Luke 10:25-37 (NIV) The Parable of the Good Samaritan
25 On one occasion an expert in the law stood up to test Jesus. “Teacher,” he asked, “what must I do to inherit eternal life?” 26 “What is written in the Law?” he replied. “How do you read it?” 27 He answered, “‘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, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’”
28 “You have answered correctly,” Jesus replied. “Do this and you will live.”
29 But he wanted to justify himself, so he asked Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?”
30 In reply Jesus said: “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, when he was attacked by robbers. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him and went away, leaving him half dead. 31 A priest happened to be going down the same road, and when he saw the man, he passed by on the other side. 32 So too, a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. 33 But a Samaritan, as he traveled, came where the man was; and when he saw him, he took pity on him. 34 He went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he put the man on his own donkey, brought him to an inn and took care of him. 35 The next day he took out two denarii and gave them to the innkeeper. ‘Look after him,’ he said, ‘and when I return, I will reimburse you for any extra expense you may have.’
36 “Which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?” 37 The expert in the law replied, “The one who had mercy on him.” Jesus told him, “Go and do likewise.”
Do you follow the letter of the Law or the Spirit of the Law? At that time, there were around 600 laws or traditions that the people had to follow which was quite a burden. Most of these were man-made by experts in the Law. In the story Jesus told, a Priest and a Levite both passed by the injured man because, to touch him, would have made them unclean according to the ceremonial law. The next passerby was a Samaritan who stopped to help.
Was that the right thing to do in your opinion? Let’s dig a little further. According to the Ceremonial Law, for either the Priest of the Levite to touch the man would have made them unclean and unable to perform their duties in the Temple. That would mean they were unable to serve God. What was more important for them; to serve God or this stranger by the side of the road? Now it seems a little more complicated. Maybe the two passers-by did what they thought was right. What does Jesus ask us to do? Here is the interesting part. Jesus said in Matthew 5:17 (NIV) 17 “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. So Jesus should have said that what the Priest and Levite did was within the Law and correct but He didn’t. He talked about loving your neighbor. Now I am really confused! Do I love God or do I love my neighbor? Yes!
Jesus came to fulfill the Law; the Ceremonial Law. The Law was provided out of love to guide us in the right path. If we take the loving path that God intended for us, all else will work out correctly. If you love your neighbor, you will not lie, cheat, steal, covet or any of the other bad things. So love comes first. Everything God has done for us is a result of His love for us. God created us for relationships with Himself and with each other. The Samaritan was more concerned about loving his neighbor than following a bunch of rules. That was what God really wanted to start with. We just became legalistic and tried to see who could be first in the Kingdom by following the Law.
Do you want to check off a box or do you want to live a life that makes a difference? The Lawyer in this story thought righteousness came from the Law. He was wrong. Righteousness only comes from trust in Jesus. We have none on our own. All we can do is love others as Jesus loved us. There are still Good Samaritans. My hope for you is that you can be one of them. Look for someone to serve that can do nothing for you in return. Pay it forward! As Pastor Don Feuerbach said, put down religion and pick up life! Go now and be the blessing you are!
Father, we thank You that You are teaching us how to obey the Spirit of the Law rather than the letter of the Law. We thank You that You said love comes first. Help us to love as You love. In Your name we pray! Amen!