Continuing our look at one of Jesus most well-known parables in Luke 10:25-37, today I want to paint a bit of a different picture than where we have gone so far. Up to this point, I've focused on the background of the parable, where the lawyer asks Jesus about eternal life. I've looked at the priest and the Levite, who failed to show compassion, and at the Samaritan, who demonstrated great compassion. But today, I want to take a bit of a different angle when looking at these words.
Remember, Jesus was speaking these words in a particular context, at a particular time, and for a particular purpose. Essentially, Jesus answered the lawyer's question "Who is my neighbor" not by giving him a definition of his neighbor, but by demonstrating what it means to be a neighbor to others. Pulling the meaning to us, it's not to ask "who shall I serve as my neighbor", but rather, "how can I be a good neighbor to those around me?"
There is also a deeper meaning to this parable that moves beyond the meaning to that lawyer on that day. When we look at the primary people of the story, one of the things we can realize is that we are that broken, beaten man on the side of the road. That's our natural condition in God's eyes, to some degree (and I would say that God's viewpoint would see it even worse for us). We're unable to help ourselves, unable to fix ourselves, and are simply laying there dying on the side of the road.
That's when we see God in human flesh, Jesus, come along. He sees us on the side of the road, and Jesus has great compassion on us. He carries us to the place of healing (instead of an inn, we might picture a cross and an empty tomb), where He pays the full price for our healing. And then, He makes the promise to come and make everything better as we receive our healing.
In that respect, we gain a lot when we see ourselves as the beaten, broken man, and Jesus as the Samaritan. True, that isn't the natural "fit" of the parable as Jesus told it to the lawyer, but it is a quite apt example of what Jesus came to do. And it serves to remind us that we have a God who has restored our health, who has paid our price, and who has promised to return for us. What a great joy to think about!
Remember, Jesus was speaking these words in a particular context, at a particular time, and for a particular purpose. Essentially, Jesus answered the lawyer's question "Who is my neighbor" not by giving him a definition of his neighbor, but by demonstrating what it means to be a neighbor to others. Pulling the meaning to us, it's not to ask "who shall I serve as my neighbor", but rather, "how can I be a good neighbor to those around me?"
There is also a deeper meaning to this parable that moves beyond the meaning to that lawyer on that day. When we look at the primary people of the story, one of the things we can realize is that we are that broken, beaten man on the side of the road. That's our natural condition in God's eyes, to some degree (and I would say that God's viewpoint would see it even worse for us). We're unable to help ourselves, unable to fix ourselves, and are simply laying there dying on the side of the road.
That's when we see God in human flesh, Jesus, come along. He sees us on the side of the road, and Jesus has great compassion on us. He carries us to the place of healing (instead of an inn, we might picture a cross and an empty tomb), where He pays the full price for our healing. And then, He makes the promise to come and make everything better as we receive our healing.
In that respect, we gain a lot when we see ourselves as the beaten, broken man, and Jesus as the Samaritan. True, that isn't the natural "fit" of the parable as Jesus told it to the lawyer, but it is a quite apt example of what Jesus came to do. And it serves to remind us that we have a God who has restored our health, who has paid our price, and who has promised to return for us. What a great joy to think about!
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