LUKE 10:25-37
25 Just then a lawyer stood up to test Jesus.[a] ‘Teacher,’ he said, ‘what must I do to inherit eternal life?’ 26 He said to him, ‘What is written in the law? What do you read there?’ 27 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 neighbour as yourself.’ 28 And he said to him, ‘You have given the right answer; do this, and you will live.’
29 But wanting to justify himself, he asked Jesus, ‘And who is my neighbour?’ 30 Jesus replied, ‘A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell into the hands of robbers, who stripped him, beat him, and went away, 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 while travelling came near him; and when he saw him, he was moved with pity. 34 He went to him and bandaged his wounds, having poured oil and wine on them. Then he put him on his own animal, brought him to an inn, and took care of him. 35 The next day he took out two denarii,[b] gave them to the innkeeper, and said, “Take care of him; and when I come back, I will repay you whatever more you spend.” 36 Which of these three, do you think, was a neighbour to the man who fell into the hands of the robbers?’ 37 He said, ‘The one who showed him mercy.’ Jesus said to him, ‘Go and do likewise.’
DEVOTIONAL
Can eternal life be gained by loving God and neighbour?
The Good Samaritan parable indicates that it cannot. It is not the standard itself that is flawed, but the human application of it is. The tendency of the human heart is to satisfy just the minimum of what is required of them; to find ways to justify limiting the acceptable displays of and recipients of this love.
In this parable, religious people (a priest and a Levite) refrain from displays of love that might make them “unclean” or put them in harm’s way. Their actions imply that these kinds of love are more than what is expected of them. They likewise exclude from the category of neighbour those who are unlike them in beliefs or behaviours. Then, Jesus clarifies the standard. We are not to love the neighbours we select, by the means we choose. Instead, we are to be a neighbour, showing mercy to those in need of it. We have neither the right to choose the recipients nor to methods of expression. This love is messy and costly, and clearly impossible in our own strength. The expert in the law who began the conversation knew it and we know it. But Luke—who records this parable—knows it too, and he promptly assures us that our heavenly Father will give the good gift of the Holy Spirit (Luke 11:13) to those who ask. It is the Spirit within us that first gives us life and then moves us to the kind of love that God desires and the world needs.
PRAYER
Father, we confess that we cannot love you and other people as we should. We thank you for the good gift of the Spirit that you offer to us. Fill us with your Spirit so that we may live fully and love as you love.
Linda M. Stargel
Academic Dean
Senior Lecturer in Biblical Studies and Biblical Language