NOTES for Luk 10:25-37
25 And, behold, a certain lawyer stood up, and tempted him, saying, Master, what shall I do to inherit eternal life? |
26 He said unto him, What is written in the law? how readest thou? |
27 And 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 neighbour as thyself. |
28 And he said unto him, Thou hast answered right: this do, and thou shalt live. |
29 But he, willing to justify himself, said unto Jesus, And who is my neighbour? |
30 And 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. |
31 And by chance there came down a certain priest that way: and when he saw him, he passed by on the other side. |
32 And likewise a Levite, when he was at the place, came and looked on him, and passed by on the other side. |
33 But a certain Samaritan, as he journeyed, came where he was: and when he saw him, he had compassion on him, |
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. |
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. |
36 Which now of these three, thinkest thou, was neighbour unto him that fell among the thieves? |
37 And he said, He that shewed mercy on him. Then said Jesus unto him, Go, and do thou likewise. |
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Today I want to draw attention not to the parable of the Good Samaritan itself, about which very much has already been said and written, but to how Jesus answers the question. In the text we read that the lawyer asked the first question in order to test Jesus, and the second in order to justify himself. When we are asked about something and we see that the question is dishonest, insincere, do we answer in this way? First, unlike the Lord, we do not always perceive things correctly (and the Lord certainly knew whether the lawyer was sincere). Second, even if we are right, if we are asked insincerely, we either answer in the same spirit, formally, or refuse to answer at all. We deny the person the possibility of changing while listening to the answer; we deny God the possibility of putting into our mouths the answer that will return sincerity and truth to the conversation.
In this conversation we can see, as it were, three steps. First: the lawyer asks a provocative question, most likely carrying out someone else's will rather than his own. He is not very interested in the answer. Jesus answers as if the question had been asked for real. Second: the lawyer is stirred by the answer, feels guilty, and asks a question in order to justify himself, since he knows there is something for which he needs justification. The question is sincere, but not very honest. Jesus answers in such a way that He brings the lawyer to the level of real dialogue, and He Himself asks a question. The lawyer answers sincerely, and after this Jesus gives him a commandment, that is, establishes a relationship with him. The lawyer is now ready not only to hear, but also to fulfill the commandment: "Go and do likewise."
God trusts us so much that even when we lie to those around us, to ourselves, and to Him, He gives us a chance to become sincere and follow Him.
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