Go and Do likewise (Luke 10:25-37)

Go and do likewise

Luke 10:25-37*

Key verse 10:25, 37

In the previous passage, Jesus sent out seventy-two disciples ahead of him. They proclaimed, “The kingdom of God has come near” (10:9, 11). The kingdom of God was coming as Jesus headed towards Jerusalem. More people heard about the kingdom of God and came to Jesus. One of them was the expert in the law from today’s passage. The man came to Jesus and asked, “What must I do to inherit eternal life?” Jesus told him the parable of the Good Samaritan. This parable is a well-known story; it  is understood and used as an example for good neighbors and  charity. However, it goes beyond that; this parable teaches us whom to love,  how to love them, and what love has to do with eternal life. I pray that God may enable us to see people with His heart and love them as He does so that we can have eternal life.

“On one occasion an expert in the law stood up to test Jesus. “Teacher,” he asked, “what must I do to inherit eternal life?”

The experts in the law were also called Scribes. They were a special group among the Jewish religious leaders who studied the Law of Moses, taught it to people, and also helped settle disputes regarding the law. This expert in the law asked the question to test Jesus; however, it was not necessarily an adversarial question. He desired to know what he must do to obtain eternal life. This was also the question that many people in Jesus’ time were asking. For example, in Matthew 19:16, a man asked Jesus the same question. And this question is our question as well: “How can we have eternal life?” What was Jesus’ answer?

“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’”.

Jesus asked him a counter question, which helped him find  the answer for himself from the Law, which he was well versed in. The law says that we should love God with all we have and love our neighbor as ourselves (Deut. 6:5; Lev 19:18). In Matthew 22:37-40, Jesus said that these two commandments are the greatest in the Law. Jesus happily agreed with the man that these two commandments would bring the man to eternal life.

“You have answered correctly,” Jesus replied. “Do this and you will live”.

Jesus meant, “Yes, as you said, if you love God with all your heart and love your neighbor as yourself, then you will have eternal life. So, do this”. But the man seemed to be troubled by this and tried to justify himself. Why? Jesus’ words also implied that the man did not have eternal life, because he did not keep the commandments well. He knew that he could not keep them without failing. His question turned back on him like a boomerang, and suddenly things became personal. Everybody there turned to him and waited to see what he was going to do. To get off the hook, he tossed the ball back to Jesus, asking him another question.

“But he wanted to justify himself, so he asked Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?”

By saying this, he meant, “I love my neighborhood. I love all the people in my community. I love my fellow Jews. Who else shall I love then? Let me know who  my neighbor is?” In reply, Jesus told him a parable, instead of answering his question directly.

“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””.

A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho. The road between Jerusalem and Jericho was about 15 miles with an elevation of about 3,400 feet, and it  was rugged, winding, and barren. This was a perfect place for robbers to hide and attack travelers. Probably, this man finished his business in Jerusalem and was heading for Jericho. Unfortunately, he became the target of robbers; they attacked him, stripped him naked, and beat him half to death. They left him on the roadside,  his naked body  exposed to the scorching sun. He was still bleeding and his heartbeat was becoming weaker. The man lost consciousness and was lying helpless on the roadside; he needed  immediate help. Otherwise, he would soon die. His only hope was that someone passing by would see him and help him. Here three people passed by him. Who were they and what did they do?

“A priest happened to be going down the same road, and when he saw the man, he passed by on the other side. So too, a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side”. 

Priests served in the Temple on a rotational basis. Many of them lived outside of Jerusalem, in cities like Jericho. This priest probably finished his service in the Temple and was going back home. Then he found something like a human body lying on the roadside. “What is this?” He came a little closer and found out that it was a human body! “Oh my, someone was robbed. He is bleeding! What shall I do? If I touch him, I will be unclean (Lev 21:1-4) and will have to go back to Jerusalem to be cleaned, and it will take days. I wish I could help you, but…sorry. I have to go”. By the way, there could  still be robbers around there. The priest hesitated and then passed by on the other side, hoping that someone else could help the injured man.

And then another man appeared. He was a Levite, who also served in the Temple. Unfortunately, the injured man did not get help from the Levite either. The Levite also passed by on the other side. “I am sorry”. In this way, the injured man was left helpless and vulnerable on the road. Time was ticking and he was dying.

What might Jesus’ audience have had in mind at this point? They wondered who could help the man and hoped that the robbed man would be saved by someone else. They expected a hero like an ordinary citizen to come and save the man. Then, there was a twist. The next person who appeared as a hero was not a fellow Jew but a Samaritan whom they hated the most!

“But a Samaritan, as he traveled, came where the man was; and when he saw him, he took pity on him. 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”. 

The Samaritan stopped beside the robbed man and saw a man dying. “He was robbed. Oh my, he is dying!” Then, he quickly applied first aid, pouring wine on the man’s wounds to disinfect them and oil to sooth the pain, and then bandaging it. He barely got the robbed man up and pushed him up onto the back of his donkey. The Samaritan’s face, hands, and  clothes were already stained with blood, sweat and dust, but he did not care. He quickly ran to an inn and took care of him. He washed the man’s face and body with water and laid him down in a room. Until the man became stable, the Samaritan sat beside him and took care of him. He probably did not sleep well that night, but he was so happy that the robbed man was getting better.

“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’”.

The Samaritan went even further; the next day, he gave two denarii to the innkeeper, asking him to take care of the man until he was well. He even said that he would return and reimburse him for any extra expense. He went beyond what was expected. Though it was costly, he genuinely helped the man, without any expectation of anything in return. Jesus seemed to say, “Here was a man who sacrificed to save another man, and he was a Samaritan!”

This story totally baffled and even shocked the audience. The animosity between Jews and Samaritan was well-known. The Jews believed that the Samaritans had distorted the Torah and degraded divine worship by building their own temple at Mount Gerizim. Samaritans had actually hindered Jews from rebuilding the Temple after the Babylonian exile, so they did not associate with them at all. They hated Samaritans so much that, around 128 B.C., they destroyed the Samaritan temple. And so Samaritans hated Jews in return. For example, in Chapter 9, the Samaritans did not welcome Jesus because he was heading for Jerusalem.

The enmity between them is much like the hostility between Israel and Palestine nowadays. In June, three Jewish teenagers in Hebron were kidnapped and killed presumably by Palestinians. And then in July, a Palestinian boy in Jerusalem was kidnapped and burned to death by Jews seeking revenge.

 However, this Samaritan saved the robbed man, who was likely a Jew, whereas the priest and the Levite passed by on the other side. This came as a big shock to the audience and the expert in the law. After finishing the story, Jesus asked a question to the expert in the law.

“Which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?” The expert in the law replied, “The one who had mercy on him”.

It was  obvious that the Samaritan was a neighbor to the man who was robbed. The expert in the law reluctantly answered, “The one who had mercy on him”. He did not say “the Samaritan”. It was too shameful and embarrassing for him to admit that. Finally, Jesus told him, “Go and do likewise.” In other words, the expert in the law needed to do the same as the Samaritan did.

By saying this, Jesus helped the expert in the law to know who his neighbor was and how to love his neighbor.

The man had asked Jesus, “Who is my neighbor?” This meant that he did love people, but only certain people who he thought deserved his love. Certainly, Samaritans were never included in his neighbor list, but  Jesus was saying that there should not be any fixed boundaries in terms of “who is my neighbor.” Even Samaritans could be his neighbors to love. When Jesus asked, “Which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man”, the verb “was” actually meant “came into being or became.” That means that there are not fixed neighbors to love, but neighbors that are made and expanded. The Samaritan had had no previous relationship with the robbed man at all, but he became a neighbor to him. He broke the barrier of racism and religion. Likewise, this expert in the law needed to break down his own barrier and love whoever was in need, and even his bitter enemies. Our neighbors should not be limited by our interest, preference, style, belief, or whatsoever. Everyone in need is our neighbor.

However, we all know that it is very difficult to love someone who is so different from us, particularly someone who gives us a hard time or who we think is undeserving our love. It is hard even to pray for and talk with such a person. It is time-consuming and expensive, as the Samaritan experienced with the robbed man. Sometimes, our love is not appreciated and even misunderstood. There is always one person we can’t love at work or in church. Nevertheless, Jesus says to us, “That person is your neighbor you should love.” How can we do that? Now we feel as the expert in the law did. Let’s see how the Samaritan loved the robbed man. Look at verse 33 again.

“But a Samaritan, as he traveled, came where the man was; and when he saw him, he took pity on him”.

The Samaritan had pity on the man. In other words, mercy compelled the Samaritan to help the robbed man, breaking the barrier between them. What is mercy then? Mercy is genuine concern for life, which is given by God. It is putting our self in someone else’s shoes.

One Sunday, back when I was in the military, I had an opportunity to go  to  church by myself. After the Sunday worship service, I stopped by a small street vendor by the church, where an old woman was selling fish cakes, which is a kind of pancake with sweet red bean in it. Korean people love this fish cake. I was so hungry but had only one dollar with me, with which I could buy a few fish cakes. I waited until the woman made fresh fish cakes for me. While waiting, my stomach was growling and my mouth  watered. The smell made me crazy. Then the woman said to me, “Eat some  fish cakes here, while I am baking new ones for you. I will not charge for that.” It was the most delicious fish cake I had ever eaten in my life. She gave me fish cakes worth much more than one dollar. Actually, she did not make any profit. She just fed me until I was satisfied. So, whenever I had a chance, I went there again to buy fish cakes. The woman always gave me extra fish cakes. I wondered why she was so kind to a stranger like me. Then, one day she said she had a son who was also in the military. She took pity on me and treated me as her son. She did not sell me fish cakes but fed me as her son, even though she did know who I was. Her concern was not about money but about people - genuine concern for life. By the way, that time was the most difficult time in my military service, but her mercy greatly encouraged me.

The Samaritan in the parable might also have been  reminded of someone like one of his family members or  friends which  compelled him to have compassion on the stranger and serve him.

As such, love is driven by genuine concern for life. Love is expressed in merciful actions. No one can live without  people who have genuine concern and compassion for one another.

When I look back on my life, I see that so many people have helped me. Some fed me, like the old woman. Some gave their time to serve me. Others prayed for me constantly. Still others served me in many other ways. I do not even remember many of them and did not appreciate their serving, but I am here by their love. I believe that so many good Samaritans are involved in your life too, aren’t they? When you were in need, they helped you out. Though you were a stranger to them, they loved and served you, sacrificing their time and money. Without their love and help, you would not be what you are now.

Intriguingly, what the Samaritan did was exactly like what Jesus did for us. When we were lonely, he was with us. When we were rejected and left out, he comforted and encouraged us. When we suffered, he suffered together with us. When we were deep in sin, he groaned in great pain for us. We were enemies to God, but he embraced us and forgave us. Finally, he laid down his life on the cross for your sins and mine. He sacrificed too much for unworthy sinners like us. He lavished his love on us. Even now he still bears our sins – our complaints, our selfishness, our hatred, our pride, our greed, and our unthankful hearts. Jesus is our true neighbor and the Good Samaritan.

Now Jesus is telling us, “Go and do likewise. There are so many people who are in need, as you once were. Love them as you were loved. Love them unconditionally without expectation of return. Give to them. Serve them. Pray for them. That’s what Jesus has done for you.

As Jesus said, let’s love our neighbors who are in need. First, have mercy on one particular person who is in need. Serve one person who needs your help. Pray for the person who bothers you so much now. Then, we can have more of God’s love so that we can love more people. Love as Jesus has loved you.

So far, Jesus has answered the questions who is my neighbor, and also how to love them.

How does love for one’s neighbor relate to love for God and eternal life? Let’s see verse 27 again.

“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’”.

In fact, these are not two separate commandments, but one commandment. Loving our neighbor is visible evidence of our love for God. Those who love God cannot help but love their neighbors. And without God’s love and mercy, we can’t love others. 1 John 3:17 says, “If anyone has material possessions and sees a brother or sister in need but has no pity on them, how can the love of God be in that person?”

Love for God leads us to have love for our neighbor. This love relationship is about the kingdom of God, where He rules in love and His people love one another in His love. And the kingdom of God is eternal life. In other words, eternal life is given through a love relationship with God, and our love relationship with God is shown in our love for our neighbors.

Keeping the law is not simply to observe rules but to take action in the spirit of the law, which is love. The spirit of the law has been shown completely in Jesus Christ who died on the cross for sinners.

I pray that God’s love may be revealed through our actions of mercy and love toward our neighbors - college students,  coworkers, and missionaries overseas. Jesus is telling us, “Do likewise. Love the person who is in need, even if he or she is your enemy. That is eternal life”.