DIGGING DEEP NO. 958 – October 25th, 2022 WHO IS MY NEIGHBOR? Lk.10: 25- 37

The worst thing we can do with this story is to spiritualize it and miss the message that God wants us to have. We may spiritualize it to mean that the victim is a lost sinner who is half dead (alive physically, dead spiritually), helplessly left on the road of life. The priest and Levite represent the law and the sacrifices, neither of which can save the sinner. The Samaritan is Jesus Christ who saves the man, pays the bill, and promises to come again. The inn stands for the local church where believers are cared for, and the two pence are the two ordinances, baptism and communion. If we take this approach, we are sure to miss the messages God wants us to get.

It was expected that rabbis would discuss theological matters in public, and the question this lawyer asked was one that was often debated by the Jews. It was a good question asked with a bad motive, because the lawyer hoped to trap our Lord Jesus Christ.

Our Lord sent the man back to the law, not because the law saves us, but because the law shows us that we need to be saved Gal.2: 16, 21; 3: 21. There can be no real conversion without conviction, and the law is what God uses to convict sinners Rom.3: 20.

Most of us can think up excuses for the priest and Levite as they ignored the victim.

The priest had been serving God at the temple all week and was anxious to get home.

Perhaps the bandits were still lurking in the vicinity and using the victim as bait.

The road was busy, so, somebody else was bound to come along and help the man.

The Jews and Samaritans were enemies Jh.4: 9; 8: 48; It was not a Jew helping a Samaritan, but a Samaritan helping a Jew who had been ignored by his fellow Jews. The Samaritan loved those who hated him; risked his own life; spent his own money and was never publicly rewarded or honored as far as we know Matt.5: 43- 48.

What the Samaritan did helps us better understand what it means to show mercy Lk.10: 37. The Samaritan identified with the need of the stranger and had compassion on him. There was no logical reason why he should rearrange his plans and spend his money just to help an enemy in need, but mercy does not need reasons Ex.23: 4- 5; Lev.19: 33- 34; Mic.6: 8. Trying to evade responsibility, the man asked: “Who is my neighbor?” But Jesus asked, “Which of these three men was a neighbor to the victim?” The big question for us today is “To whom can I be a neighbor?” And this has nothing to do with geography, citizenship, or race. Wherever people need us, there we can be neighbors and like Jesus Christ, show mercy.

The lawyer wanted to discuss neighbors in a general way, but Jesus forced him to consider a specific man in need. It is easy for us to talk about abstract ideals and fail to help solve concrete problems. We can discuss things like poverty and job opportunities and yet never personally help feed a hungry family or help somebody find a job.

The lawyer wanted to make the issue somewhat complex and philosophical, but Jesus made it simple and practical. He moved it from duty to love; from debating to doing. Our Lord was not condemning discussions and debates; He was only warning us not to use these things as excuses for doing nothing. Committees are not always committed!

We may study this passage and think only of the high cost of caring, but it is far more costly not to care. The priest and the Levite lost far more by their neglect than the Samaritan did by his concern. They lost the opportunity to become better men and good stewards of what God had given them. They could have been a good influence in a bad world, but they chose to be a bad influence. The Samaritan’s one deed of mercy has inspired sacrificial ministry all over the world. Never say that such ministry is wasted! God sees to it that no act of loving service in Christ’s name is ever lost. It all depends on your outlook.

To the thieves, this traveling Jew was a victim to exploit, so they attacked him.

To the priest and Levite, he was a nuisance to avoid, so they ignored him.

But to the Samaritan, he was a neighbor to love and help, so he took care of him.

In Conclusion – What Jesus said to the lawyer, He says to us

“Go and do likewise”.