An Exegesis of Luke 10:25-37

8. March 2011 by Annette Colon-Alvarenga.

²⁵ And behold, a lawyer stood up to put him to the test, saying, “Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?” ²⁶He said to him, “What is written in the Law? How do you read it?” ²⁷And 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.” ²⁸And he said to him, “You have answered correctly; do this, and you will live.”  ²⁹But he, desiring to justify himself, said to Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?”

³⁰Jesus 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. ³¹Now by chance a priest was going down that road, and when he saw him he passed by on the other side. ³²So likewise a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. ³³But a Samaritan, as he journeyed, came to where he was, and when he saw him, he had compassion. ³⁴He 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. ³⁵And 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.’

³⁶Which of these three, do you think, proved to be a neighbor to the man who fell among the robbers?” ³⁷He said, “The one who showed him mercy.” And Jesus said to him, “You go, and do likewise.”

Luke 10:25-37 is quite possibly one of the most well-known parables of Jesus. So well known, in fact, that laws have been enacted under the name most have come to know the parable by, The Good Samaritan. The story comes about when Jesus is challenged by a lawyer, a man skilled in the law, regarding who it is exactly that he is required to love as his neighbor. While he expects Jesus to answer the question for him, the final answer is eventually given by the lawyer himself; an answer which would have been unacceptable to those gathered within hearing distance. Jesus’ parable reveals the true nature of God’s expectancy of our love toward others - a love without boundaries or prejudice.

Historical and Literary Context

Of most importance is an understanding of the relationship between the Jews and the Samaritans at the time of Jesus. The Jews despised the Samaritans and would have nothing to do with them.

The conflict between the two groups started at about the time of the Assyrian captivity of the northern kingdom. Samaria was originally occupied by the tribes of Ephraim and Manasseh. However, when the northern kingdom fell to Assyria, the king of Assyria replaced the Israelites that had been deported with foreigners.  These foreigners intermarried with the Israelites that remained in the land taking on the name “Samaritans”. While the Samaritans integrated with the Jews and adopted, in part, the Jewish traditions, they continued with idol worship. (2 Kings 17:24-40).

They remained in the land and when the Jews returned from captivity, the Samaritans offered Zerubbabel assistance in rebuilding the Temple. The Jews refused their assistance and so began the enmity between the two as the Samaritans then attempted to prevent them from rebuilding. This enmity grew as Jews who married the foreigners during the time of captivity were instructed to divorce their spouses. The conflict between the two groups climaxed when the Samaritans built a temple at Mt. Gerizim.

Luke places the parable at about the mid-way point in the Gospel of Luke.  It comes just after the return of the 70 disciples that had been sent out by Jesus and just before the story of Mary and Martha. Luke, more than any other gospel writer provides insight into God’s plan of salvation to Samaritans and gentiles.  

Form, Structure, Movement

The parable begins with an ongoing exchange between Jesus and the lawyer. A question is asked initially by the lawyer, “What shall I do to inherit eternal life?” (v.25), which Jesus responds with a question. Ultimately, the lawyer answers his own question. With the second question by the lawyer, “Who is my neighbor?” Jesus responds with a parable that exemplifies the love commands found in Deuteronomy 6:5 and Leviticus 19:18. Finally, Jesus asks a question which requires the lawyer to answer his own question once again, albeit, his answer is was one which would not have been acceptable to him or any of the Jews at the time.  The answer to the question, “Who is my neighbor?” does not prove to be an exclusionary answer which is what appears the lawyer sought; rather, the answer provides for an inclusion of all, a love for enemy.

Detailed Analysis

The lawyer asks two questions of Jesus. The first question was clearly necessary to lead into the teaching of God’s intended meaning of His love  command found in the Mosaic Law at Deuteronomy 6:5 and Leviticus 19:18.

Of significance are the characters involved in this discussion: Jesus, who has been called Rabbi and Teacher and the lawyer, who at the end in v. 37 we are told is “the expert in the law.” The lawyer tests Jesus in his questioning, first, in questioning Him regarding how he could inherit eternal life (v. 25). But Jesus puts him to the test instead asking the lawyer to recite the Mosaic Law. In answering, the lawyer correctly recites the law as it relates to love for God and love for one’s neighbor (v. 27).

The Pharisees and scribes of the time were of the opinion that their “neighbors” consisted of the righteous alone. They believed that the gentiles and Samaritan’s, especially, were rightly despised as they were enemies of God. The lawyer’s subsequent question to Jesus, “Who is my neighbor?” (v. 29), reveals his self-righteous character and belief that the obligation to love was somehow limited to loving those such as he saw himself, the “righteous.” 

In verses 30-35 Jesus offers a story to define “neighbor.” It begins with a“certain man” who is attacked and left for dead while traveling down the road from Jerusalem to Jericho, a road which was known in the day as dangerous with thieves and robbers along the road attacking travelers. (cf. David’s Psalm 23; the Valley of the shadow of death actually refers to this dangerous stretch of road between Jerusalem and Jericho.)

The story continues with the first passerby to encounter the man, a certain priest.  The priest does not stop to assist the man but rather passing him by on the other side.  Next passerby, a Levite, sees the man and also passes him by on the other side. It would seem that Jesus uses the example of the priest and the Levite to challenge the religiousness of the two. Their adherence to purity laws (contact with a possibly dead body would have rendered them ritually unclean) prevented from fulfilling the law as it relates to Leviticus 19:18.

But the third man, a Samaritan, a man that is thought to be without morality, a religious heretic, an enemy of Israel, stops and assists the man because he felt compassion for him.  He applies first aid, takes the man to a nearby inn, and assures payment for him to stay at the inn until he is healed.

In verse 36 Jesus turns the question around for the lawyer. Rather than asking “who is my neighbor”, the question becomes “who was a neighbor to him who fell among the thieves?” The issue was no longer who can be my neighbor but, rather, who can I be a neighbor to (or who can I show mercy to). The lawyer is forced to answer this question himself and, unable perhaps to utter “the Samaritan,” he answers with “the one who had mercy on him.”  Jesus’ follow up command, “go and do likewise”, do as the Samaritan did, would have been insulting given their view of the “breed.”

Conclusion   

The actions of the Samaritan exemplify the command of God to love your neighbor as yourself.  While the religious people of His day were shortsighted as to God’s demand of Israel to be light for all people, the Samaritan, who would have been despised by the man he helped (and who would have been left to die had the shoe been on the other foot), didn’t think twice about coming to the aid of his apparent enemy. His compassion compelled him to act.

This is exactly what Jesus does: despite our depravity, His love for the Father and God’s love for humanity compelled Jesus to act, to take His place on the Cross to bring healing to God’s creation.
 

Bibliography 

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