Love for Neighbors

October 18, 2020 Background Scripture: Leviticus 19:18, 34; Luke 10:25 – 37 Lesson Passage: Luke 10:25 – 37 Jesus understood the entire scripture in such a profound way. Because of it, his explanations using scripture were simple and easy to understand by laypeople. Today’s lesson is an example of just that. The initial question Jesus was asked was put forth as a test—as an attempt to expose him as fraudulent. A teacher of the Law asked Jesus, “What shall I do to inherit eternal life?” It seems clear from the Lesson Passage that the lawyer thought he already knew the correct answer to his question. He was not asking Jesus to obtain information from him. He was asking to show others how little Jesus knew. Jesus asked him to answer his own question based on his knowledge of the Law. The lawyer answered by giving the same two scripture passages Jesus had used in another public setting when he was asked which of the commandments was the greatest. On that occasion, Jesus had said love for God with one’s total person and love for one’s neighbor fulfill the entirety of the Law and the Prophets. Since the lawyer responded by giving the same summary Jesus gave previously, Jesus told him that he would live eternally if he obeyed those two commandments. To this, the lawyer pushed his luck a little further. The lawyer asked a second question. The second question brought forth the most insight about the subject of loving one’s neighbor, “And who is my neighbor?” This is a very good question. If “love for one’s neighbor” is one of the keys to inheriting eternal life, then it is best we all know what that means. Jesus responded by putting forth a parable that illustrated the answer. Today we refer to the parable as the parable of the Good Samaritan. The parable consisted of four people with one of them being a victim of robbery and battery. It is probable that the Jewish listeners would have identified the injured person as a Jew since he was assaulted after he left Jerusalem. The other three are clearly identified by Jesus as a priest, a Levite, and a Samaritan. Adding the Samaritan to the mix makes this parable interesting. The Jews and Samaritans did not socialize and were considered hostile to each other. The injured man was looked at and avoided by the priest. The Levite came and looked at the man and then moved away from him. The Samaritan came to the place where the injured man lay and showed compassion to him. He administered some first aid to the man and then placed him on his beast and carried him to an inn where he could recover. The Samaritan paid the cost of the room and for the further care of the injured man. The Samaritan stated that he would return and pay any additional charges that may be incurred after he left. Jesus’ question to the lawyer was, “Who was the injured man’s neighbor?” The lawyer answered that it was the person who showed the man mercy. He probably couldn’t bring himself to say it was the “Samaritan”. To this, Jesus simply said “You go do the same thing.” Being neighborly has nothing to do with proximity of homes. Ultimately, how we treat people determine who our neighbors are. Love is a benevolent act of the will of man towards mankind and love is a submission of the will of man unto God. Both are required if we are going to love our neighbor as ourselves. Robert C. Hudson September 24, 2020