Where Jesus Goes to Die! Biblical Evidence Jesus Was Woke. Part 2

In “Where Jesus Goes to Die, Part 1,” an expert in the law laid a trap for Jesus but fell in himself due to his self-righteous pomposity and Jesus’s deft, unassuming maneuvers. He tried to “justify” himself, but to his horror, Jesus started a story about a “Good Samaritan.”

?The young expert in the law simmered with resentment at the so-called “Good Samaritan" story this religious rebel and apostate told, which was always how he regarded Jesus. The “Teacher” address was only a clever misnomer to get him to lower his guard. But here he was, in true fashion, depreciating the holy servants of God, a priest and a Levite – Clergy and Deacon, the anointed servants of the Most High God.

?The Priest and the Levite left a badly beaten man on the road to die. But the deepest cut was the implication that this man, a fellow Israelite, was beaten and robbed by his own people, abandoned by his own brothers but rescued by an unclean Samaritan.

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

The expert in the law snapped back to full attention by the question. It hurt to credit the Samaritan for a righteous deed because he knew those people could never be trusted. Everyone in his community knew that. Furthermore, these people had confiscated and polluted their religion and were audacious enough to claim the patriarchs as their forefathers! But based purely on how Jesus told the story, the Samaritan gentile was the neighbour. He was tempted to feign confusion or ask Jesus to repeat the question, but in the deep recesses of his heart, he knew that even the uncultured locals who were now locked in vigilant attention would see through such a sham.

“The one who had mercy on him.” He was never going to utter the words “Good Samaritan.”

?“Go and do likewise.” Jesus told him gently. Yet those words slashed through his theological and self-righteous punditry and took him down another two pegs. He was to start treating Samaritans like neighbours! The notion was repulsive! As an expert in the law, he knew his neighbour was his own people.

?‘Do not seek revenge or bear a grudge against anyone among your people, but love your neighbor as yourself (Leviticus 19:18).

Contextually, Leviticus 19 was a command given to God’s chosen people for their harmonious existence – not to benefit imposter Samaritans with their pagan roots. The verse preceding verse 18 made that clear: “‘Do not hate a fellow Israelite in your heart.” The entire law was for the benefit of his people. Deuteronomy 23:19-20 was another clear example:

“You shall not charge interest on loans to your brother, interest on money, interest on food, interest on anything that is lent for interest. You may charge a foreigner interest, but you may not charge your brother interest.

Yet this “Samaritan Lover” wanted him to treat them like neighbours. He was obviously into diversity, equality, and inclusion. Woke!