The Parable of the Good Samaritan – Are You Like the Priest and Levite?

Jesus’ parable of the good Samaritan was “triggered” by the lawyer’s question: “And who is my neighbor?” Obviously, if you are to love “your neighbor as yourself,” you have to know who your neighbor is, right?

We read: “Jesus replied,?‘A man?was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and he fell among robbers, who stripped him and beat him and departed, leaving him half dead’” (Luke 10:29-30).

The parable is about “a man,” whoever he was. He is unnamed and unknown, a total stranger to the priest and Levite. As he was travelling, “he fell among robbers, who stripped him and beat and departed, leaving him half dead.”

While this story is fictional, the principle is undeniably clear. Your neighbor is anyone whom you encounter, whereby your love is expressed in meeting his or her need, as you’re able to do so. Before we will consider the priest and Levite, Jesus stressed the now.

In other words: it doesn’t matter who and how many you’ve helped in the past, nor does it matter who and how many you will help in the future, it’s about the here and now. The past and future cannot be used as an argument against the present.

“Now by chance a?priest was going down that road, and when he saw him he passed by on the other side.” Jesus stated “by chance.” There was a randomness to meeting this stranger. It came out of nothing, so to speak. As such, Jesus stressed that our neighbor is anyone who we meet “by chance.” Obviously, this stranger was in great need.

While the priest saw the man in his need, “he passed by on the other side.” Even though he became aware of the man and his obvious need, he was “half dead,” he didn’t do anything about it. He didn’t express any love to his neighbor at all.

By the way, the priest was like a fulltime minister, so to speak. His main “task” was to help reconcile man to God through the sacrificial system. While he may have performed his ministerial duties well, there was no genuine concern for the one he met “by chance.”

Since Jesus didn’t believe in “chance,” He implied that this “chance” was part of God’s providence. As such, here was a God-given opportunity to love “your neighbor as yourself,” which stands in relation to one’s love to God.

The same was true for the Levite: “So likewise?a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side.” The Levite was also like a fulltime minister, so to speak. He was over God’s house, making sure that everything was right. When he became aware of the man and his obvious need, he also “passed by on the other side.” He didn’t want anything to do with him.

Whatever the priest and Levite had done in the past or will do in the future for their “neighbor,” no matter how commendable, leaving the man “half dead” was totally inexcusable. Actually, their action—their non-action—nullified everything they were called to do as God’s people.

What about you? Do you believe in chance, or do you believe in God’s providence when you become aware of someone’s need? Will you also pass by “on the other side,” or will you do your best to help meet that need?

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Will you do so? Or will you pass by “on the other side”?

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