The Testing of Jesus And the Parable of the Good Samaritan (10:25-37).
We should note that this passage, and the parable it contains, follows directly on the idea of the previous self-revelation of Jesus. It gives us the clue that within it Jesus is revealing more of Himself. And this is confirmed by the fact that it is itself followed by a further three examples of where seemingly simple stories bring out great spiritual truth. That confirms that this is thus to be seen as a section containing revelation about the work of God in bringing great spiritual blessing, for here we see that the physical food provided by Martha (Luke 10:38-42), the daily bread of the Lord's Prayer (Luke 11:1-4), and the pleading for the food at midnight (Luke 11:5-8) are all symbolic of the reception of greater spiritual blessing, namely, Mary receiving ‘the good part' (Luke 10:42), the seeking of ‘Tomorrow's bread' (Luke 11:3), and the asking for and receiving of the Holy Spirit (Luke 11:9-13). In conformity with this therefore we should expect to see, and should look for, some deeper truth underlying this passage also. This also is a parable with a dual significance.
The self-revealing of Jesus and full appreciation of the Father now leads on to His revealing something of His Father to ‘a certain lawyer (one of Luke's words for a Scribe/Rabbi) in the parable that follows. The lawyer is said to be ‘making trial of Him'. This has in mind that Jesus will shortly be teaching His disciples to pray, ‘do not bring us into trial' (Luke 11:4). Yet trial is always present for those who serve God.
But the Scribe here receives far more than he is expecting. He is not only to receive an important lesson on who his neighbour is, but he is also to be given an overall picture of what Jesus has come to do for those who are His. The parable that follows will also be an example of one who forgives others, not holding their sins against them, and provides daily bread, thus relating it to the Lord's Prayer (Luke 11:4).
However, central to the whole thought here is of knowing and loving God, and as a result their neighbour. And the story that follows not only reveals who our neighbour is, but it also reveals a man whose life revealed his love of God, and what the love of God will supply to His needy people, thus providing the reason as to why we should love Him. For the overall search behind this passage is not just for an understanding of who our neighbour is, important though that may be. It is a search for eternal life, and how this may be enjoyed.
The placement of this parable is very important, for at first it seems almost out of place, and that in a writing where the writer places everything consummately. But a second glance reveals the very opposite. The growth of the proclamation of the Rule of God has been described, together with the defeat of the one who held men in his sway (which is then dealt with in depth in Luke 11:14-26), a defeat which in itself reveals that the Kingly Rule of God is here (the deliverance of the captives, and the release of those who are oppressed). Now that is revealed in a man who exemplifies what it is for a man to love God with all his heart and his neighbour as himself. To the poor broken man attacked by robbers (Isaiah 42:24), despised by the Temple, comes an unorthodox heretic (the main idea in the minds of Jews about Samaritans) from the north, who brings him life and good things, and will provide for his full restoration when he comes again. In context it is difficult not to see in this that Luke intends us to see the coming of the Son of Man, the Prophet from the north, to defeat Satan and release his victims (Luke 11:14-26), setting aside the Temple, and bringing light in the darkness (Luke 11:27-36) and delivering from the power of Satan to God (Acts 26:18 for the whole)
The passage may be analysed as follows:
A certain lawyer stood up and made trial of him, saying, Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life? (Luke 10:25).
· He said to him, “What is written in the law? How do you read it?” (Luke 10:26).
· He answering said, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength, and with all your mind, and your neighbour as yourself” (Luke 10:27).
· He said to him, “You have answered right, this do, and you shall live” (Luke 10:28).
· But he, desiring to justify himself, said to Jesus, “And who is my neighbour?” (Luke 10:29).
· Jesus made answer and said, “A certain man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and he fell among robbers, who both stripped him and beat him, and departed, leaving him half dead” (Luke 10:30).
· “By chance a certain priest was going down that way, and when he saw him, he passed by on the other side” (Luke 10:31).
· “And in like manner a Levite also, when he came to the place, and saw him, passed by on the other side” (Luke 10:32).
· “But a certain Samaritan, as he journeyed, came where he was, and when he saw him, he was moved with compassion” (Luke 10:33).
· “And came to him, and bound up his wounds, pouring on them oil and wine. And he set him on his own beast, and brought him to an inn, and took care of him” (Luke 10:34).
· “And on the morrow he took out two denarii, and gave them to the host, and said, ‘Take care of him, and whatever you spend more, I, when I come back again, will repay you.' ” (Luke 10:35).
· “Which of these three, do you think, proved neighbour to him who fell among the robbers?” (Luke 10:36).
· And he said, “He who showed mercy on him.” And Jesus said to him, Go, and behave in the same way.” (Luke 10:37).
We note that in ‘a' the question is what he shall ‘do' to inherit eternal life, and the reply in the parallel is ‘show mercy' in the same way as mercy has been shown (to him). In ‘b' Jesus asks him a question, and in the parallel He does the same. In ‘c' he answers that he is to love God with all that he is and has, and his neighbour as himself, and in the parallel the Samaritan shows love to his neighbour with all that he is and has. In ‘d' he is told that if he does what he has outlined he will find life, and in the parallel the Samaritan restores life to the dying man (a picture of Jesus restoring life to Israel). In ‘e' his question is ‘who is my neighbour?' and in the parallel the reply is a description of the ‘neighbourly' Samaritan. In ‘f' the man is robbed and left half dead and in the parallel we have the Levite passing by on the other side. And central to the passage in ‘g' is the fact that the priest also passes him by on the other side, presumably because he wants to avoid defilement, an indication of the Temple failing to provide mercy. The fact that this last is central confirms that Jesus sees in His parable a description of Israel like a half dead man, robbed by its foreign rulers, and despised by its priests and their hangers on, waiting for a ‘foreigner' from unorthodox Galilee to come to its rescue. (Note that elsewhere Jesus can be described by people like the questioner as ‘a Samaritan' (John 8:48). The name was used of those seen as heretics, outcasts or breakers of the Law).