The Parable of Love for One’s Neighbor, Luke 10:30-37
A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, when he was attacked by robbers. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him and went away, leaving him half dead. A priest happened to be going down the same road, and when he saw the man, he passed by on the other side. So too, a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. But a Samaritan, as he traveled, came where the man was; and when he saw him, he took pity on him. He went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he put the man on his own donkey, brought him to an inn and took care of him. The next day he took out two denarii and gave them to the innkeeper. “Look after him,” he said, “and when I return, I will reimburse you for any extra expense you may have.” (NIV)
The Parable of the Love for One’s Neighbor was prompted by a question that an expert in the Law asked Jesus with the purpose of “testing him” (v. 25a): “What must I do to inherit eternal life?” This man was likely someone who had heard Jesus’ teachings and was familiar with his ministry. That would explain why he called him “teacher” and, despite his erudition in the Old Testament Scriptures, asked him “what [he] must do to inherit eternal life” (v. 25b). Perhaps the “test” was intended to clarify doubts in his own heart.
Jesus encouraged the man to examine what the Law said on the matter, and the expert in the Law correctly answered, citing Deuteronomy 6:5 and Leviticus 19:18b: “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.” Jesus reaffirmed the truth of these scriptures and added, “Do this and you will live” (v. 28b). But among the Jews, the concept of “neighbor” was debatable. For most of them, “neighbor” was nothing more than the members of the people of Israel. Hence, the expert in the Law asked a second question: “Who is my neighbor?” And Jesus responded with this parable.
A man was going down the difficult and steep road from Jerusalem (762 m above sea level) to Jericho (251 m below sea level) and was attacked, robbed, and left badly wounded by the roadside. Then, a priest passed by and, seeing him, turned off the road and continued on his way. Next, a Levite—a descendant of the tribe of Levi who took care of Temple affairs—passed by and did the same. Finally, a Samaritan (Israelites who had racially interbred with the Assyrians in and after the 8th century BC), hated by the Jews, approached. He took pity on the wounded man by the roadside, treated his wounds, put him on his own animal, and took him to a place where he cared for him. The next day he paid for continued care until he recovered. Jesus asked the expert in the Law which of those three men was the wounded man’s neighbor, and again his answer was correct. Jesus told him, “Go and do likewise.”
For Jesus, the concept of neighbor transcends ethnic, social, religious and economic differences. His teaching is a challenge to each of us because we are reluctant to help others, especially when they are not connected in any way to us. But how else are we going to show our love for our neighbor? The church must incarnate God’s compassion. Throughout life, we will encounter many hurting people along the road, and each time this happens, the sincerity of our profession of faith will be tested. Will we stop to help them, or will we turn away from them?
In 1989, I lived with my wife and daughter in a poor neighborhood of Managua, Nicaragua, where the church I ministered was located. One weekend, I borrowed a car to go for a trip to the ocean. We had a great time, but on the way back, the car broke down, and we were stranded on the side of the road. Many vehicles passed by, slowing down to see what was happening, but none stopped. After about an hour, a Toyota Land Cruiser pulled up in front of us, and I recognized several brothers from my same congregation. The driver—whom we’ll call José—was visiting Nicaragua. He greeted me and decided he was going to pull us with a thick rope to the capital city. It was clearly a difficult and dangerous endeavor, but José had decided not to abandon us by the side of the road. I thanked him, and we proceeded to tie the rope to both cars. After a few kilometers, the rope snapped for the first time. And later, a second and a third time. Then, one of the brothers in the truck lost his patience and asked José to leave us there because it would soon be dark and it would be very risky and dangerous to continue pulling us. But José refused and continued pulling us until we reached the city.
Thirty-six years have passed since that incident, but I will never forget the love and compassion this brother showed us. He was my neighbor on that occasion, and I will always be grateful to him. The person who told José to leave us by the side of the road was an older man, with many years in the church and very knowledgeable in the Scriptures. Unfortunately, he hadn’t understood the inseparable connection between loving God and loving one’s neighbor as oneself. Would I have done the same for José? I don’t know, but that’s for sure what Jesus would expect from me.
