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[Announcer] (0:00 - 0:33) Think about the Bible like you never have before. Experience more episodes, videos, and Bible study resources at ChristianQuestions.com. Our topic is: "What Does Being A Good Samaritan Really Mean?" The parable when Jesus spoke about the Good Samaritan is well known. Its deeper meaning is not. It turns out that a big part of this teaching has a current-day application that zeroes in on some of our core cultural issues.

What is Jesus' prominent point, and how can it change us? Here's Rick and Jonathan.

[Rick] (0:35 - 0:43) Welcome everyone. I'm Rick. I'm joined by Jonathan, my co-host for over 25 years.

Jonathan, what's our theme scripture for this episode?

[Jonathan] (0:44 - 0:55) Luke 10:33-34: "But a Samaritan, who was on a journey, came upon him; and when he saw him, he felt compassion, and came to him and bandaged up his wounds..."

[Rick] (0:55 - 1:50) Most people know something about the Parable of the Good Samaritan. The core thought that is well known is the concept of helping a total stranger in a time of their great physical need. Think about it.

There are laws in place to protect those who engage in helping strangers in case something goes wrong. They're called "Good Samaritan" laws. There are organizations in place to promote these kinds of acts of brotherly kindness.

There are ministries and hospitals that bear this name. As wonderful as all of this is, the message Jesus was giving when he spoke this parable is far deeper. The bottom line is, if we work on understanding and actually applying his true message, we will learn to become not only true neighbors, but we will also grow to be that much closer to the image of Christ.

Let's begin with a question. Why did Jesus even speak this parable?

[Jonathan] (1:51 - 2:08) A little context: One of the traditional ways to communicate with the learned men of Israel was by asking questions. First one would ask a question, and then the other man would respond to the question and then ask a question of his own. Jesus knew all about this method.

[Rick] (2:09 - 2:35) The Good Samaritan would prove to be a profound answer to an important question. This parable unfolded as Jesus was being specifically challenged by a doctor of the Law, a lawyer, on his true understanding of what the Law meant. This challenge was packaged in very respectful language. It asked a very big question. Jonathan, let's get started with this. Luke 10:25:

[Jonathan] (2:35 - 3:22) "And a lawyer stood up and put him to the test, saying, Teacher, what should I do to inherit eternal life?" The question had a very obvious Jewish Law-based answer, whose detail could easily be debated by those of a learned capacity. This indeed was a test for this "rogue" teacher named Jesus. How strong of a test was this? "Put to the test" means "to test thoroughly." This word for "test" was only used four times in the New Testament. One other use we see is in Matthew 4:7. This is where Jesus is being tempted by Satan: "Jesus said to him, On the other hand, it is written, YOU SHALL NOT PUT THE LORD YOUR GOD TO THE TEST."

[Rick] (3:22 - 4:01) The lawyer is asking him--and the scripture says--he's doing this to test him. It's a serious thing. He's asking a legitimate question, but we can see by scripture his motivation was to really see what this "rogue" preacher Jesus, as you put it, what he was made of. Jesus' response to this question was also respectful. I love this! He essentially got the lawyer to give the answer to his own question. Jesus asked him a question. Just like you said, Jonathan, this bantering back and forth with questions was very common among learned individuals. He asked him a question to give the lawyer's own educated perspective. Let's go to Luke 10:26-27:

[Jonathan] (4:01 - 4:15) "And he said to him, What is written in the Law? How does it read to you? And he answered, 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."

[Rick] (4:15 - 4:44) This answer is appropriate and it's comprehensive, but it's interesting. Jesus asked him, "Tell me what you think." Of course, this individual, being a doctor of the Law, is going to jump to that challenge to show his knowledge. He gives an appropriate and comprehensive answer. Actually, the lawyer's answer is directly from Deuteronomy and Leviticus.

[Jonathan] (4:44 - 5:02) Deuteronomy 6:4-5: "Hear, O Israel! The LORD is our God, the LORD is one! You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might." Leviticus 19:18: "You shall not take vengeance, nor bear any grudge against the sons of your people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself; I am the LORD."

[Rick] (5:02 - 5:25) The lawyer knows his scriptures, and that's a good thing. You commend him for knowing his scriptures. He drew that answer from the books of Deuteronomy and Leviticus.

What does Jesus do? Jesus verifies the answer. Well, how does he verify the answer?

He also uses sacred scripture. He uses scripture from Leviticus. Let's look at Luke 10:28:

[Jonathan] (5:25 - 5:30) "And he (Jesus) said to him, You have answered correctly; DO THIS AND YOU WILL LIVE."

[Rick] (5:30 - 5:36) "Do this and you will live" is directly from Leviticus! Let's look at Leviticus 18:4-5:

[Jonathan] (5:37 - 5:54) "You are to perform My judgments and keep My statutes, to live in accord with them; I am the LORD your God. So you shall keep My statutes and My judgments, by which a man may live if he does them; I am the LORD." Okay! Everybody agrees.

Can we all go home now?

[Rick] (5:55 - 6:15) No, of course not! Of course not! The lawyer has another more difficult question because that's what he's doing. He's putting things in place so he can test Jesus.

He asked this next more difficult question and he doesn't hesitate to ask it; again, the scriptures tell us, for a very specific reason. Let's go to Luke 10:29:

[Jonathan] (6:15 - 6:35) "But wishing to justify himself, he said to Jesus, And who is my neighbor?" The lawyer seems to be pressing Jesus into a battle of words and interpretations based upon the Law. This was HIS territory. He was good at it! Would Jesus take his challenge?

[Rick] (6:36 - 7:27) This is my imagination, folks. This is not necessarily scripture, but this lawyer is looking pretty smug. Okay, I've answered my own question. You've verified my answer, but I am not stopping there. I'm now going to really put the test to you.

"Who is my neighbor?" See what you think of that. I mean, you get that sense that he's really showing how smart he is.

What does Jesus do? Well, he's going to step above this chatter as this has now become a powerful teaching moment. We see somebody giving an answer, maybe that's a little arrogant, and we go, "Oh my goodness!" Jesus sees somebody giving that answer and says, "Hmm, what a great teaching moment!" Jesus knew that the Law never said to hate those who are different. On the contrary, he commanded the people to be kind and respectful to all.

Now we're going to go further and look at how Jesus thinks toward his next step.

[Jonathan] (7:28 - 8:16) An interesting side point; when the lawyer quotes scripture he is referring to Leviticus 19, and Jesus knows this. Let's read Leviticus 19:9-10: "Now when you reap the harvest of your land, you shall not reap to the very corners of your field... Nor shall you glean your vineyard, nor shall you gather the fallen fruit of your vineyard; you shall leave them for the needy and for the stranger. I am the LORD your God." Several verses later in Leviticus 19:33-34: "When a stranger resides with you in your land, you shall not do him wrong. The stranger who resides with you shall be to you as the native among you, and you shall love him as yourself, for you were aliens in the land of Egypt; I am the LORD your God."

[Rick] (8:16 - 9:03) It's interesting, Jonathan, several of the scriptures you're reading end with, "I am the Lord." It's just giving you the sense that He's reminding them, this comes from Me. That is going to weigh heavily as we go through this. Jesus knows where he's quoting from, and he's got it in his mind. You see these scriptures unfold to tell you what neighborly action actually looks like. Now nobody's talking about these scriptures, but they're in the background. Jesus had already laid out--previous to this conversation--he'd already laid out his own clear and unwavering perspective on how all of this should work. He did that in the Sermon on the Mount. Let's just go there for a moment and get Jesus' pre-stated perspective on this. Matthew 5:43-45:

[Jonathan] (9:03 - 9:22) "You have heard that it was said, YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR and hate your enemy. But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven; for He causes His sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous."

[Rick] (9:22 - 10:02) Jesus is already incredibly secure in where he's coming from. He doesn't have to worry about the question, "Who is your neighbor?" He already knows the answer, but here's what he does. To answer this question (so then, who is your neighbor?) Jesus would next tell a story, a story that had clear and present relevance to each and every listener, because there's other people listening to this conversation.

He's going to tell a story that everybody gets. He would use a real life example of people towards whom the Jews had a generational hatred...a generational hatred. Jesus would talk about a Samaritan.

[Jonathan] (10:03 - 10:15) The wisdom of Jesus is so profound! He will use Leviticus 19 to create this parable without violating one single word, and Jesus does it with grace.

[Rick] (10:15 - 10:42) What we want to do is we want to unfold the truly amazing tension-filled history between the Samaritans and the Jewish people throughout this episode. There's so much history, we're not going to do it all at once. We want to do it in pieces.

This understanding of this tension, this generational tension, profoundly deepens the lesson that Jesus is teaching. Let's start with a look at Nelson's Illustrated Bible Dictionary on this:

[Jonathan] (10:43 - 11:10) "... The Samaritans were a 'mixed race' contaminated by foreign blood and false worship. The Jewish historian Josephus indicates that the Samaritans were also opportunists. When the Jews enjoyed prosperity, the Samaritans were quick to acknowledge their blood relationship. But when the Jews suffered hard times, the Samaritans disowned any such kinship, declaring that they were descendants of Assyrian immigrants."

[Rick] (11:11 - 11:46) You have this scenario where, because "the Samaritans were a mixed race contaminated by foreign blood," there's a natural divergence that's happening. Now, should it happen? We'll be talking about that. But you've got these peoples that through generations are growing, and they're not growing together, they're growing apart.

We're going to be looking at Albert Barnes's Commentary on the Bible, and he gives several points about the divergence between these two peoples and how it grew over time. We're going to take a look at the first point from Albert Barnes's commentary here:

[Jonathan] (11:47 - 12:11) "The Jews, after the return from Babylon, set about rebuilding their temple. The Samaritans offered to aid them. The Jews, however, perceiving that it was not from a love of true religion, but that they might obtain a part of the favors granted to the Jews by Cyrus, rejected their offer. The consequence was, that a state of long and bitter animosity arose between them and the Jews."

[Rick] (12:12 - 13:09) We are going all the way back, according to this commentary, to the time of Cyrus. Cyrus did give favor to the Jews. What's happening is you're seeing that there was this tugging between these two peoples at that time. This is hundreds and hundreds of years before. Jonathan, what we're going to see is this animosity is so ingrained that the people at Jesus' day don't even know why. It's just there.

It's just natural. It's just what they grow up and they grow into. This becomes an incredibly important point when Jesus is going to tell the Parable of The Good Samaritan. Let's put this introduction, if you will, into order. As we do that, we want to look at The Power of People Helping People. The power of an individual stepping up to help another individual, regardless of who they are and where they come from.

[Jonathan] (13:09 - 13:24) Jesus is the example when it comes to how we are to care about others, especially those with whom we have nothing in common. As we shall see, learning what to do is one thing, and actually doing it is another.

[Rick] (13:24 - 13:48) Yeah, it's really easy to say, "Oh, I get that! What a profound lesson. I feel so good!" But it's something different to actually change the way you live your life. It really is something that requires a lot of attention. We haven't even begun to tell a story and already we can see how the power of personal ego and position can skew our view of reality.

[Jonathan] (13:49 - 13:57) Jesus is about to teach a lesson that will certainly ruffle some feathers! How does he set it up so his audience will listen?

[Rick] (13:58 - 14:27) The wisdom, the wisdom with which Jesus approached each and every experience of his earthly ministry cannot be overstated. He ALWAYS knew who was listening, understood their condition of heart and mind, and ALWAYS delivered much needed answers. He would begin this story with a scene that was familiar to everyone.

[Jonathan] (14:28 - 15:17) Before we do that, Rick, let's get back to the history of the Jewish/Samaritan issues. Albert Barnes' second point: "While Nehemiah was engaged in building the walls of Jerusalem, the Samaritans used every art to thwart him in his undertaking." The third point: "The Samaritans at length obtained leave of the Persian monarch to build a temple for themselves. This was erected on Mount Gerizim, and they strenuously contended that that was the place designated by Moses as the place where the nation should worship. Sanballat, the leader of the Samaritans, constituted his son-in-law, Manasses, high priest. The religion of the Samaritans thus became perpetuated, and an irreconcilable hatred arose between them and the Jews."

[Rick] (15:18 - 16:07) Okay, so what do we have here? We have that while Nehemiah was engaged in building the walls, this develops in a big way. You have the Samaritans looking to thwart them.

You have this war of the peoples, and this is maybe one hundred years after the original thing with Cyrus. You've got a long time in between. Sanballat, who's mentioned in the book of Nehemiah as being one of those who opposed Nehemiah, he's a Samaritan. He's the one who's trying to make everything blow up. You can see that this hatred between peoples was going to continue to grow. This is ancient history; for the Jews of Jesus' time it's ancient history, never mind now. But you can see there is something big in between these peoples, and it's not going to let go anytime soon. Now let's get to the story; Luke 10:30:

[Jonathan] (16:08 - 16:42) "Jesus replied and said, A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell among robbers, and they stripped him and beat him, and went away leaving him half dead." Let's look at a comment from Jamieson, Fausset & Brown Commentary: "...from Jerusalem to Jericho--a distance of 19 miles northeast, a deep and very fertile hollow." Referring to the robbers: "...the road, being rocky and desolate, was a notorious haunt of robbers, then and for ages after, and even to this day."

[Rick] (16:42 - 17:20) This was nothing new, and Jesus was very good at using nothing new to give them something new! This was a common journey, taken on a common road between two well-known cities. Jesus, once again, is teaching the most important lessons and using the most common aspects of life.

There's a great wisdom in being able to take something so well understood and then use it to say, "And now here's something else to consider." This robbery would have been no surprise to any of his audience. Take note of the direction he was traveling though.

The man was on his way from Jerusalem to Jericho. Let's look at Luke 10:31, now continuing:

[Jonathan] (17:20 - 17:44) "And by chance a priest was going down on that road, and when he saw him, he passed by on the other side." Henry Alford's New Testament for English Readers says: "Many priests journeyed this way, for Jericho was a priestly city; this man is perhaps represented as having been up to Jerusalem in the order of his course, and returning."

[Rick] (17:44 - 18:03) Jonathan, pause there. It says, "in the order of his course." What does that mean?

These priests would live in Jericho and they'd come to Jerusalem to serve their term in the priesthood, in the temple, doing holy things. What you see is he is done with his work and heading back to Jericho.

[Jonathan] (18:03 - 18:26) Continuing: "The Law and the Prophets enjoined the act of mercy which this priest refused..." An important point we don't want to miss is that this priest was "going down," meaning he had left the higher elevation from Jerusalem and he was most likely going home, having finished serving for the day. The lawyer would have picked up on that detail.

[Rick] (18:26 - 19:12) Yeah. He's leaving Jerusalem, going to Jericho, and Jesus says that the man was going from Jerusalem to Jericho. They're both going the same direction. What happened? This priest, this individual who personally held responsibilities to not only uphold the Law but to be an example to all of the people, he sees this beaten man who is presumably a Jew. The priest is also going from Jerusalem to Jericho.

He's going the same direction. The word for "see"--it said "by chance a priest was going down on that road and when he saw him,"--the word for "saw" indicates perceiving and not merely noticing. Upon seeing him, the priest stayed as far away from him as possible.

[Jonathan] (19:12 - 19:18) Rick, he even walked around him. He went around the other side of the road to avoid him.

[Rick] (19:18 - 19:50) Yes. They're on the same side of the road. What had happened would have been right in front of his face. What does he do? He doesn't just sidestep. He avoids it as far as possible.

It's like, I am NOT getting near to this mess! Now think about this; these actions that this priest was involved in, this reaction to seeing a beaten and bloodied man on the road was in direct contradiction to the Law's instruction. Let's look at Exodus 23:4-5:

[Jonathan] (19:50 - 20:22) "If you meet your enemy's ox or his donkey wandering away, you shall surely return it to him. If you see the donkey of one who hates you lying helpless under its load, you shall refrain from leaving it to him, you shall surely release it with him." The priest would have known this. What was this priest thinking that made him not only disobey the compassion that the Law required, but leaving a suffering, dying man helpless and hopeless? We'll wait to answer that.

[Rick] (20:51 - 21:08) That's a big question. Before we answer it though, let’s ask ourselves a question because this is the unfolding of this big lesson. Look, this is just the beginning of the unfolding. The mirror question that we need to ask ourselves is pretty straightforward: What would make me so numb to the suffering and difficulties of others as I go on my way? What would make me just not be affected by such a thing? Think about that—not about the priest—about that for me, for you, as we go through this account. Let's go further because you've got this priest, this high representative of the Jewish Law, this holy person doing this action. But there's more to this story as Jesus unfolds it; Luke 10:32:

[Jonathan] (21:08 - 21:20) "Likewise, a Levite also, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side." The Levite is obviously going down just like the priest because he passed by on the other side.

[Rick] (21:20 - 21:39) All three of the characters in this account, this story, this parable, are going exactly the same direction. One gets robbed and is left essentially for dead and the other two completely avoid him. Let's go to another commentary on this; just some interesting facts, bibliatodo.com, in terms of Levites in their position:

[Jonathan] (21:39 - 22:02) "The Levites were the tribe of Israelites descended from Levi, one of the twelve sons of Jacob. The priests of Israel were a group of qualified men from within the tribe of the Levites who had responsibility over aspects of the tabernacle or temple worship. All priests were to be Levites, according to the Law, but not all Levites were priests."

[Rick] (22:02 - 23:10) As we unfold the story of The Good Samaritan, the two players in relation to this wounded man are one of the highest order; the priesthood who actually serve in the temple, and then you've got the next level down, the Levites who serve around and help the priest do the things that are supposed to be honoring to God. What about this Levite? He's going the same direction as the priest and he does, like you said, he does the same thing.

He goes on the other side. He knew the Law and he too avoided any contact or interaction with this dying man. Once again, these actions were in direct contradiction to the Law's instruction. We're focusing on that because Jesus is answering this question, "Who is my neighbor?" What he's doing is, he's relying on the principles of the Law by telling a story to show them what being a neighbor really means. Let's look to another Old Testament scripture to verify this, Deuteronomy 22:1-2, 4:

[Jonathan] (23:10 - 23:55) "You shall not see your countryman's ox or his sheep straying away, and pay no attention to them; you shall certainly bring them back to your countryman. If your countryman is not near you, or if you do not know him, then you shall bring it home to your house, and it shall remain with you until your countryman looks for it; then you shall restore it to him... You shall not see your countryman's donkey or his ox fallen down on the way, and pay no attention to them; you shall certainly help him to raise them up." Same question for the Levite: What was this Levite thinking that made him not only disobey the compassion that the Law required, but leave a suffering, dying man helpless and hopeless?

[Rick] (23:55 - 24:58) Jonathan, before we get to the mirror question and the answer, let's just review for a minute what the Law just said. It's talking about your countryman's ox or his sheep, and he's saying if they're even lost on the road, you take responsibility for that lost animal. You bring it home with you if you have to. You don't let it just go. If your countryman's donkey is falling down, you don't walk away and say, "Oh, poor animal!" You stop and you take care of that animal and you try to get it back on its feet.

If you do that for animals, for goodness sakes, shouldn't you do that for human beings?! He asked the question, what was with this Levite and what was with his thinking? This is a direct contradiction of the compassion that was shown in the Old Testament Law, and it was very plain. It was very simple. It was very straightforward. Let's ask a question of ourselves again, the mirror question: What would make me so numb to the suffering and difficulties of others as I go on my way? What would make me do that?

[Jonathan] (24:59 - 25:29) Rick, the answer to this question should be about self-reflection and not by pointing a finger. The priest and the Levite really didn't have an excuse, but the bigger question is: Do I?! Do I make excuses?

Am I too self-important or too preoccupied? Am I too busy because my schedule is too tight? Do I look at the situation and conclude that the cost of stopping outweighs the value of helping?

[Rick] (25:29 - 26:00) Does the cost of stopping outweigh the value of helping? This is not the whole story. As bad as this is, this is the introduction to the real point of the story.

Folks, as we look at this, we have to ask ourselves, am I in a position where I could be like that priest or that Levite? If I am, I have to ask myself, what am I doing there? How am I sitting in that place?

You've got to think about this! Jonathan, let's go back to the point; The Power of People Helping People.

[Jonathan] (26:00 - 26:25) It is easy to look at this priest and this Levite and quietly nod our heads in disappointment. What is harder is to look at ourselves and review the times when and the places where we had the opportunity to lighten someone's load or help someone out or be a glimmer of hope when there was none. How am I to live with simple and selfless kindness?

[Rick] (26:26 - 27:07) What am I going to do to just--it's a small adjustment-- it comes down to saying, I'm not going to walk by! That's all it is! It truly is! But I've got... but I can't... but... but... NO! I'm not going to walk by! That's what we need to be looking at when we address this particular parable. Remember, he's talking to a lawyer who's kind of smug in his perspective. "Who is my neighbor?" Tell me that! He (Jesus) is building a case to show who his neighbor was in a very, very, very powerful way. Experience could be a great teacher, but observation can certainly save us from some headaches. Let's observe and learn what NOT to do.

[Jonathan] (27:08 - 27:16) So far, the story that Jesus is telling is heartbreaking. What happens next to break the heartbreak?

[Rick] (27:17 - 27:49) It's at this point that Jesus will introduce a Samaritan into the drama. It is so important for us to realize the depth of reaction that would have been sparked in his audience as this unknown and, frankly, undesired Samaritan man became the hero of the day. Every aspect of compassion and kindness that any of his listeners personally hope for would be reflected in this outsider.

[Jonathan] (27:50 - 28:40) Here are two more points from Albert Barnes. Number four: "Afterwards, Samaria became a place of resort for all the outlaws of Judea. They received willingly all the Jewish criminals, and refugees from justice. The violators of the Jewish laws, and those who had been excommunicated, betook themselves for safety to Samaria, and greatly increased their numbers and the hatred which subsisted between the two nations." Point number five: "The Samaritans received only the five books of Moses, and rejected the writings of the prophets, and all the Jewish traditions. From these causes arose an irreconcilable difference between them, so that the Jews regarded them as the worst of the human race and had no dealings with them."

[Rick] (28:41 - 29:21) Let's pause there, because up to this point we were like, well, and the Samaritans wouldn't do this and they wouldn't do that and on and on and on. Here in this commentary, he's saying the Jews regarded them "as the worst of the human race and had no dealings with them." How do we know that to be true?

Let's look at a scriptural example of one of the best insults. People sometimes, when they're in a situation, they want to really get to the people on the other side. Let me dig deep and find the biggest insult I can give.

In Jesus' day, here's one of the biggest insults you could give. This is the educated Jews talking to Jesus because they don't like what he's saying. John 8:48-49:

[Jonathan] (29:21 - 29:28) "The Jews answered and said to him, Do we not say rightly that you are a Samaritan and have a demon?..."

[Rick] (29:28 - 29:32) There it is! There it is! That's the big insult! "...You are a Samaritan" and "you have a demon."

[Jonathan] (29:33 - 29:44) "...Jesus answered, I do not have a demon; but I honor my Father, and you dishonor me." But a subtle point; Jesus doesn't say he's not a Samaritan.

He just lets that go.

[Rick] (29:44 - 30:14) He does. The only thing he responds to is, "I do not have a demon... I honor my Father." The Samaritan part he completely leaves out of the picture. But that was the best insult. You want to insult somebody, call him a Samaritan.

I mean, that's the kind of people that they were looking at across the way, so to speak. Jesus bringing the Samaritan into this story as he's going to do right now is a big, big deal. Let's look now how it's introduced; Luke 10:33-34:

[Jonathan] (30:15 - 30:30) "But a Samaritan, who was on a journey, came upon him; and when he saw him, he felt compassion, and came to him and bandaged up his wounds, pouring oil and wine on them; and he put him on his own beast, and brought him to an inn and took care of him."

[Rick] (30:30 - 30:49) This Samaritan is on a journey. He had someplace to be just like the priest and the Levite. He also saw, he perceived the man's condition, just like the priest and the Levite. What's the difference? The difference is the Samaritan had compassion. He had human compassion.

[Jonathan] (30:50 - 31:05) This word for "compassion" means to be deeply moved from the depths of your heart and is only used in the New Testament when Jesus is describing someone in a parable or in describing the compassion of Jesus himself. It's not a common word.

[Rick] (31:06 - 31:20) No, used like you said, only four times and mostly in regards to parables. Let's just look at a couple of examples of the use of this word "compassion" here, which you said means to be deeply moved from the depths of your heart. Matthew 20:34:

[Jonathan] (31:21 - 31:32) "Moved with compassion, Jesus touched their eyes; and immediately they regained their sight and followed him." Jesus healed because of his deep compassion.

[Rick] (31:32 - 31:37) You see compassion attached to healing. Let's look at Mark 6:34:

[Jonathan] (31:37 - 31:52) "When Jesus went ashore, he saw a large crowd, and he felt compassion for them because they were like sheep without a shepherd; and he began to teach them many things." Jesus taught them because of his deep compassion.

[Rick] (31:52 - 32:38) When Jesus says he "felt compassion," you can see that the kind of feeling isn't oh, poor guy. There's nothing, oh man, you're having a bad day. There's this profound personal changing response that says, look at how deeply this suffering is going on.

Something needs to be done and I'm going to do it! That's the kind of compassion that Jesus in this story is saying, the Samaritan--the bad guy--the Samaritan has this kind of compassion. What did the Samaritan do?

Let's touch on this quickly. Right there on the road in the middle of his journey, he stops and he ministers to this wounded man. Three things; first, he treated the stranger's wounds with oil to ease his pain and with wine to clean them.

[Jonathan] (32:39 - 32:41) This cost him his personal goods.

[Rick] (32:41 - 32:41) Yes.

[Jonathan] (32:41 - 32:42) How about us?

[Rick] (32:43 - 32:50) Okay, alright! He transported the wounded stranger to safety and walked alongside of him.

[Jonathan] (32:50 - 32:55) He walked next to him, expending his physical energy. How about us?

[Rick] (32:55 - 33:03) Yeah. What about me? Third point; he spent the night caring for this wounded stranger.

[Jonathan] (33:03 - 33:08) He gave of his time and sacrificed his sleep. How about us?

[Rick] (33:08 - 34:09) He was moved with compassion. See how long it took us to explain this? Jesus did it in two sentences, okay? In just a few words, he put this in such profound perspective to say, this is what being a neighbor is. Jesus showed us what true compassion looks like in a most unlikely way.

He was demonstrating the dedication toward our fellow man needed to truly fulfill our highest expressions of love for God. Let's pause here for a second because there's a big point. We say we love God.

Wonderful! That's a great thing to say! How do we show that love for God?

God showed His love for us by sending His only begotten son. God shows His love for us with His providence in our lives. God shows His love for us by holding us in the palm of His hand. How do we show our love for God? We can't do those things for God, but we can serve others. That's the point that Jesus is making here. A wonderful scripture that gives us the sense of who Jesus was and what he did; Isaiah 61:1-2:

[Jonathan] (34:09 - 34:29) "The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me, because the LORD has anointed me to bring good news to the afflicted; He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to captives and freedom to prisoners; to proclaim the favorable year of the LORD and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all who mourn."

[Rick] (34:29 - 35:03) Jesus knows he's sent to do what? To do his Father's will. How is that done?

Through compassion. It is through taking the gifts that he has given and freely giving them to others. When this lawyer says, well, tell me, who do you think your neighbor is? Jesus' answer is not going to be getting into a little back and forth debate. He's going to give an example of being a true neighbor that is undeniable and irrefutable and just makes it clear. The Parable of The Good Samaritan is so well known.

[Jonathan] (35:04 - 35:04) Sure.

[Rick] (35:04 - 35:25) But it is so profound and so deep beyond what's well known, and that's what we're trying to get down to now. Let's go back to it. Did the Samaritan stop there? No, he didn't stop there.

Why didn't he stop there? Because the work of compassion that he had been presented with wasn't yet complete. That's another enormous lesson! What else does he do? Let's look at Luke 10:35:

[Jonathan] (35:25 - 35:37) "On the next day he took out two denarii and gave them to the innkeeper and said, Take care of him; and whatever more you spend, when I return I will repay you."

[Rick] (35:37 - 35:45) Two points; first, he left enough money for the stranger's care in his absence. Two denarii would equal two days wages.

[Jonathan] (35:45 - 35:47) This was a great cost to him!

[Rick] (35:47 - 35:48) It was.

[Jonathan] (35:48 - 35:49) How about us?

[Rick] (35:49 - 36:01) Okay, you keep asking me that, and you're right! How about us?

Two days wages, and he offered to pay any unpaid balance for the stranger's care when he returned from his own responsibilities.

[Jonathan] (36:01 - 36:12) He was willing to go over and above what he had already given. What about us? Well, looking at the big picture, the Samaritan was selfless.

Sounds like Christlikeness.

[Rick] (36:13 - 36:36) It does! It does, and Jesus is using the enemy of the people to show that kind of compassion and care. In this next scripture, God is speaking to Israel through Isaiah about what He wants from His people. Because they were saying, Lord, we fast and You're not hearing us. We're doing all these things and You're not listening. Here's what He says in Isaiah 58:6-8:

[Jonathan] (36:36 - 37:14) "Is this not the fast which I choose, to loosen the bonds of wickedness, to undo the bands of the yoke, and to let the oppressed go free and break every yoke? Is it not to divide your bread with the hungry and bring the homeless poor into the house; when you see the naked, to cover him; and not to hide yourself from your own flesh? Then your light will break out like the dawn, and your recovery will speedily spring forth; and your righteousness will go before you; the glory of the LORD will be your rear guard." This is how you gain God's favor: You treat your neighbor as yourself.

[Rick] (37:15 - 38:01) In this complaint of Israel to God, God is responding by saying, "divide your bread with the hungry." This man gave up his financial well-being to help someone else. "Bring the homeless poor into the house." Couldn't bring him home. He brought him to the nearest place where he can help him get well. "When you see the naked...cover him." He did everything that this lawyer knew the Law said. You just see how powerful this is. Be focused on righteous living and spreading that righteousness to others.

That's the message here that Jesus is expressing and he's expressing it through the actions of the "bad guy," the Samaritan. The Law and the prophets absolutely showed us what's important if we truly love God with our heart, mind, soul, and strength. The New Testament also shows us; James 2:14-18:

[Jonathan] (38:02 - 38:42) "What use is it, my brethren, if someone says he has faith but he has no works? Can that faith save him? If a brother or sister is without clothing and in need of daily food, and one of you says to them, Go in peace, be warmed and be filled, and yet you do not give them what is necessary for their body, what use is that? Even so faith, if it has no works, is dead, being by itself. But someone may well say, You have faith and I have works; show me your faith without the works and I will show you my faith by my works." James is teaching that we need to live what we profess. Think about it. If we don't, we are hypocritical.

[Rick] (38:42 - 39:02) Jesus is telling this parable and he's showing a lack on the part of the priest and a lack on the part of the Levite in terms of fulfilling what they both knew was truly required of them. This is a powerful, powerful lesson! Jonathan, The Power of People Helping People; what do we have?

[Jonathan] (39:02 - 39:19) The priest and the Levite showed us what our lives look like when we have so much inner focus. We run away from challenging but incredibly profitable experiences. The Samaritan showed us what it looks like when we allow ourselves to see others' needs above our own.

[Rick] (39:19 - 41:08) When you see someone else's needs above your own, it changes things. Now I'm not thinking about me. I'm thinking about this individual who has something that I might be able to help with.

The mirror question, the personal question we have to ask ourselves is: What do I see when attending to the business of my day? Is there room for the others? You know what, folks? You probably have room in your schedule. The question is, do you have room in your heart? That's the bottom line question here.

Jonathan, I want to tell a quick personal story. It's actually a story that my wife, Trish, shared with me just a couple of days ago. I'm working on this and she says--we were driving down the road somewhere-- she says, you know that homeless guy that's always on this corner over here? I said, Yeah. She says, well, his little cardboard sign says that he's a veteran and he's homeless and so forth. What she did, she went home and she looked up Veterans Administration Benefits for all veterans and she printed them out and she put them in an envelope and she got a little $10 gift card to McDonald's and put it in there. When she drove by there, she stopped and rolled down her window and said, I've got something for you. He's like, oh really? She explained, in here there's a gift card for some food, but there is the Veterans Administration; these are the ways they can help you. You say you're a veteran.

You should be looking to see to get the kind of help that you deserve, that you can have. I was really blown away by that. I would have never thought to do that.

It was just going out of your way to say to somebody, help yourself. He had the capacity to help himself and it was just a really powerful small example of a way that we could just take a few extra minutes and do something for somebody else. You don't know what's going to come of that, but what you know is that you gave him the thought to be able to stand up because if he could stand there all those hours and hold up a sign, he can go to the VA.

[Jonathan] (41:08 - 41:09) That's right.

[Rick] (41:09 - 41:22) What a great, great example. We've all heard the saying, follow the leader. Well to follow the leader, we need to FIND the leader. The question is, are we looking?

[Jonathan] (41:23 - 41:29) Jesus has finished with his story. How does he now bring home the powerful lessons that he was teaching?

[Rick] (41:30 - 42:03) Jesus always knew how to finish what he started. This lawyer who was testing him had set up a parlay of questions with Jesus. Now Jesus continued to not only participate, but he controlled this parlay with one final and piercing question.

As we will see, once this question is answered, there will be no more room for speculation, no more room for opinion regarding what God wants from His people.

[Jonathan] (42:03 - 42:42) Rick, before we go back to Jesus's lesson, let's look at some more history from John Trapp's Complete Commentary: "... the Jews therefore hated the presence, the fire, the fashion, the books of a Samaritan. Neither was there any hatred lost on the Samaritan’s part; for if he had but touched a Jew, he would have thrown himself into the next water, clothes and all; both of them equally sick of do not touch me." Do we have a disdain like this for anyone along the lines of religion, race, politics, or social differences?

[Rick] (42:43 - 43:10) That's a thought. Do we get so upset and frustrated with people in "that camp" that we kind of fall into this kind of animosity? Took them generations and generations to develop.

It takes us social media. That's how we develop our problems. Let's look at an example of this animosity at work alongside of Jesus with his disciples.

Look at Luke 9:52-56:

[Jonathan] (43:10 - 43:44) "...and he (Jesus) sent messengers on ahead of him, and they went and entered a village of the Samaritans to make arrangements for him. But they did not receive him, because he was traveling towards Jerusalem. When his disciples James and John saw this, they said, Lord, do you want us to command fire to come down from heaven and consume them? But he turned and rebuked them and said, You do not know what kind of spirit you are of; for the Son of Man did not come to destroy men’s lives, but to save them. And they went on to another village." Jesus didn't harbor any animosity.

[Rick] (43:44 - 44:56) Not only that, but he taught others to not harbor any animosity. He taught others all the things you've been taught. This is Jesus. I am telling you, rise above those things because the standard with which you are to live, if you follow me, is entirely different than all of the things that you're used to. Let's go back to this parable. This story was concluded, and Jesus now addressed the lawyer's question about who his neighbor is.

As we get into the scripture, you've got to just appreciate the great power of what Jesus says next; Luke 10:36:

Jonathan:

"Which of these three do you think proved to be a neighbor to the man who fell into the robbers' hands?" Rick:

Again, it's Jesus asking the questions. He's told this story, and it looks like the audience is like dumbfounded as he's explaining this. Then he finishes and says, okay, which one do you think proved to be the neighbor? There's only room for one right answer here.

The moment that we speculate about why the priest and Levite did not help is the moment we deny the value of unbiased brotherhood. We deny that value. The lawyer answered accordingly. Let's look at Luke 10:37:

[Jonathan] (45:03 - 45:14) "And he said, The one who showed mercy toward him. Then Jesus said to him, Go and do the same." Interestingly, when the lawyer answered, he did not say "the Samaritan." Whether this answer was given this way to avoid giving credit to those people, we don't know.

[Rick] (45:14 - 46:40) We don't know. But he didn't say, well, the Samaritan. Jesus, interestingly, labels everybody. You have a priest, you have a Levite, and you have a Samaritan. The lawyer giving the answer just says, the guy who did the right thing. We don't know why.

We can't judge that, but here's what we can learn. What we can learn from this is as follows: Being a true neighbor is defined by the actions that make you a true neighbor and not by the social or political status you hold. It's defined by the actions of a true neighbor. That's what it is.

That's what this whole story was about. When that lawyer, a few minutes before, asked Jesus, well, who was your real neighbor? Jesus embarked on this parable to say to him, MANKIND IS YOUR NEIGHBOR. He chose the most vile people that the Jews knew to exemplify this. There are three final points regarding our development as true neighbors. The first point is godly perspective. We've got to ask ourselves, who are we? Who am I? I mean, what do I call myself?

What am I supposed to stand for? The fact is, Jesus was willing to freely give of himself to any and all who came before him. The fact is, Jesus healed Samaritans.

Why? Because they were his neighbors. Let's look at the ten lepers, just dropping on that account; Luke 17:11-16:

[Jonathan] (46:40 - 47:17) "As he entered a village, ten leprous men who stood at a distance met him; and they raised their voices, saying, Jesus, Master, have mercy on us! When he saw them, he said to them, Go and show yourselves to the priests. And as they were going, they were cleansed. Now, one of them, when he saw that he had been healed, turned back, glorifying God with a loud voice, and he fell on his face at his (Jesus') feet, giving thanks to him. And he was a Samaritan." Jesus didn't look at the ten lepers and ask, Who's a Jew among you? You line up on this side and the others over there. I'm only going to heal the Jews.

[Rick] (47:17 - 48:29) He didn't care. He had a gift that was showing the kingdom and it shows the impartiality of God's character and God's kingdom and Jesus' mission to express those things to everybody. This man was healed. And interestingly, he's the only one who actually said thank you. This is no parable.

This really happened. You can see that oh, I guess every Samaritan isn't so bad after all! This one had this great, great, great thankfulness inside of him.

Who are we? That's the first question. The second question is in regards to our daily priorities.

Second point is our daily priorities. What is most important in my life? What is most important?

Well, I've got to go to work, I've got to feed my family, I've got to do... That's not what we're asking. What is MOST important? The fact is Jesus gave the gospel message to Israel as well as to anyone who would have ears to hear.

Jesus preached to Samaritans. Why? Why would he do that?

So they could follow him. Let's look at--again, and this is a big complicated account we're going to get to so we're just going to just touch on it-- the woman at the well; John 4:7, 9-10:

[Jonathan] (48:30 - 48:55) "There came a woman of Samaria to draw water. Jesus said to her, Give me a drink... Therefore the Samaritan woman said to him, How is it that you, being a Jew, ask me for a drink since I am a Samaritan woman? (For Jews have no dealings with Samaritans.) Jesus answered and said to her, If you knew the gift of God, and who it is who says to you, Give me a drink, you would have asked him, and he would have given you living water."

[Rick] (48:55 - 49:38) Jesus is breaking all the rules. He's at this well. He's talking to a Samaritan woman.

He asks her to do something for him and then he engages her in a way that he's going to show her something very, very, very big and powerful and wonderful and life changing. This is amazing! He's treating her like he treats everybody else. He's not just teaching it in the Parable of The Good Samaritan. All he's doing in that parable is saying, look, this is how I live my daily life.

This is the example you need to follow because this is what God's Law is telling you and I am here to fulfill that Law entirely. The end of that account, well, near the end of the account in John 4:25-26:

[Jonathan] (49:38 - 49:58) "The woman said to him, I know that Messiah is coming (He who is called Christ); when that one comes, he will declare all things to us. Jesus said to her, I who speak to you am he." Jesus knew the struggles of this Samaritan woman and saw her potential. Through her, many believed.

Who would have thought?!

[Rick] (49:58 - 50:25) The amazing thing, Jonathan, is he tells HER that he's the Messiah. A Samaritan! Now, remember all of those things we read about the history of the Samaritans and the Jews and how there was such tension, such distance between them. Jesus tells her something that he really doesn't tell to pretty much anybody else. He says, I "am he." I am the Messiah! Of course, we know what happens. She goes running back home, tells everybody, and he ends up going to Samaria for three days.

[Jonathan] (50:25 - 50:27) Yeah, and many were converted.

[Rick] (50:27 - 51:28) Yeah, he lived the teaching! Folks, that's the point here. It's not just being nice.

It's breaking down barriers. It's breaking down walls and living in that circumstance once you've broken them down. Our third final point here; ultimate purpose. What is always our most important thing? What is always my most important thing? The fact is Jesus died for every man, woman, and child who ever lived.

Jesus redeemed the Samaritans. Why? Why would he do that if they were so evil?

They were Adam's children, just like the rest of us, and that means WE ARE ALL NEIGHBORS. Last scripture to put in place here as we wrap up, Jesus looking and teaching about this. This is just before he ascends to heaven. He gives these instructions in Acts 1:6-8:

[Jonathan] (51:28 - 51:54) "So when they had come together, they were asking him saying, Lord, is it at this time you are restoring the kingdom to Israel? He said to them, It is not for you to know times or epochs which the Father has fixed by His own authority; but you will receive power when the holy spirit has come upon you; and you shall be my witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the earth."

[Rick] (51:54 - 52:41) Jesus is now leaving the earth, going to heaven and his final instructions: Spread the Gospel. He's specific; go be my witness in Jerusalem, be my witness in all of Judea, be my witness also in Samaria. He singles them out.

Then he says "and even to the remotest part of the earth." He could have left Samaria out because they're included in "the remotest part of the earth." But no, he put them up front because there was such animosity. There was such a natural hatred that he made it plain. This is your mission! When we say Jesus lived being a neighbor, you can just really see how this comes out at every turn. Jonathan, finally; The Power of People Helping People.

[Jonathan] (52:41 - 52:55) The Parable of The Good Samaritan shows us the potential of humanity, even in our sinful state, to genuinely be good, kind, and giving in spite of our differences. Jesus lived this example and taught us to do the same.

[Rick] (52:56 - 53:31) When we look at that and we look at what he taught--and I can't even imagine what the lawyer is thinking after that whole scenario, it's hard to imagine where his mind would have gone. But the mirror question that we have to ask ourselves is, "Am I willing to look at others from whatever walk of life they may be as equal recipients of Jesus's redemption?" Equal! They're equal recipients. Just like me, they have that opportunity.

They'll be redeemed. Am I willing to be kind, giving, and compassionate to all as my neighbors?

[Jonathan] (53:32 - 53:50) The lesson Jesus is teaching is huge! It's about dissolving age-old clashes and challenges, breakdowns of cultural and racial discrimination, and breaking every social barrier so we mustn't get stuck in prejudice or bias.

[Rick] (53:50 - 54:33) That's the lesson. Folks, as we wrap this up, it really becomes very clear that what Jesus put forth in the Parable of the Good Samaritan is far more than being nice. It is breaking down barriers that we are used to, that seem to be natural, but are not spiritually sound and not God-honoring. That's what the Parable of The Good Samaritan is about. The question is, how are we working with it? Think about it.

Folks, we love hearing from our listeners. We welcome your feedback and questions on this episode and other episodes at ChristianQuestions.com. Coming up in our next episode: "Should Christians Expect to be Healed?"

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