But he wanted to justify himself, so he asked Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?” (Luke 10:29)
Last week I wrote about the parable of the Good Samaritan and the tension between Jesus and those whose responsibility it is to uphold the law – the lawyers, scribes and Pharisees of his day. This story is found in Luke’s gospel, chapter ten, verses twenty-five through thirty-seven. In it we hear about a lawyer who wants to test Jesus on how he interprets the laws given to Moses by God.
Keeping the law, making sure you are within the boundaries of the law, was a matter of great importance for lawyers in first century Palestine. Jesus agrees with the lawyer that one must observe the law by loving God with one’s whole heart, soul, mind and strength – and loving one’s neighbor as oneself. But the lawyer wants to define who his neighbor is, and isn’t, so that he loves only those he has to. However, fulfilling the law’s literal requirements does not necessarily mean one has fulfilled the intent of the law.
Jesus makes this point by telling a story. It goes something like this: A man is traveling from Jerusalem to Jericho and runs into criminals who beat him up, steal his belongings and leave him beside the road for dead. Both a priest and a Levite, who happen to be passing by, notice the injured man but cross over to the other side of the road and walk on.
Finally, a third man, who is from Samaria – a region north of Jerusalem, whose residents are despised by Jews to the south because they do not faithfully keep the law – passes by and takes pity on the injured man. He binds up the man’s wounds, takes him to an inn, looks after him and pays the cost for the man’s continued stay until he is fully recovered. It is he, a Samaritan, who fulfills the intent of the law, while the other, law-abiding characters, do not. Jesus instructs the lawyer, “Go and do likewise.” (v. 37)
Jesus teaches the lawyer, and the crowds who are listening to their exchange, that fulfilling the law requires mercy and compassion. It isn’t about knowing the boundaries and doing only what lies within them. Jesus does away with legalistic boundaries. Fulfilling the law requiring love of neighbor means showing mercy and compassion to anyone and everyone because there is now no one to whom we can say, “You are not my neighbor.”
But there is more to this passage from Luke’s gospel. It isn’t just about, “Who is my neighbor?” Ultimately it is about, “Who is my Savior?” Luke makes this clear for us when he tells us at the very beginning of the passage that the lawyer desires to “justify himself.” (v. 29) By seeking to justify himself he wants, like every faithful Jew in his day, to set himself right before God (and man) by living his life in such a way that he qualifies for salvation. Yet the only way he can qualify is to keep the law, perfectly.
But here’s the problem with self-justification: No one can keep the law, perfectly. No one can be merciful and compassionate all the time to everyone – as well as love the Lord with one’s whole heart, soul, mind and strength. But that is what we would have to do if we, too, wanted to justify ourselves – to qualify for salvation through our own efforts. So if you think you can save yourself, then you’re in trouble. No one can be their own savior. The law will condemn you every time because everyone falls short at some point, in some way. (Romans 3:23) No one can keep the law perfectly. Even Mother Theresa did not. Continue reading →
Careful For Nothing 