A Good Samaritan Series

This evening’s message will examine what is called the “Parable of the Good Samaritan.” So, what is a Good Samaritan? When we hear the term “Good Samaritan,” we might envision someone who, while driving down the road, spots a wrecked car and pulls over and rescues the person trapped in the flaming wreckage. Perhaps we might picture the fireman of days long ago who would rescue a cat that got stuck in a tree. A Good Samaritan is defined as, “one ready and generous in helping those in distress.”(1)

Many of us are ready and generous to help others. It’s how some of us have been raised; and how some of us are wired. But notice how people are sometimes very particular about who they’re willing to help. It seems common for people to help those who are dressed nicely; they will help their friends; they will help those in high places; they will assist those who might one day return the favor; and they will readily help someone whom they are attracted to of the opposite sex.

But how willing is a person to help someone who smells bad, is dressed in old clothes, or has disgusting habits? Do people readily help their enemies? Do they jump at the chance to help someone with a different skin color? Some people will, but many others won’t. As we are going to see from our parable tonight, the Good Samaritan was someone who helped even those people who hated him. So, let’s begin looking at this great lesson shared by Jesus Christ.

Who Is My Neighbor? (vv. 25-29)

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?”

This man who wanted to justify himself (v. 29), was a lawyer according to verse 25. A lawyer in Jesus’ day and time was not the same as a lawyer today. According to the New Bible Dictionary, in the New Testament the “title nomikos [which today is translated “lawyer”] is used . . . synonymously with grammateus (scribe) and nomodidaskalos (teacher of the law).” The New Bible Dictionary continues to state, “All scribes were originally students of Scripture, but by the second century B.C. lay scribes had begun to expound the . . . law without direct reference to Scripture.”(2)

What we have here is a scribe who had copied the Torah, or the law, so many times that he had it memorized. It was memorized so well that he didn’t feel the need to double-check it, to see if he was correct in his interpretation. We just heard that by the second century B.C., the scribes had begun to expound the law without direct reference to the Scripture. What this says is that the lawyers, or scribes, were arrogant and felt they knew it all; and therefore, they didn’t feel the need to read the Scripture for their own spiritual growth.

In Luke 11:52, Jesus said, “Woe to you lawyers! For you have taken away the key of knowledge. You did not enter in yourselves, and those who were entering in you hindered.” The lawyers, or scribes, had access to the knowledge of Scripture; however, others would never know the Scripture because they couldn’t read or write. The common person was at a spiritual disadvantage. The lawyers, however, had a huge advantage, but they never used it. As Jesus said, “You yourselves did not enter in.”

The Scripture was at their fingertips to use for spiritual growth, but they didn’t care enough to understand it on a deeper level. We see from verse 27, that this lawyer certainly knew the law intellectually, but what about spiritually? There is a difference between knowledge for the sake of knowledge, and knowledge for personal application. There is a huge difference between head knowledge and heart knowledge.

In verse 29, when the Lawyer asked, “Who is my neighbor,” he was speaking in defense of his own prejudices, and misinterpretation of the Scripture. This lawyer, and many other Jewish people, considered their neighbor to be the people surrounding them in their own neighborhood, and in their own faith and community.

In Luke chapter 6, verses 32-35, Jesus said, “If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners love those who love them. And if you do good to those who do good to you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners do the same. And if you lend to those from whom you hope to receive back, what credit is that to you? For even sinners lend to sinners to receive as much back. But love your enemies, do good, and lend, hoping for nothing in return; and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High. For He is kind to the unthankful and evil.”