LUKE 10:25-3725And, behold, a certain lawyer stood up, and tempted him, saying, Master, what shall I do to inherit eternal life? 26He said unto him, What is written in the law? how readest thou? 27And he answering said, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy strength, and with all thy mind; and thy neighbor as thyself. 28And he said unto him, Thou hast answered right: this do, and thou shalt live. 29But he, willing to justify himself, said unto Jesus, And who is my neighbor? 30And Jesus answering said, A certain man went down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell among thieves, which stripped him of his raiment, and wounded him, and departed, leaving him half dead. 31And by chance there came down a certain priest that way: and when he saw him, he passed by on the other side. 32And likewise a Levite, when he was at the place, came and looked on him, and passed by on the other side. 33But a certain Samaritan, as he journeyed, came where he was: and when he saw him, he had compassion on him, 34And went to him, and bound up his wounds, pouring in oil and wine, and set him on his own beast, and brought him to an inn, and took care of him. 35And on the morrow when he departed, he took out two pence, and gave them to the host, and said unto him, Take care of him; and whatsoever thou spendest more, when I come again, I will repay thee. 36Which now of these three, thinkest thou, was neighbor unto him that fell among the thieves? 37And he said, He that showed mercy on him. Then said Jesus unto him, Go, and do thou likewise. (Luke 10:25‑37).
Verse 25. "And, behold, a certain lawyer stood up, and tempted Him, saying, ' Master [Teacher], what shall I do to inherit eternal life'?”
“BEHOLD," mark well. These "beholds” demand notice wherever they occur; they call special attention to what follows as containing truth not always apparent on the surface, but requiring careful investigation and prayerful pondering, truths to be sought for as for hid treasure. "A certain lawyer," one who by his profession was called to be occupied with the Mosaic Law, "stood up and tempted Him." He does not come to the Lord Jesus as a worshipper beseeching Him, nor does he take the place of a disciple at His feet to learn of Him; but he stands up to tempt or test Him, to put Him to the proof, perhaps with a design, if possible, to entangle Him in His talk. But let us hear his question. "Master [or teacher], what shall I do to inherit eternal life?" He gives Christ the title of teacher, but it is not in the spirit of Nicodemus, "We know that Thou art a teacher come from God;" it is not the inquiry of a convicted sinner, "What must I do to be saved?" nor the language of a proud rebel become an obedient disciple, "Lord, what wilt Thou have me to do?" It is the language of a self-satisfied legalist, "What shall I do?" confident that he had only to know what was to be done, and he had the power to do it; putting such a value on his good deeds as to suppose that they could purchase for him a title to eternal life, taking it for granted that life eternal was to be earned by doing.
Verse 26. "He said unto him, What is written in the law I how readest thou?”
Two most important questions. "What is written," for "it is easier for heaven and earth to pass than one tittle of the law to fail" (Luke 16:1717And it is easier for heaven and earth to pass, than one tittle of the law to fail. (Luke 16:17)), and "the Scriptures cannot be broken." The spirit in which the Scriptures are read is equally important, "How readest thou?" The law contains "a shadow of good things to come," and while "the letter killeth, the Spirit giveth life." The object of the giving of the law is twofold: to convict man as a guilty sinner before God, and to lead him to Christ, who fulfilled the law, for forgiveness and salvation. To one who reads it legally, it is a heavy yoke, a grievous bondage; the eye of faith looks beyond the shadow to the substance, and under the teaching of the Spirit discovers thereby the wonders of redeeming love.
Verses 27, 28. "And he answering said, ' Thou shalt love the Lord [Jehovah] thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy strength, and with all thy mind, and thy neighbor as thyself.' And He said unto him, ' Thou hast answered right; this do, and thou shalt live '.”
This is a quotation from Deut. 6:55And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might. (Deuteronomy 6:5), with the addition of the words, "and with all thy mind," also Lev. 19:1818Thou shalt not avenge, nor bear any grudge against the children of thy people, but thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself: I am the Lord. (Leviticus 19:18); and this summary of the law coincides with the Lord's own words (Matt. 22:35-4035Then one of them, which was a lawyer, asked him a question, tempting him, and saying, 36Master, which is the great commandment in the law? 37Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. 38This is the first and great commandment. 39And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. 40On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets. (Matthew 22:35‑40)).
Hence Jesus says: "Thou hast answered right; this do, and thou shalt live.”
But observe, the Lord does not say, "And thou shalt inherit eternal life." The law promises a continuance of life, or length of days, to those who keep its precepts (Ex. 20:1212Honor thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long upon the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee. (Exodus 20:12)); and "If there had been a law which could have given life, verily, righteousness should have been by the law. But the Scripture hath concluded all under sin, that the promise by faith of Jesus Christ might be given to them that believe.”
National and temporal blessings were promised to Israel on condition of their observance of the outward law, and this in recognition by them of their peculiar privileges and advantages as a nation redeemed from Egyptian bondage, and in possession of the land of Canaan, having Jehovah Himself for their God, and being His people. But the inheritance of eternal life rested on another foundation.
God's principle from the first was this: "The just shall live by faith." (See Gal. 3:10-1410For as many as are of the works of the law are under the curse: for it is written, Cursed is every one that continueth not in all things which are written in the book of the law to do them. 11But that no man is justified by the law in the sight of God, it is evident: for, The just shall live by faith. 12And the law is not of faith: but, The man that doeth them shall live in them. 13Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree: 14That the blessing of Abraham might come on the Gentiles through Jesus Christ; that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith. (Galatians 3:10‑14); Rom. 10:5-95For Moses describeth the righteousness which is of the law, That the man which doeth those things shall live by them. 6But the righteousness which is of faith speaketh on this wise, Say not in thine heart, Who shall ascend into heaven? (that is, to bring Christ down from above:) 7Or, Who shall descend into the deep? (that is, to bring up Christ again from the dead.) 8But what saith it? The word is nigh thee, even in thy mouth, and in thy heart: that is, the word of faith, which we preach; 9That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. (Romans 10:5‑9).) Faith received God's testimony to His beloved Son, by the Spirit, embraced His promises, and thus laid hold upon eternal life.
Verse 29. "But he, willing [wishing or desiring] to justify himself, said unto Jesus, ' And who is my neighbor '?”
Conscience was doing its work, and convincing him that his title to eternal life on the ground of law-keeping was defective. This he was conscious of, that he was not prepared to love the Samaritan and the Gentile as he loved himself, hence the inquiry, "And who is my neighbor?”
Verse 30. "And Jesus answering [taking him up] said,' A certain man went down [was going down] from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell among thieves [robbers], which (also) stripped him of his raiment, and wounded him, and departed, leaving him half dead.”
In this marvelously comprehensive parable the Lord Jesus goes back to the original fall of man, and fills up in outline the whole interval, until He shall return again, bringing His reward with Him.
Man at the commencement of his downward course fell into evil hands, even into the hands of Satan and his associates, who stripped him of his innocence, and left him consciously naked, and unfit for the fellowship of God (Gen. 3:7-107And the eyes of them both were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together, and made themselves aprons. 8And they heard the voice of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day: and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God amongst the trees of the garden. 9And the Lord God called unto Adam, and said unto him, Where art thou? 10And he said, I heard thy voice in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked; and I hid myself. (Genesis 3:7‑10))—mortally wounded, for from that hour his body became mortal, and his soul ceased to breathe the breath of life in communion with his Maker.
Verses 31, 32. "And by chance [coincidence] there came down [was coming down] a certain priest that way, and when he saw him he passed by on the other side. And likewise (also) a Levite, when he was at the place, came and looked on him, and passed by on the other side,”
By these striking similitudes the Lord Jesus forcibly shows that the law utterly failed to meet the need of man in the condition in which he was left by Satan at the fall. The law, by its ritual, ceremonies, and sacrifices, just left man where he was, for the blood of bulls and goats could never take away sin.
This truth is taught by the priest passing by on the other side. Neither by the deeds of the law could any man living be justified. The Levite appeared to take more interest in the case, but he, too, failed to afford the needed help. It will be observed that both the priest and the Levite were traveling on the same downward road. All men being in the same lost condition, "none of them can by any means redeem his brother, nor give to God a ransom for him.”
Verse 33. "But a certain Samaritan, as he journeyed, came where he was; and when he saw him he had compassion on him.”
Although the Lord Jesus was of the tribe of Judah, yet He came to seek and to save that which was lost, whether Jew or Gentile, hence He Himself, at the well of Sychar, gave the water of life to a woman of Samaria. It is not said he was "coming down," like the priest and the Levite, but "a certain Samaritan, as he journeyed, came where he was." It was the visit of the heavenly stranger to this world of sin and woe, taking His place with the homeless and the needy, "a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief," seeing with His own eyes man's ruined and helpless condition, and having "compassion on him." Truly,
This was compassion like a God,
That when the Savior knew
The price of pardon was His blood,
His pity ne'er withdrew.”
Verse 34. "And went to him, and bound up his wounds, pouring in oil and wine, and set him on his own beast, and brought him to an inn, and took care of him.”
The Savior coming where man was is a symbol of His incarnation, for "The children being partakers of flesh and blood, He also Himself likewise took part of the same" (Heb. 2:1414Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself likewise took part of the same; that through death he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil; (Hebrews 2:14)); but this was a means to an end. "He went to him." He came to die; on the cross He came nearer still, for there "He was made sin for us, who knew no sin," bore the curse of the violated law, and "destroyed him that had the power of death, that is, the devil." There "He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; the chastisement of our peace was upon Him, and with His stripes we are healed" (Isa. 53:55But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed. (Isaiah 53:5)). And thus it was He bound up the wounds which sin and Satan had inflicted, and having been raised again from the dead and seated at the right hand of the Father, from thence He sent down the Comforter, thus "pouring in oil and wine," the consolation and joys of the Holy Ghost, into the troubled breast and wounded heart of the pardoned sinner. By the indwelling Spirit the redeemed believer is one in Spirit with his risen and exalted Lord, thus "raised up together and made sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus;" this is symbolized by the Samaritan setting "him on his own beast," in the seat which he himself occupied.
After bringing him to the inn, the Palace Beautiful as described by Bunyan, he is still the object of his tender care.
Verse 35. “And on the morrow, when he departed, he took out two pence, and gave them to the host, and said unto him, ' Take care of him, and whatsoever thou spendest more, when I come again I will repay thee '.”
The Lord Jesus, when He left this world to go to the Father, having ascended up on high, received gifts for men, and has given gifts to men, such as evangelists, pastors, and teachers, and the abundance of grace and all necessary gifts are provided for the edification and comfort of sinners saved by grace, every one of whom is to be received into the Church with this note of recommendation from the Lord: "Take care of him, and whatsoever thou spendest more, when I come again I will repay thee." And to those who bear office in the Church as the under-shepherds, this word of exhortation and promise is especially applicable; while each individual member is admonished to "have the same care one of another" (1 Cor. 12:2525That there should be no schism in the body; but that the members should have the same care one for another. (1 Corinthians 12:25)).
Thus we have seen that this beautiful parable of the Lord Jesus takes a comprehensive view of the history of man from the fall of our first parents to the return of the Lord Jesus, when He will reward every one according to his works, filling up the outline by noticing the giving of the law with its ceremonies and commandments, all failing to meet the need of the ruined man; the incarnation and atoning sacrifice of the Lord Jesus; the gift of the Holy Ghost at Pentecost; the Church, with its provisions and responsibilities; cheered with the prospect of His glorious return. Truly we may say, with the astonished officers of the Jews, "Never man spake like this man.”
Verses 36, 37. “‘Which now of these three, thinkest thou, was neighbor unto him that fell among the thieves?’ And he said, ‘He that showed mercy on him.' Then said Jesus unto him, ' Go, and do thou likewise '.”
We have here the application of the parable to the conscience of the lawyer. In the light of this clear presentation of the truth his Pharisaic prejudices were all destroyed, and with it, too, all hope of inheriting eternal life, on the ground of law-keeping, perished. The concluding words of the Lord Jesus, "Go, and do thou likewise," may be regarded as designed to complete the work of entire self-distrust, leading to the conclusion that apart from divine assistance and the grace of the Lord Jesus he could do nothing. In order to act like Christ it is necessary to have the Spirit of Christ. To those who are weary through laboring under the law, and whose conscience is burdened with sin, the words of the Lord Jesus, the true Good Samaritan, are, "Come unto Me and I will give thee rest," and then comes the exhortation, "Take my yoke upon you and learn of Me.”