Luke 10, Part Two

The Good Samaritan (vs. 25-37)--One of the more famous stories in the Bible, and with good reason. A "certain lawyer" asked Jesus the most important question in the world: "Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?" (v. 25). The knowledge of how to get to heaven is more valuable than all the material wealth in the world, for "what shall it profit a man if he gains the whole world and loses his own soul?" (Matt. 16:26).  Jesus directs the man correctly: "'What is written in the law? What is your reading of it?'" (vs. 26). "What does the Bible say?" That is the only location we will find the answer to the question. The lawyer lived under the Law of Moses, but the answer is actually the same today, viz., to love God with all our being and our neighbor as ourselves (v. 27). When the lawyer provided that answer, Jesus responded, "'You have answered rightly; do this and you will live" (v. 28). The Judge of all the earth has just told us how to get to heaven! Are we listening?

Yet, too many of us are like the lawyer, "wanting to justify" ourselves (v. 29). We want to feel good about our religion; we want the preacher to tell us things we want to hear--not what we need to hear--to make us feel good and to let us think that we are right in God's sight. And, no doubt, that is what the lawyer wants confirmed.  But Jesus will only tell people the truth; He plays no favorites, He waters down nothing. His aim was not to make people "feel good" about themselves, but to get them to heaven--whatever it took.

So He relates the story of the Good Samaritan, which I will not bother with the details here, except to make a couple of points. The so-called "religious" people in the story, the priest and Levite, did nothing to help the poor unfortunate who had fallen among thieves. It was a despised (to the Jews) Samaritan who showed brotherly love. When Jesus asked the lawyer, "So which of these three do you think was neighbor to him who fell among the thieves?" (v. 36), the man couldn't find it within himself to say "the Samaritan;" he could only respond, "He who showed mercy on him" (v. 37). Jesus' response was "Go and do likewise" (v. 37).

There are many great lessons in this story, too many to recount in this short summary. But I must make mention of the crucial point. What was it that different about the Samaritan from the priest and Levite? Why did he act and they did not? The Samaritan was a man of principle, who did not need a specific command in order to actuate his religion. One writer has well penned, "A man cannot be a thief or a liar without crossing a well-marked boundary between right and wrong, but he may be a selfish churl without knowing it, because it regard to benevolence, the law is left indefinite, being, indeed, like an algebraic formula, expressed in terms so general that they need to be translated by the occasion into definite particulars. Where the law is so broad as to be applicable to all circumstances, there is always a danger that some will feel no obligation to obey it in any circumstances, and only the heart which has imbibed the principle or spirit of the law will feel its force continually" (emphasis mine, MKL). If there had been a specific command to stop and help a poor unfortunate along the road, then no doubt the priest and Levite would have helped him. But the law didn't say that; it said, "love thy neighbor as thyself." A person must let that sink in, become a part of his very being, be actuated by principle and not just overt commands. Therein lies the difference between the true Christian and the counterfeit.

Too many Christians aren't doing very much for the Lord for the simple reason that they are like the priest and Levite--they are waiting for a direct command in order to do something for the Lord. But when we imbibe the spirit of the law, and not just the letter, then we'll find plenty of work to do in the kingdom of God.

Mary and Martha (vs. 38-42)--Another marvelous story with countless lessons. Jesus came to a certain village and was invited into the house of sisters named Mary and Martha. Jesus began to teach; Mary sat and listened to Him, while Martha "was distracted with much serving" (v. 40). She complained about it to Jesus, urging Him to tell Mary to help her. Jesus so gently rebukes her: "'Martha, Martha, you are worried and troubled about many things. But one thing is needed, and Mary has chosen that good part, which will not be taken away from her'" (vs. 41-42). What Martha was doing was absolutely, positively not wrong, indeed, it was a very good thing. It just wasn't the most important thing at the moment! There is nothing more valuable than the words of Jesus; Mary understood that while Martha needed to learn it. Oh, how often do we let the good interfere with the best!