The overall paradigm of the first century church was love and doctrine: Gal. 5:14: “For the whole law is fulfilled in one word, in the statement, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself’” (cf. Rom. 13:8-10). Gal. 5:22-23: ²²

“The fruit of the Spirit is love joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, ²³ gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.” In Greek, it is possible to place the sense of the English colon after “love.” If so, it may be that Paul’s idea of the singular “fruit” (Gk. karpos) is love and the eight characteristics following is how he defines love.    

Luke 10:30-37

Samaritans were considered social outcasts and were very unpopular which intensified, the point of the parallel. Starting in Luke 10:25-27, we read:

²⁵ “And behold, a lawyer stood up and put Him to the test, saying, ‘Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?’ ²⁶ And He said to him, ‘What is written in the Law? How does it read to you?’ ²⁷ And he answered, ‘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 your neighbor as yourself.’”

 

Note the context preceding the parable: Jesus’ citation of the Shema (Duet. 6:5): “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 your neighbor as yourself.” Although the first part is omitted by Luke, it is found in full, in Mark 12:29: “Jesus answered, Hear, Israel! The Lord is our God, The Lord is one. . . .” (note the imperative [command] verb, akoue, “to hear” contra the polytheistic doctrine of the LDS (Mormons) who don’t hear, that is, deny that God is one.

 

Luke 10:28-29 “And He said to him, ‘You have answered correctly; do this and you will live.” ²⁹ But wanting to justify himself, he said to Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?”

30 “Jesus replied and said, ‘A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho. . . .’” Although this journey from “Jerusalem to Jericho” was about 17 miles, it was recognized as a very dangerous road that ran through areas of lone desert, where many robbers could hide.  Jerome later termed this road as “the bloody way.” It was the most traveled road in all Judea.

 30 “…and he encountered robbers, and they stripped him and beat him, and went away leaving him half dead.”

 This similar incident in terminology is found in Matt. 27:28 and applied to Christ: “And they stripped Him and put a red cloak on Him.” 

31 “And by coincidence, a priest was going down on that road, and when he saw him, he passed by on the other side.” The most frequent travelers on this road were priests and Levites. No reason stated as to why the priest refused to help him. “He passed by on the other [or, ‘opposite’] side.”[1] The text implies that the priest actually went way “on the other side,” that is, out of his way, totally avoiding the scene altogether.

 

32 “Likewise a Levite also, when he came to the place and saw Him, passed by on the other side” (same aorist verb is used (antiparēlthen, see footnote 1 below). A Levite was a member of the Hebrew tribe of Levi which traditionally provided assistance to the priests within the Jewish temple with worship. The two aorist participles: “having come” and “having seen.” This grammatically indicates that the Levite took a “fast peek” then left in a hurry— note again the aorist verb: “passed by on the opposite side,” as used with the priest.     

 “A vivid and powerful picture of the vice of Jewish ceremonial cleanliness at the cost of moral principle and duty. The Levite in Luke 10:32 behaved precisely as the priest had done and for the same reason” – A. T. Robertson

33 “But a Samaritan, who was on a journey, came upon him; and when he saw him, he felt compassion. . . .” The least likely person (in contrast to the respected Levite and priest), the Samaritan, who felt compassion. When the Samaritan “saw him, he felt,” that is, he was “moved to compassion.” The two verbs (both in the aorist) – “having seen” and “moved to compassion” denote a simultaneous action.

 

The phrase, “he felt compassion” is from esplagchnisthē, the aorist indicative of the verb splagchnizomai. The verb literally denotes the inwards parts of a body such as liver, lungs, heart, bowels, kidneys, etc. Thayer defines the verb here as: “to be moved as to one’s bowels . . . to be moved with compassion (for the bowels were thought to be the seat of love and pity).” In fact, this verb is used frequently of Christ in response to individual(s) suffering.[2] As in Luke 7:13: “When the Lord saw her, He felt compassion [lit., “was moved to deep compassion”] for her, and said to her, ‘Do not weep.’”

This is what made the Samaritan different: He felt compassion for the man and expressed love for him (again keeping with the commandment before the parable—love for God and neighbors).

“Showing” loving and compassionate actions towards others demonstrates one’s actual salvation greater than loudly “praising” God, singing hymns on Sunday morning, endless praying, etc. Loving others via actions, tangibly demonstrates our faith as true. 

“Though the worship of God is greatly preferable, and is more valuable than all the duties of a holy life, yet its outward exercise ought not to be estimated so highly as to swallow up brotherly kindness” –  John Calvin Commentary on Mark 12:33.    

In the next two verses of Luke (34-35), the seven acts of love and compassion, that the Samaritan shows:

1. Came to him.
2. Bandaged up his wounds.
3. Poured oil and wine on them.
4. Put him on his animal.
5. Brought him to an inn.
6. Took care of him.
7. Gave the innkeepers money for his care and his stay.

 

Jesus then asked in verse 36 “Which of these three do you think proved to be a neighbor to the man who fell into the robbers’ hands?” Remember the question to Jesus from the lawyer (i.e., expert in the Law) in verse 29: “But wishing to justify himself, he said to Jesus, ‘And who is my neighbor?’” So here Jesus turns the question around on the lawyer to a question of becoming a neighbor by demonstrating love Jesus is showing the “expert” in the Law that determining “who the neighbors are” does not concern him, but rather, who “he is” is what matters. 

37 “And he said, ‘The one who showed compassion to him.’ Then Jesus said to him, Go and do the same.’” In a broader context: The priest and Levite representing the OT Law would not nor could not deliver (save) the man from his pain, grief, suffering, etc. It was powerless to do so—it condemned (cf. Heb. 7-10).  

 

Jesus the Ultimate Samaritan

Ironically in John 8:48, the Jews called Jesus a “Samaritan,” but in a pejorative sense. However, unrecognizable to them, note the similarities of the good Samaritan and Jesus the ultimate good Samaritan: 

 

1. Christ also journeyed, however His journey was from heaven to earth becoming flesh, to do what the OT Law could not do: provide rest, peace, and infallible atonement (salvation). In this sense, Jesus Christ was the ultimate Samaritan. His vicarious redemptive work on behalf of His elect was motivated by His redemptive love and compassion for them.

 

2. Similar to the good Samaritan, Christ prepared a place for us. In heaven, He gives rest and safety—thus, eternal life: “I give them eternal life, and they will never perish; and no one will snatch them out of My hand” (John 10:28).

 

3. In Christ alone is our means of peace, that is, reconciliation (cf. Rom. 5:1; Col. 1:19-22): “In whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins” (Eph. 1:7).

 

Jesus Christ, God the Son is the ultimate Samaritan who saved us!

Salvation is Solus Christus (“Christ alone”)

 All the Latin Solae (or solas, meaning, “alones”) of the Reformation (sola gratia (grace alone), solus Christus (Christ alone), sola fide (faith alone), sola scriptura (Scripture alone), soli Deo gloria (to the glory of God alone) are established on Solus Christus – “Christ alone.” Solus Christus is the teaching that incarnate Son of God alone is the “one Mediator between God and men.” His mediatorial work does not fail! The perfect substitutionary cross work of the God-Christ is the very ground of our justification.

Acts 4:12: “There is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.”

The five Solae of the Reformers were reactionary to Rome’s false gospel; reacting (responding) to Rome’s auto-soteric (self-salvation) system of salvation; a doctrine of “ands”:     

• God’s universal plan and man’s so-called free will.
• Faith and works (e.g., water baptism, sacraments, etc.).
• Jesus and
• Intersession and prayers to Jesus and Mary (and so-called saints).
• The cross and the perpetual propitiatory sacrifices of Christ at the so-called Mass.
• Biblical doctrine and the Church being the sola authoritative interpreter.
• Scripture and so-called tradition of uninspired men.
• Christ and the pope, etc.

This teaching was contrary to the biblical teaching in both the OT and NT that salvation is through Christ alone, through faith alone – apart from works” (Rom. 4:4-8; Eph, 2:8-9).

Acts 10:36; 43: ³⁶ “The message that He sent to the sons of Israel, gospelizing peace through Jesus Christ (He is Lord of all). .  . . ⁴³ “To Him all the prophets testify, that everyone believing in Him receives forgiveness of sins through His name” (lit.).

Christ Alone was the hope and future glory imprinted in the minds of the OT believers as well as the NT believers and as always, ours today!  

NOTES

[1] The phrase “passed by on other side” in vv. 31 and 32, comes from the verb antiparēlthen, which is the aorist indicative of antiparerchomai—from anti, “opposite” and parerchomai, “to go past, pass away.”

[2] See Matt 9:36; 14:14; 15:32; 18:27; 20:34; Mark 1:41; 6:34; 8:2; 9:22.