INHERITING ETERNAL LIFE

Passage: Luke 10:25-37

Key verse: 36-37

NIV

The Parable of the Good Samaritan(A)

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?”(B)

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’[a];(C) and, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’[b]”(D)

28 “You have answered correctly,” Jesus replied. “Do this and you will live.”(E)

29 But he wanted to justify himself,(F) 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.(G) 32 So too, a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. 33 But a Samaritan,(H) 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[c] 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.”

Jesus told him, “Go and do likewise.”

Read full chapter
Footnotes
  1. Luke 10:27 Deut. 6:5
  2. Luke 10:27 Lev. 19:18
  3. Luke 10:35 A denarius was the usual daily wage of a day laborer (see Matt. 20:2).
Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Source: BibleGateway

ESV

The Parable of the Good Samaritan

25 (A)And behold, a (B)lawyer stood up to (C)put him to the test, saying, “Teacher, what shall I do to (D)inherit eternal life?” 26 He said to him, “What is written in the Law? How do you read it?” 27 And he answered, (E)“You shall 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 (F)your neighbor as yourself.” 28 And he said to him, “You have answered correctly; (G)do this, and you will live.”

29 But he, (H)desiring to justify himself, said to Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?” 30 Jesus replied, “A man (I)was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and he fell among robbers, who stripped him and beat him and departed, leaving him half dead. 31 Now by chance a (J)priest was going down that road, and when he saw him he passed by on the other side. 32 So likewise (K)a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. 33 But a (L)Samaritan, as he journeyed, came to where he was, and when he saw him, he had compassion. 34 He went to him and (M)bound up his wounds, pouring on (N)oil and wine. Then he set him on his own animal and brought him to an inn and took care of him. 35 And the next day he took out two (O)denarii[a] and gave them to the innkeeper, saying, ‘Take care of him, and whatever more you spend, I will repay you when I come back.’ 36 Which of these three, do you think, proved to be a neighbor to the man who fell among the robbers?” 37 He said, “The one who showed him mercy.” And Jesus said to him, “You go, and do likewise.”

Read full chapter
Footnotes
  1. Luke 10:35 A denarius was a day's wage for a laborer
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.
Source: BibleGateway

Interesting! An expert in the law asked Jesus, “What must I do to inherit eternal life?” This seems to be one of the most important questions we could ask, but it is actually the wrong question. Jesus responded by asking the expert to summarize the law, and the expert replied by saying that we are to love God with all of our being and our neighbors as ourselves. It is simple, then! Jesus says do that, and you will live. The problem is that the law is impossible for us to keep. We are sinful beings who fall short of the glory of God and all of our righteousness is like filthy rags before him. After Jesus’ parable, the expert’s shortcomings must have become clear. The question we should ask is not about what we can do, but about what God has done. In his great mercy, God sent his Son as our Savior. He is the source of life and salvation.

Our Lord’s parable illustrates that there should be no boundaries to who we love or the extent to which we love them. The Samaritan saw the need of the wounded man and had compassion on him. Overcoming all social boundaries, the Samaritan sacrificed his time and money to care for the man’s needs. He was determined to see it through and follow up with the man’s care. This is how Jesus has loved us, and it is the way he wants us to love others.

Prayer: Lord Jesus, give us a heart for others.

One Word: Go and do likewise