We are going to meditate on the parable of the Good Samaritan.
Passage: Luke 10:25 to 36
1. A certain man was traveling from Jerusalem to Jericho. The distance between the two places is about 25 kms. It doesn't seem like too long a distance but it is worth noting that the road(at least in the parable) was a mountainous route that was dry and deserted. It was also called as the 'way of blood' in the olden times as the road had a lot of notorious robbers, gangsters and murderers.
2. On reading verse verse 30, we see that there is no information about the man who was traveling (we can call him as the 'stranger'). We don't know why that particular man alone became a victim, while the other people who traveled in that route the same day(such as the Levite, priest, Samaritan) were not victimized. We also do not know what that man was carrying or any ethnic information about him such as whether he was a jew or Samaritan or gentile, which tribe he belonged to, whether he was a rich man or poor, what his profession was etc.
3. We observe distinct differences between the action of the robbers and the Samaritan.
Doesn't the robbers' actions sounds like what Satan did to us? And doesn't the actions of the Samaritan sound like Jesus' touch in our life?
One more point worth noting in verse 35 is that, the Samaritan left the next day and not as soon as he left the stranger in the inn.
Why were the priest and levite unable to help or sympathize with the stranger?
Some possible reasons could be:
1. Because they may not have experienced such a situation or underwent the pain of the stranger. Priests and Levites are always looked up at and held in high honor and no one would generally touch them or dare to mess with them.
2. The injured man(stranger) could have been one of the "untouchables", eg. the injured man could have been a gentile or a Samaritan.
3. They might have feared that they would get hurt while trying to help him and therefore would become disqualified to carry out their 'ministerial' activities (Lev 21:21)
4. We read that the stranger was half dead. The law requires the priests and levites not to defile themselves with 'dead' strangers. They are allowed to touch the dead within their own close family only and never to touch dead strangers (Lev 21:1).
What's different with the Samaritan?
1. Yes, they might not be having all these Mosaic laws and rules like the Israelites.
2. The injured man(stranger) could have been a jew and because the Samaritans were looked down upon(as illegitimate children), the Samaritan could have thought to
- Avoid the incident and just walk away
- Or because of the hatred on Jews, he could have chosen to hate them back.
But in verse 33, we find the key attribute / characteristic of that Samaritan man.
--> He had compassion.
After having compassion on the stranger, what did the Samaritan do?
1. Verse 34: He went to him
2. Verse 34: Bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine.
What's the significance of oil and wine, and why was it used here?
Oil is known to have :
• Soothing effects (Ezek 16:9) - We still apply baby oil on kids, and we ourselves sometimes have oil massage
• Acts as a moisturizer (Ezek 16:9)
• Anti-inflammatory properties (we still use coconut oil to apply on our wounds)
--> Oil is used for treating the external wounds
Wine is known to:
• Ease pain (act as a pain killer) - John 19:29, sour wine was given to Jesus when He was suffering on the cross in pain
• Healing properties (1 Tim 5:23)
--> Wine is used for treating internal wounds
We should also know that oil and wine are costly (Prov 21:17 - a man who loves oil and wine will never be rich)
There is a spiritual significance too - Joel 2:24 - God promises that the vats will be filled with new wine and oil.
Reading Psalm 104:15,
1. Oil makes the face shine (brings joy), also mentioned in Is 61:3
- Literally too (a lot of cosmetics are oil-based)
2. Wine makes the heart glad (brings peace and gladness)
- Literally too (social drinking gives fun and people drink to get high and forget their problems)
What did the Samaritan do next?
Verse 34: Put the stranger on his own animal and took him to an inn
How much did he pay for the inn?
2 denarii - Denarii is made up of 98% silver. It is estimated to have costed anywhere between $2 to $100 depending on the economy of that geography at that time.
- In the olden times, this was for sure a huge sum of money.
One more point to note here in verse 35 is that he was willing to pay even more if it costed to take care of that stranger.
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So, what lessons do we learn from the priest and levite?
1.Don't be too busy with your own work. Give time and preference to others.
2. It is okay to put our own on hold and help the others in need. Spend time and resources for others instead of doing it just for your own self and family.
- Help others who cannot repay you ( Luke 14:14)
3. Don't be too spiritual or religious and miss out the actual point of the scripture. God's commands would not be inhuman.
Over everything, verse 27: we ought to love our neighbors. Christianity is a religion of Love. Religious boundaries fade where Love abounds (John 15:13)
What do we learn from the Samaritan?
1. Be human
2. Be humble and ready to help. Don't grumble (Phil 2:14)
3. Even if the person in need is your enemy(the one who hates you), love him still (Prov 25:21)
4. Be willing to go beyond the basic needs. The Samaritan was willing to pay extra despite the already paid huge sum.
5. Sacrifice time, money and other resources to help the other person.
6. Use your own resource(your own animal) and use even the best portions of it (oil and wine)
7. Always be prepared to help. The Samaritan was carrying oil and wine with him even though the journey distance was short.
8. Go the extra mile. The Samaritan had to leave his route and plan, turn back and go to an inn with the stranger.
9. Give complete care and even follow up. The Samaritan man did not leave that night itself, rather he left the next day. He stayed over at the inn and took care of the stranger.
10. Don't expect anything in return (Luke 14:14)
How to be like the Samaritan? What will help us to do it?
1. Phil 2:3 - Consider others greater than you
2. Mat 20:28 - Serve, rather than wanting to be served
3. 1 Cor 13:13, Col 3:14 - Love, just be loving. Clothe yourself with love.
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We started by understanding who is our neighbor but we ended knowing what it is to 'love your neighbor as yourself'. It is not material to know who our neighbor is, have filters on who to help and who not to, rather we must focus on loving them with God's love, loving them the way that God loves them, seeing through the eyes of God.
Lack of love is prevalent in these last days, but we called to be the light and be an example of God's love to this generation.
May the Love of our Lord Jesus fill you!
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