Quest 33
THE PARABLE OF THE GOOD SAMARITAN
THE PARABLE THAT ANSWERS THE QUESTION,
“WHAT SHALL I DO TO INHERIT ETERNAL LIFE?”
And behold, a lawyer stood up to put him to the test, saying, “Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?” He said to him, “What is written in the Law? How do you read it?” 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.” And he said to him, “You have answered correctly; do this, and you will live.”
The lawyer’s answer combined two scriptures of the Old Testament
Deuteronomy 6:5 - You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might.
Leviticus 19:18 - You shall not take vengeance or bear a grudge against the sons of your own people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself: I am the LORD.
Months later in Jerusalem Jesus would use those two scriptures in an answer to another lawyer (Matthew 22:35-40) - And one of them, a lawyer, asked him a question to test him. “Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?” And he said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets.”
1. Note the question: “What shall I do to inherit eternal life?”
The lawyer thought he could do some great thing to earn eternal life.
The answer is straightforward: Love God by loving your neighbor. The answer was further clarified by Jesus: “Which of these three, do you think, proved to be a neighbor to the man who fell among the robbers?” He said, “The one who showed him mercy.” And Jesus said to him, “You go, and do likewise.”
You cannot earn eternal life unless you have showed mercy promptly, thoroughly, fearlessly, patiently, and sacrificially to everyone in need your whole life. Who has done that?
2. Eternal life is about trading places.
Jesus traded places with us (2 Corinthians 5:21) - God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.
Christ is now your life (Colossians 3:3-4) - For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ who is your life appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.
We, in turn, trade places with the person in need (1 John 3:16-17) - This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers. If anyone has material possessions and sees his brother in need but has no pity on him, how can the love of God be in him?
The Samaritan traded places with the injured man on the road and asked himself, “If that were me, what would I want?”
3. Not for eternal life but because you have eternal life.
If you try to earn it, your religion never gets beyond self-justification. Jesus told a parable about just that (Luke 18:9) - He also told this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and treated others with contempt.
Christ’s love gets to our hearts and transforms us (2 Corinthians 5:14-15) - For the love of Christ controls us, because we have concluded this: that one has died for all, therefore all have died; and he died for all, that those who live might no longer live for themselves but for him who for their sake died and was raised.
Loving others becomes the indicator that God’s life is in us (1 John 4:7, 20-21) - Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God. . . If anyone says, “I love God,” and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen cannot love God whom he has not seen. And this commandment we have from him: whoever loves God must also love his brother.
4. Jesus is on the lookout – let him use your eyes and ears and heart.
The Pharisee and Levite asked themselves, “Who am I obligated to help?” They felt no obligation to the stranger attacked by robbers “who stripped him and beat him and departed, leaving him half dead.”
Jesus’ question is: “Who needs help?” (1 John 3:17) - If anyone has material possessions and sees his brother in need but has no pity on him, how can the love of God be in him?
Example: I have heard people in the church say, “Nobody asks me to help” to justify their inactivity. How about doing something that needs to be done without being asked? Be on the lookout for who needs help.
