He Came Near

Draft, under review

Luke 10:25–37

25One day an expert in the law stood up to test Him. “Teacher,” he asked, “what must I do to inherit eternal life?”

26“What is written in the Law?” Jesus replied. “How do you read it?”

27He answered, “‘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 ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’”

28“You have answered correctly,” Jesus said. “Do this and you will live.”

29But wanting to justify himself, he asked Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?”

30Jesus took up this question and said, “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho when he fell into the hands of robbers. They stripped him, beat him, and went away, leaving him half dead.

31Now by chance a priest was going down the same road, but when he saw him, he passed by on the other side.

32So too, when a Levite came to that spot and saw him, he passed by on the other side.

33But a Samaritan on a journey came upon him, and when he saw him, he had compassion.

34He went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he put him on his own animal, brought him to an inn, and took care of him.

35The next day he took out two denarii and gave them to the innkeeper. ‘Take care of him,’ he said, ‘and on my return I will repay you for any additional expense.’

36Which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?”

37“The one who showed him mercy,” replied the expert in the law. Then Jesus told him, “Go and do likewise.”

Berean Standard Bible. Read the full chapter

Reflection

An expert in the law tests Jesus with a question about eternal life. Jesus turns it back to him, and the man answers well: love God with your whole self, and care for your neighbor the way you care for yourself (Luke 10:25–27; Deut 6:5; Lev 19:18). But he wants to justify himself, so he asks for a definition. Who exactly counts as my neighbor (Luke 10:29)?

Jesus answers with a story. A man is attacked on the road, stripped, beaten and left half dead (Luke 10:30). A priest sees him and passes by on the other side. So does a Levite (Luke 10:31–32). Then a Samaritan comes along, the last person Jesus' listeners would expect to be the hero (John 4:9). He sees the man and is moved with compassion (Luke 10:33).

What follows is love with its sleeves rolled up. He goes to him, bandages his wounds, puts him on his own animal, takes him to an inn, pays for his care and promises to cover the rest (Luke 10:34–35). It cost him time, money, risk and his own plans.

Then Jesus flips the lawyer's question. The real question isn't who qualifies as my neighbor. It is who acted as a neighbor. The lawyer answers that it was the one who showed mercy, and Jesus tells him to go and do the same (Luke 10:36–37).

We do not serve to earn eternal life. We serve because Jesus first came near to us, seeking the lost and loving us while we were still sinners (Luke 19:10; Rom 5:8; 1 John 4:19). Look up today. Who is on your road?

Word study: verified (STEPBible)

splanchnizomai (Greek, Strong's G4697): to be moved with compassion deep inside (Luke 10:33). Luke uses the same verb for Jesus at Nain (Luke 7:13) and for the father of the prodigal son (Luke 15:20). In Luke 10:37 the lawyer names it eleos (mercy, G1656).

Cross-reference trail

  1. Lev 19:18, 33-34: Love your neighbor, and the foreigner too.
  2. Luke 7:13: Jesus moved with compassion.
  3. Gal 6:9-10: Doing good to everyone.
  4. 1 John 3:17-18: Love in action and truth.
  5. Rom 5:8: God's love for us while we were still sinners.

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Prayer

Lord Jesus, You came near to me. Open my eyes to the person on my road, and give me a heart that stops.

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