: I am the LORD.

Deuteronomy 6:5 You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength.

Matthew 22:35 Then one of them, a lawyer, asked Him a question, testing Him, and saying,