The Gospel of Luke 10:25-37
Pastor’s Study
The Parable of the Good Samaritan
25 On one occasion an expert in the law stood up
to test Jesus. “Teacher,” he asked, “what must I do to inherit eternal life?”
26 “What is written in the Law?” he replied. “How do you read it?”
27 He answered, “‘Love the Lord your God with
all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all
your mind’; and, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’”
28 “You have answered correctly,” Jesus replied. “Do this and you will live.”
29 But he wanted to justify himself, so he asked
Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?”
30 In reply Jesus said: “A man was going down from
Jerusalem to Jericho, when he was attacked by robbers. They stripped him of his
clothes, beat him and went away, leaving him half dead. 31 A priest
happened to be going down the same road, and when he saw the man, he passed by
on the other side. 32 So too, a Levite,
when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. 33 But a Samaritan, as he traveled, came where the
man was; and when he saw him, he took pity on him. 34 He
went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he put the
man on his own donkey, brought him to an inn and took care of him. 35 The next day he took out two denarii and
gave them to the innkeeper. ‘Look after him,’ he said, ‘and when I return, I
will reimburse you for any extra expense you may have.’
36 “Which of these three do you think was a
neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?”
37 The expert in the law replied, “The one who
had mercy on him.”
Questions for Reflection
1. What was the nature of the question
the “expert in the law” asked Jesus (10:25)? What does Luke tell us this
question was designed to do?
2. In response, why do you think Jesus
pointed the man back to the Law (10:26)?
3. How did the man sum up the Law (10:27)?
While answering correctly about the Law, what was it about his response that
tells us he missed the real intent of the Law (10:28-29)?
4. How might the Word of God sometimes be
used today to “justify” sinful thoughts and actions?
5. What was the setting of the story (parable)
that Jesus told to answer the question, “who is my neighbor” (10:30)?
6. Who were the main characters in the parable
who saw the man along the way (10:31-33)? What actions did the Samaritan
take when he came across the beaten traveler (10:33-35)? Why do you
think Jesus made the Samaritan out to be hero of the story?
7. When asked “which of these three do
you think was a neighbor to the man,” what was the “expert in the Law”
compelled to admit (10:36-37)? What did Jesus tell the man to go and do?
Life Applications
1. To the question, “Who is our neighbor?”
Every human being is our neighbor.
2. The Great Commandment is to both
love God and our neighbor (Matthew 22:34-40).
3. We love God by showing “mercy” to
others.
