The first Sunday of Lent – March 9, 2025
Scripture reading: Luke 10:25-37
The text
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[e] 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.”
Comments
- This was a total set up. The guy is a nomikos, an expert in the Law of Moses, a scribe (grammateus). Jesus condemned the scribes of his day along with the Pharisees for their pride, hypocrisy and spiritual blindness (e.g., Lk 11:45-54). He “stood up to test Jesus.” Later, he tries to “justify himself.” He is adversarial.
- The question, “What must I do to inherit eternal life?” was a commonplace (cf. Daniel 12:2). We might expect an answer like Jn 6:29. But he was an expert in law, so Jesus points him to the Law. The guy responds with Shema, Dt 6:5 (2x day) coupled with Lev 19:18. Good summary of Decalogue and 613 mitzvot. Jesus says: “Do this and you will live.” He is saying: “Good luck with that!”
- “Who is my neighbor?“ Most Jewish leaders would answer: other obedient covenant keepers (Pharisees, scribes and devout resident aliens, but no common Jews, no Gentiles, no Samaritans). Luke says he wanted to justify himself: i.e., “Who do I need to love? Who can I skip?” Jesus’ answer: no one is a non-neighbor. Neighborliness is a function not of proximity or ethnicity, but is the overflow of a heart filled with love for God.
- This is what occasions the parable, set on the well-known road that ran east of Jerusalem (17 miles-long with 3,400 foot elevation change). Desolate and dangerous.
Takeaways
- We should desire to love others with this kind of kindness and devotion. The Samaritan was “all in” in showing love: eight different actions in vv. 33-35. And for whom? A stranger; in fact, an enemy stranger. It is moving and edifying to see that kind of love in action. Loving God requires we love his image bearers (Jn 13:34-35; 15:5-9; 1 Ptr 2:17; 1 Jn 4:11); here he shows us an idealized version of that love.
- We should be humbled by how far short we personally fall when we measure ourselves by this standard! A key reason for this parable is to knock the self-righteousness out of this man. Before he can be saved, he must first be lost. The law is what God uses to show us we are lost, hopelessly corrupt and spiritually dead (Gal 3:24; Rom 7: 24; Luke 18:9-14).
- We should keep in mind that caring for the physical needs of enemy strangers is just one way the bible teaches us to “love others as we love ourselves.” There are many, many others. What are some? See 1 Thess 5:14. Love is seeking the wellbeing of the other. It is helping others be the kinds of persons that experience the full blessing of God.