Key Scripture Luke 10.33-37 

But a certain Samaritan, as he journeyed, came where he was: and when he saw him, he had compassion on him, 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. 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.

*Which now of these three, thinkest thou, was neighbour unto him that fell among the thieves?

*And he said, HE THAT SHEWED MERCY ON HIM. Then said Jesus unto him, Go, and do thou likewise.

Relevance

In the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew chapters 5-7), Jesus outlined several heart types the Father has set aside for blessings. In v7, we find heart type No .5: Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy.

Mercy may not sound like much of a prize when stacked against the meek who inherit the earth, the pure in heart who see God, and the persecuted who inherit the kingdom of God. However, because some people receive mercy in so many situations when others don't, it may add to a lot of peace and confidence in their lives. This brings us to the story of the Samaritan. 

I know I've spoken about the Samaritan story several times, but today, I want to emphasise the message behind what Jesus said to the Jewish lawyer.

The set-up for the charge is in V36— Which now of these three, thinkest thou, was neighbour unto him that fell among the thieves?

When Jesus addressed the cocky lawyer's question in Luke 10.25, he was calling for the guy to deny himself, as He calls us all to do. 

In V36, He showed the Lawyer that the choice to become a neighbour rests with us, not commandments, church policies or family bias. We choose to join Neighbourhood Watch.

In the full story, both the Levite and the Priest had a choice to override man-made traditions and commandments, as David did when his team was hungry, by accepting the shewbread consecrated for use in the Tabernacle. (1 Samual 21:1-6). Obviously, both David and Ahimelech, the priest, correctly interpreted the situation concerning the controlling commandment. They both thought it acceptable to overrule it in the name of mercy. 

Further, Jesus reminded the Pharisees of Hosea 6:6 when He said, But if ye had known what this meaneth, I will have mercy, and not sacrifice, ye would not have condemned the guiltless. (Matthew 12:7)

Why did He remind them of that?

In the preceding verses, Jesus overruled another commandment by eating some wheat on the Sabbath for the sake of hunger.

To understand this contest between Christ and the priests, scribes, and Pharisees, we need to appreciate what they did to the law. They took a godly Sabbath out of context and used it as a means of lawfare to persecute people for gain. 

The Samaritan chose not to be elite like the priest and Levite, who had put the commandment above God's mercy, thus contributing to their two-tiered system of justice.

Although an outcast, the Samaritan chose the Lord's way—that of showing mercy by involving himself as much as needed in a merciful act, the end and cost of which he did not know. He imaged the Lord's heart of rolling his sleeves up and getting his hand dirty in extending mercy. 

The Samaritan story was simply a way for Jesus to highlight two consequential truths:

1. A lack of comprehension in stone hearts creates unmerciful lawfare—that mercy must be controlled and dictated within the bounds of a commandment, tradition, or local rule.

2. That God's real mercy in these types of cases has no bounds.

It's easy to get caught in day-to-day internal conflicts about who we help and who we don't. Jesus showed us through that compassionate Samaritan that we must choose to be Samaritans when the times arise.

 If you find yourself in that situation, choose to be a neighbour. God would like that!

Prayer

Dear Lord, Jesus used parables and simple stories so many times to get His points across. Yet, as simple and straightforward as they are, I can read them many times and still be enriched by something new. Thank you for this story. It touches on so many societal issues and navigates to a beautiful, godly conclusion. Praise you for your heart of mercy.

Photo by Michaela Murphy