The Good Samaritan (Luke 25:10-37)

This is another very famous passage in the Gospels.  It has entered our culture under the "Good Samaritan Laws", protecting from tort liability anyone who provides medical treatment to someone found unconscious and unable to consent or ask for help.

The parable actually is a longwinded answer to a question - "who is my neighbor?"

 An expert in the law asked Jesus what must one do to inherit eternal life?  According to the text, this man was trying to test Jesus.  A test is not necessarily a trap.  The Pharisees try to trap Jesus.  This is a perplexing question.

Jesus responds by asking the same individual what does the law say.  He responds that one should love God with all that you have (heart, strength, soul, and mind) and to love your neighbor as yourself.  Note, the second half of this is the "Golden Rule".

Interestingly, Jesus says this is correct if he does this, he will live.  This is not exactly laying down a works-based faith in which works inherit and enable eternal life.  For if one loves the God with all that one has, this will lead to embracing Christ and righteousness.  

The man then asks "who is my neighbor?". In other words, to whom do I have to be nice?  

Jesus tells a parable in which a man is beaten, robbed, and left for dead.  A priest and Levite pass by and cross the road to avoid him.  According to Jewish law, they actually arguably did the right thing.  If this man was dead, they did the right thing because if his man is dead, they should not come in contact with a dead body and they would be unclean.

A Samaritan finds this man and takes him to an inn.  He gives the innkeeper money to care for the man for all that he needs.  

Jesus then asks, who is the neighbor?  The expert replies that it is the Samaritan.

By answering with a parable and then asking who is the neighbor, Jesus turned it around and got the expert in the law who was testing Jesus to state that the law has its problems and pitfalls.  Otherwise, the Levite and priest did the right thing, but it was the Samaritan who was actually being the neighbor and hence, was following the purpose of the law.