The Good Samaritan

So, you want practical application?  Let's look at the Good Samaritan in Luke 10, shall we?

25 And behold, a lawyer stood up to put him to the test, saying, “Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?” 26 He said to him, “What is written in the Law? How do you read it?” 27 And he answered, “You shall 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 your neighbor as yourself.” 28 And he said to him, “You have answered correctly; do this, and you will live.”

29 But he, desiring to justify himself, said to Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?” 30 Jesus replied, “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and he fell among robbers, who stripped him and beat him and departed, leaving him half dead. 31 Now by chance a priest was going down that road, and when he saw him he passed by on the other side. 32 So likewise a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. 33 But a Samaritan, as he journeyed, came to where he was, and when he saw him, he had compassion. 34 He went to him and bound up his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he set him on his own animal and brought him to an inn and took care of him. 35 And the next day he took out two denarii and gave them to the innkeeper, saying, ‘Take care of him, and whatever more you spend, I will repay you when I come back.’ 36 Which of these three, do you think, proved to be a neighbor to the man who fell among the robbers?” 37 He said, “The one who showed him mercy.” And Jesus said to him, “You go, and do likewise.”

What can we say about this parable?  This is clearly a Law passage from Jesus; He says as much.  There is an imperative at the end, go and do.  Notice that Jesus says to do this and you will live.  Jesus is amazing.  He can be talking about Law and turn it into a vision of redemptive history.  The question was how do we inherit eternal life.  The answer was follow the Law and you will live.  By living, Jesus is referring to Salvation, eternal life.  What is interesting in this parable is that the Pharisees are represented by the priest, while the rest of Israel is represented by the Levite.  The Samaritan is a most hated neighbor, a Gentile.  It is the Samaritan who shows mercy and loves his neighbor.  The irony is that those that uphold the Law and live by the Law did not fulfill the Law in this parable.  The one who was outside of the Law, who may not have even known the Law, fulfilled the Law. 

Jesus is pointing out the great difficulty of actually fulfilling the Law.  If you were to ask the priest if he fulfilled the Law, he would answer without hesitation that of course he did.  If you asked the same of the Levite, he might have hesitated, but then he probably would have reasoned that through the sacrifices he offered at the temple, he did fulfill the Law.  Jesus' idea of fulfilling the Law was actually very practical.  Just do it, my child.

Every Sunday when we leave church, there, at the first stop light down the street, is a beggar.  I sometimes watch and see who will give to the man.  He certainly looks the part.  His beard is so scraggly that no one would be surprised if a bird appeared and flew out from it.  His clothes are dirty, if not tattered.  He has a cardboard sign with some plea written in ballpoint pen, totally unreadable from a car.  There was a time when I would drive by.  I rationalized that he was going to go buy booze; therefore, I wasn't going to support his habit.  If I didn't give him anything, perhaps he would be forced to get a real job.  I looked away and drove by.

Troll asked me if I had been to any movies lately.  I said yes, of course.  Troll asked if I knew where the dollars for the tickets went.  I said yes, they go to the studio and distributer.  Troll asked me whether I thought that those movie studio people needed my $36 dollars for a family of four more than perhaps this man on the corner needed $5.  I told Troll about my reasons for not giving the man money.  Troll asked me, even if I knew that the man would take my money and go straight to the liquor store, is his need any less?  Is it my responsibility to spend the money for the man?  Do I care how the movie studio guys spend their money?  Anyone watching the news lately?  Charlie Sheen?

Try this passage from Matthew 25 on for size.

The Final Judgment

31 “When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on his glorious throne. 32 Before him will be gathered all the nations, and he will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. 33 And he will place the sheep on his right, but the goats on the left. 34 Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. 35 For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, 36 I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me.’ 37 Then the righteous will answer him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? 38 And when did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? 39 And when did we see you sick or in prison and visit you?’ 40 And the King will answer them, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.’

41 “Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. 42 For I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me no drink, 43 I was a stranger and you did not welcome me, naked and you did not clothe me, sick and in prison and you did not visit me.’ 44 Then they also will answer, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to you?’ 45 Then he will answer them, saying, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to me.’ 46 And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.”

I now give the guy on the corner some cash, even if it is just a dollar.

--Ogre--