A deeper perspective on the story of the Good Samaritan … THE gracious ‘neighbor’

The story of the Good Samaritan is very well known at a general level. The three questions which follow, however, help us to look deeper to find a most wonderful truth. The first question is: ‘What shall I do to inherit eternal life?’ The passage is really about salvation … not what we have done but what has been done for us.

The second question is: ‘Who is my neighbor?’ The lawyer tries to justify himself by asking this question. Jesus proceeds to tell the story. It is about who really helped the beaten man when those who seemed most likely to show love for him passed him by. The lawyer starts to find that the parable is showing him personally there is nothing he can do to inherit eternal life.

The third question reveals the most important point of the parable: ‘Whose neighbor am I?’ The requirement of love is far greater than mankind is able to perform. We are like the beaten man ourselves … broken down by our sins. We are the ones who need the ‘Neighbor’. Jesus is the one who has paid the enormous price at the cross to bring about ‘healing’ for all who trust in Him.