14. Relationship Words in the Word: Neighbor (according to Jesus)

14. Relationship Words in the Word: Neighbor (according to Jesus).

“An expert in Torah stood up to try and trap Jesus by asking Him, ‘Rabbi, what should I do to obtain eternal life?’ But Jesus replied to him, ‘What is written in the Torah? How do you read it?’ The scholar answered, ‘You are to love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, and with all your mind; and love your neighbor as yourself.’ Jesus said, ‘That’s the right answer! Do this, and you will have life!’ But the scholar, wanting to justify himself, asked Jesus, ‘And who is my neighbor?” (Luke 10:25-29).

Rhonda Vincent & The Rage – You Don’t Love God If You Don’t Love Your Neighbor (Live)

Neighbor: The Greek word for “neighbor, “plesion,” more or less continued the Hebrew tradition of referring to neighbor as the one who is near you, close by, up close and personal, whether or not you actually know the person. The Torah scholar, also referred to as a scribe or lawyer, no doubt knew that there was much debate during Jesus’ time on the biblical meaning of “neighbor.” The Temple authorities understood neighbor to mean one’s fellow Jew. The Pharisees believed that Gentiles, non-Jews, were not technically neighbors according to Torah, and so didn’t deserve their love. There were many rabbis, including Jesus, that disagreed with that interpretation of Torah. Rather than offer a sermon to the scholar, Jesus decided to tell a story about the meaning of neighbor: the Parable of the Good Samaritan (Luke 10:30-37)…

The Lawyer. He gave the best answer possible to Jesus’ straightforward question…  the Shema, found in Deuteronomy 6:5. The Shema is the first prayer taught to children in a Jewish household, and it is prayed twice daily by every believing Jew, every sunrise and every sunset. Love the Lord your God, with everything you got, heart, soul, strength, mind, everything. The scribe then adds Leviticus 19:18 to the Shema, something that Jesus himself said many times. Love your neighbor as yourself. Treat others the way you want them to treat you.

Jesus. He praises this lawyer and says, “That’s it! Good job! Now go and do what the Scripture says.” In other words, Jesus is saying that it is not enough to simply believe the right words, or to merely include those words as a part of the Law. You must also demonstrate through action that those words are true in your life. His literal response to the lawyer reads, “Do this, and you will come alive,” or “Do this, and you are living.” In other words, eternal life starts now.

The Lawyer. On the one hand, this Torah scholar might have been a little embarrassed that the answer to his question was so obvious. Here he was, a celebrated scribe of Jewish law, and the answer to his theological question was known to every child and adult in the Jewish faith. Sensing that the words he just quoted from Torah were quite a tall order, and are probably impossible to obey perfectly, the lawyer looks for a loophole, like any good lawyer. He wants to go home feeling justified, that he can actually earn eternal life, that he can in fact appear before God as a pious man. So he asks Jesus for His definition of neighbor. Who does He think qualifies as a neighbor.

Jesus. So this widely acclaimed healer, teacher and self-proclaimed messiah decides to  tell a simple story that has become one of the most famous in all of Scripture: the story of the Good Samaritan…

The Jericho Road | Good Samaritan Song | Mercy and Kindness in the Bible

THE BANDITS. The road from Jerusalem to Jericho is roughly 17 miles of desert, mostly straight but with a few twists and turns. It was a dangerous road, a well-known hideout for robbers and bandits to do their work. Those who journeyed on that road knew that they had to keep a lookout for those scoundrels who would have no qualms about assaulting them, robbing them, if not murdering them. This particular road was the perfect setting for Jesus’ story.

THE VICTIM. a. So a traveler was beaten severely, seriously wounded, robbed of everything he owned, including the very clothes on his back, and left half-dead by the side of the road. He was no doubt unconscious. Half-dead literally means close to death, so he was in bad shape, and utterly helpless.

b. No one knows who this man was, which religion, which nationality, which ethnic group. Jesus intentionally leaves that up to question. We don’t know if he was a Jew, although the Jewish audience probably assumed that to be the case. The wounded man couldn’t be identified by distinctive clothes, since he was naked. And the victim couldn’t identify himself to passersby, since he was unconscious. So, no one knew anything about this poor man.

THE PRIEST. a. The priest was certainly riding along on a mule or some such animal, since priests were an elite, a member of the upper class, and never walked on a journey. He could have at least given the victim a ride to safety, but he didn’t.

b. The priest went out of his way to avoid the victim, literally going to the other side of the road. Out of sight, out of mind. He refused to see the victim in his need. He put on blinders, wouldn’t even look at him, and went on his way. German pastor Helmut Thielicke said, “At the Last Judgment, it is our eyes that will be judged first. For in Matt. 25:44, the accused reply ‘When did we see you hungry or thirsty or naked or sick?’ The first commandment of brotherly love is eye control.”

c. The priest can actually be a sympathetic figure to a point. He risks being ritually defiled if he touches a dead body. To be ritually impure is humiliating, and it means the priest cannot serve as a priest in the temple unless he goes through a very demanding, time-consuming process of restoring legal purity. So the priest wasn’t taking any chances, he wanted to maintain his priestly status. The priest was indeed a slave to the system, a rigid list of do’s and don’ts that took priority over helping others in need.

d. So the priest took a detour around the wounded man, this untouchable, and went on his way, secure in his priesthood, safe and clean.

THE LEVITE. a. Levites were devout temple officials, earnest helpers in temple activities. They were more in the middle class, not in the elite class like the priests. So, the Levite was probably walking. For some reason he didn’t want to be interrupted.

b. Because so much of the road is straight, the Levite probably saw the priest pass by first without helping. He could have easily said, “If the priest didn’t have to help, I certainly don’t either.”

c. The Levites didn’t have the same priestly rules of ritual purity, so it would have been much easier for him to stop and help the victim. But he didn’t.

d. The Levite, like the priest before him, might have observed the situation, but he truly didn’t “see” the victim in his need. The Levite may have come a little closer, “coming down to his place,” but it didn’t make a difference. Blinders were still on, at least to his heart, and he walked on.

THE SAMARITAN. a. Samaritans were rejected outsiders, religiously unclean, the hated enemies of pious Jews. They were considered half-breed, mixed-race heretics, not simply unbelievers. Centuries of animosity have resulted in Samaritans being publicly cursed in the synagogues amidst prayers that Samaritans will in no way have eternal life.

b. So Jesus intentionally highlights a Samaritan as the hero of the story! That took courage on Jesus’ part, because he basically said in the story that a hated Samaritan was morally superior to religious Jews. Evidently, it was important to Jesus that he expose the hatred evident in the Jews. That must have raised a few eyebrows, if not hackles.

c. “Finally, another man, a Samaritan, came upon the bleeding man and was deeply moved with tender compassion for the wounded man. The literal meaning of this word for moved with compassion is “to have one’s bowels yearn,” which makes sense since the root word for it is “intestines.” Since the innermost organs were considered at that time to be the seat of human emotions, and since love is the emotion being implied, Jesus in intentionally using a word that means from down deep in the gut. According to Jesus, this Samaritan had an intense emotional experience that was felt in the pit of his stomach. His profound compassion was not superficial by any means, not casual, not distant. His compassion was immediate and felt so deeply felt that it demanded action. His compassion was so visceral that he felt compelled to find an outlet for it, a target, in doing something physical, practical and helpful. Oh, that we all had the sensitive gut and tender innards of the good Samaritan.

d. The Samaritan didn’t seem to have any fears of robbers jumping him. He did not hesitate to go to the victim and offer first aid. He was fearless, tender-hearted, and committed to helping the victim. He fully realized the boundless duties of compassion, the unlimited nature of love-in-action.

e. First, the Samaritan bound up the victim’s wounds. That particular phrase that Jesus used would be known to the Jewish audience. It recalled many Scripture references of how God had promised to bind up the wounds of His people through Divine care. The Samaritan wouldn’t have had a bandage with him, so he probably used his head-cloth, or maybe tore his linen undergarment.

f. He then poured oil and wine on the victim’s wounds, which recall ritual sacrifice in temple ceremonies. Some in the audience would think of how the Samaritan is pouring out the true offering acceptable to God, for God desires mercy not sacrifice (Hosea 6:6).

g. One aspect of Jewish law states that “oil and wine are forbidden objects if they emanate from a Samaritan.” The audience would think once again of the fearless mercy of their traditional enemy, and of perhaps a blind spot or two in strict Jewish law.

h. The Samaritan is thorough in his compassion. He puts the victim on his donkey, takes him to Jericho, since there were no inns on the road, and pays for the victim’s care. He was intentional and effective, not half-hearted or haphazard.

i. Innkeepers were notorious for their demands for money. There’s a good chance that the Samaritan might have been arrested for indebtedness if the wounded man’s bills went higher than the amount provided by the Samaritan. So the Samaritan said he’s good for any further bills, even if the costs exceed the two days’ worth provided.

j. Samaritans also believed in the Law of Moses, so he also risked ritual impurity the same way as the priest and Levite. The Samaritan actually was more obedient to the Law of Moses, in that the highest priority is always saving the life of another, even if meant violating other Laws. The Samaritan was surely commended for this in the minds of Jesus’ listeners.

JESUS. His parable started with the question, “Who is my neighbor?” But Jesus turned it around at the end, to “Whose neighbor am I? To whom am I a neighbor? To whom should I be neighborly? Will the needy person see me as his neighbor?” Perhaps most importantly in this story, the question to ask ourselves is, Am I ready to love an enemy, to demonstrate mercy to an enemy, to recue someone who might consider me to be an enemy? Do I realize that even my enemy is my neighbor?

VICTIM. Jesus is telling this story for a man who wants to justify himself. So it’s interesting that Jesus subverts the expected meaning of the story. So one way of understanding the story is that the neighbor ends up being the one extending mercy, and the lawyer is to identify himself as the one in the ditch! Perhaps Jesus wants the lawyer to think of himself as the one needing mercy, even from an enemy. As Mark Buchanon writes in The Holy Wild, it’s as if Jesus is saying to the man, “Go and do likewise. Go discover how desperate, naked, and left for dead you really are. Go discover that you are, in fact, broken and lying in a ditch. Go discover that there is no way to justify yourself. Go discover that you can’t do a single thing to inherit eternal life, that unless Someone has mercy on you – extravagant, sacrificial mercy – yes, unless the God of the Holy Wild happens by, a jar brimming with oil in hand, and pockets stuffed with  coins to pay the innkeeper, and He stops – well, you’re as good as dead. What must I do to inherit eternal life? Simple. Realize you’re in a ditch. Realize that I’m doomed unless my Neighbor loves me.” 

LAWYER. Even the word “Samaritan” was so distasteful that the lawyer could only bring himself to answer, “the one who…” This parable was probably a bitter pill to swallow, with the enemy as the hero, and the Temple authorities the villains.

JESUS. He closes with a repeat of what he said earlier, “Go and do likewise.” Continue doing what is on God’s heart. Your behavior reveals your faith. Demonstrate love to someone, anyone in need. Be a good neighbor and care for the needy that you run across. Keep on doing this, and you will come alive.

THE LAWYER. We don’t know if the story and conversation changed the lawyer. He knew all the right answers in this exchange with Jesus, but will it make a difference in how he lives his life? We don’t know. Wouldn’t it be great if he said something like this to Jesus: “What you have said is impossible. To love God constantly, with my whole heart, soul and everything else? The Shema is a great goal to quote from Scripture, but how does one actually live that way consistently? And to be a good neighbor to anyone in need, even my mortal enemy? I can’t do it. It’s beyond me. I will do the best I can, and then in the end depend on God’s mercy. I know now that I can’t earn eternal life, that I can’t honestly justify myself. And I know that you, rabbi Jesus, can pass whatever religious test I throw your way. I am your student, and I have a lot to learn, a lot to think about.”

Other Thoughts. a. The priest and the Levite were so caught up in the rigorous details of the law that they forgot the heart of the law, the spirit of the law. They were scrupulously following the rules, and they loved appearing righteous, more than actually doing the humane thing. Jesus called the bluff of these temple officials, and highlighted spiritual priorities while still pointing to the essentials of Jewish law. Love God, and love your neighbor. The priest and the Levite committed sins of omission. They were fearful of being attacked by bandits, they were fearful of becoming unclean, they had busy schedules, and they didn’t want to be bothered. When put to the test, they didn’t do what Scripture asked them to do, which is love your neighbor, no matter the personal cost.

b. According to Matthew 25:31-46, Jesus himself identifies so closely with victims that He counts himself as one of the victims. When we care for the needy, Jesus considers it as personally caring for Him. When the Good Samaritan cared for the wounded man so compassionately, the Lord said He was in reality caring for Him in His “blessed disguise,” as Mother Teresa of Calcutta would put it. By passing by the wounded man, did the priest and Levite actually miss an opportunity to personally care for the Lord?

c. The Lord can be considered the ultimate Good Samaritan. The rejected one who nonetheless cared for us wounded ones by the side of the road; who bound our wounds, offered the sacrifice of mercy, and brought us back from the dead; who was the observant neighbor who was willing to turn aside and care for each of us in our misery and our vulnerable state; who provides what is needed to sustain us through the Holy Spirit in His absence, knowing that He will return and do what’s necessary to bring us to full health; who sees practical love as the fulfillment of the law. When Jesus sees anyone in need, including us, He feels an intense gut punch, His heart overflows with compassion, He feels it in the pit of His stomach. Just like the Good Samaritan.

“Love your neighbor as yourself” is a common refrain in the New Testament and is the center-point of gospel values:

1. “And Jesus said, ‘The most important commandment in all of Scripture is this, ‘Hear, O Israel, the Lord is God, the Lord is one. And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength. And the second is just as important, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.” (Mark 12:29-31).
2. “The rich young ruler asked Jesus which commandments he should keep to enter life. Jesus answered him with a representative list including, ‘You shall not murder, You shall not commit adultery, You shall not steal, You shall not bear false witness, Honor your mother and father, You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ (Matthew 19:18-19).
3. ‘Owe no one anything, except to love each other, for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law. For the commandments, ‘You shall not commit adultery, You shall not murder, You shall not steal, You shall not covet, and any other commandments, are summed up in this word, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore, love is the fulfilling of the law.” (Romans 13:8-10).
4. “Through love serve one another. For the whole law is fulfilled in one word, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’” (Galatians 5:13-14).
5. “If you really fulfill the royal law according to the Scripture, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself,’ you are doing well.” (James 2:8).

You don’t love God if you don’t love your neighbor |Cotton Pickin Kids