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Copyright © 2012 J. Neely. All rights reserved.
Chapter 6 - Good Samaritan
Luke 10:29-32
29 But [de] he, willing [thelo] to justify [dikaioo] himself [heautou] , said [epo] unto [pros] Jesus [Iesous] , And [kai] who [tis] is [esti] my [mou] neighbour [plesion] ?
30 And [de] Jesus [Iesous] answering [hupolambano] said [epo] , A certain [tis] man [anthropos] went down [katabaino] from [apo] Jerusalem [Hierousalem] to [eis] Jericho [Hiericho] , and [kai] fell among [peripipto] thieves [lestes] , which [hos] [kai] stripped [ekduo] him [autos] of his raiment [ekduo] , and [kai] wounded [plege] [epitithemi] him, and departed [aperchomai] , leaving [aphiemi] him half dead [hemithanes] [tugchano] .
31 And [de] by [kata] chance [sugkuria] there came down [katabaino] a certain [tis] priest [hiereus] that [en] [ekeinos] way [hodos] : and [kai] when he saw [eido] him [autos] , he passed by on the other side [antiparerchomai] .
32 And [de] likewise [homoios] [kai] a Levite [Leuites] , when he was [ginomai] at [kata] the place [topos] , came [erchomai] and [kai] looked [eido] on him, and passed by on the other side [antiparerchomai] . KJV-Interlinear
29 But wishing to justify himself, he said to Jesus, 'And who is my neighbor?' 30 Jesus replied and said, 'A certain man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho; and he fell among robbers, and they stripped him and beat him, and went off leaving him half dead. 31 'And by chance a certain priest was going down on that road, and when he saw him, he passed by on the other side. 32 'And likewise a Levite also, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. NASB
The scribe/lawyer was an educated man. He knew the scriptures forwards and backwards, but this did not mean that he understood their purpose. His interpretation was for his own self appointed interests, and not from Gods intent. The scriptures to Him were merely a means to his end, which was being noticed by the people in general, and of having and holding a prestigious office from which he could draw a very nice income and a living for himself.
The purpose of his office made no difference. Only so long as people continued to look up to Him, that was all that mattered.
Thus the verse states: 'But wishing to justify himself ...'
He was not interested in truth. No liberal thinking person wants to hear the truth. They only want to impress those who are present. And consequently gain an approbation from the masses. This is common among politicians and certainly among entertainers. But it is not limited to those two groups. Any person who ignores the Word of God is susceptible to this pattern of thinking.
Now Jesus launches into a parable which as you recall began with a question, 'How can I have eternal life.'
Jesus will demonstrate that the scriptures give all the answers, and the scribe answered by quoting the scriptures. Implying that he has complied with the Law. He presumes that he has loved God and he has loved his neighbors. And, the scribe stands up in front of all those present in order that they might see his righteousness.
But Jesus will demonstrate that mans righteousness falls far short of Gods righteousness. Man is prejudiced, and picks and chooses what he will and will not accept from God.
Man cannot love that which he does not know. Man cannot get acquainted with that which he refuses to learn about. Therefore, man cannot come to know God until he first is willing to listen and then hear the gospel which concerns mans initial relationship with God. And then believe the gospel which comes from God.
Jesus demonstrates this in the parable.
There is a certain fellow Jew who is robbed and left for dead along the road in his travels. Along comes a priest (the descendants of Aaron) and then a Levite (the descendants of Levi). Both of these men represent the temples and the supporting maintenance of its functions. The priests carried out the teaching responsibilities an the Levites carried out the support functions.
The priest was not interested in the robbed man. He saw Him and went to the other side of the road and passed on by. He did not want to get involved. The Levite saw the man, went over to inspect Him ('he came to the place and saw him') and then continued on his way. He too did not want to get involved.
Both men were students of the scriptures. However, they were not believers in the Savior, ('How can I have eternal life?'), therefore no one who lacks a relationship with God, can ever have a proper relationship with mankind. Relationships may exist outside of the spiritual realm (unbelievers get married, have families, give to charities and so forth), but it inevitably will succumb to mans self invented rules governing relationships.
Rules which are prejudiced, arbitrary, and dependent on or convenient to, the giver's character rather than on the need of the recipient.
The priest and the Levite were in too much of a hurry to do 'Gods work.' The had no time for the injured man laying along side the road. So too, many people in this life are too busy doing whatever it is they do in life. Too busy to do what God intends for them to do, and that is imply studying the scriptures and growing up to maturity.
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Study to show thyself approved (mature) unto God, a workman that needs not to be ashamed, rightly dividing (studying/discerning), the Word of truth.
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