The Parable Of The Good Samaritan Series

Dr. Bradford Reaves

CrossWay Christian Fellowship

Hagerstown, MD

www.mycrossway.org

We have all heard the Parable of the Good Samaritan. It is a beautiful story about an unlikely hero helping someone in need. At first glance, we would say this is a biblical case of social justice—a man in need helped by a man who crossed racial and ethnic boundaries to do the right thing. Honestly, you could extrapolate that lesson from the Parable, but it is not the lesson that Jesus was trying to teach.

As I have studied and researched the Parables of Jesus, I have discovered some key understandings that, when ignored, lead to erroneous interpretations. And I've told you that in studying the parables, the context is everything. In fact, anytime you approach the proper interpretation of Scripture, you must start with context. For instance, somebody looks at Philippians 4:13, “I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength.” And they try to apply that to playing sports, winning the lottery, whatever's on their hearts. But that's not the context that Paul was writing; this is where you must start. Paul was writing from jail about the strength to do the will of God, especially sharing the gospel in all circumstances.

Most people read the parable of the Good Samaritan and look at the inequalities and boundaries that were crossed for someone to be kind to another human. And while there are noble and good lessons behind that, that's not really the point of the parable. In the text surrounding the Parable, Jesus isn't Talking about social justice issues in the world or giving a lesson in morality. He is talking about evangelism.

Just before the Parable in verse 24, Jesus says to his disciples:

For I tell you that many prophets and kings desired to see what you see, and did not see it, and to hear what you hear, and did not hear it.” (Luke 10:24)

Remember that Jesus used parables to teach a specific truth about the Kingdom of God. The Parable of the Good Samaritan is no exception. With that, we must first look at the context from which the Parable of the Good Samaritan emerged:

And behold, a lawyer stood up to put him to the test, saying, “Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?” 26 He said to him, “What is written in the Law? How do you read it?” 27 And he answered, “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 neighbor as yourself.” 28 And he said to him, “You have answered correctly; do this, and you will live.” 29 But he, desiring to justify himself, said to Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?” (Luke 10:25–29)

The whole question that prompted the teaching was rooted in a question about eternal life. If we continue using the typical interpretation of the parable in that context, we would have to assume that salvation is based on works; being a social justice warrior. That, however, does not fit the biblical definition of eternal life. Good works are the fruit of one who has been redeemed, not the means.

Using proper hermeneutics and given all that information, we have to throw out the social justice interpretation. It doesn’t fit. It doesn’t fit the context, and it doesn’t fit any means of sound biblical interpretation.

A lawyer stands up. He was not a criminal lawyer or a civil lawyer. He was a lawyer of Scripture and an expert of Old Testament Law. He stands up and tries to trick Jesus into speaking some kind of heresy. He asks Jesus the same question the rich young ruler and Nicodemus asked Him: “Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life? What shall I do to inherit eternal life?”

Jesus responds by turning the question back around on him. “You are the lawyer. You have the Old Testament.  What does it say?” To which the Lawyer combines two scriptures, Deuteronomy 6:4-5 and Leviticus 19:18. Likewise Jesus said the Law is summed up with these two commandments.

Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. 5 You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. (Deuteronomy 6:4–5)

You shall not take vengeance or bear a grudge against the sons of your own people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself: I am the Lord. (Leviticus 19:18)

And he said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. 38 This is the great and first commandment. 39 And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. 40 On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets. (Matthew 22:37–40)