Luke 10:25-29 - The Three Philosophies of Life

In Luke 10, Jesus sent out the “seventy” two by two to go and proclaim the message of the kingdom. Remember in Luke 9, Jesus sent out the “twelve” on their own for the first time to do the same. We believe that Jesus is now in His third year of earthly ministry primarily presenting Himself as the “Promised Messiah”, and the Son of God to the nation of Israel, but also as the Son of Man to the world that He came to die for and save. But during His three and half years of earthly ministry, Jesus is also discipling the “twelve”, teaching and training them for their future ministry.   I can only imagine that in Luke 10, when Jesus sent the “seventy” it must have somewhat surprised the “twelve” making them realize that they were not the only ones who would be involved in advancing and proclaiming the Gospel to their own people but also to the world.   Right after the “seventy” return and gives their report to Jesus of successful ministry, Jesus privately reminds His “twelve” disciples that they are very privileged to physically see and experience the presence of the Son of God, something that even the kings and prophets in the Old Testament didn’t have (vv. 21-24). It is then that Luke gives us the story of the “Good Samaritan” that Jesus tells, that is not recorded in any of the other Gospel accounts. This story is probably one of the most famous and retold stories of the New Testament.   Today, we will explore the introduction to this wonderful story that Jesus told this lawyer. It was expected that rabbis would discuss theological matters in public, and the question this scribe (lawyer) asked was one that was often debated by the Jews. It was a good question asked with a bad motive, because the lawyer hoped to trap our Lord. However, Jesus trapped the lawyer!   Our Lord sent the man back to the Law, not because the Law saves us (Gal. 2:16, 21; 3:21), but because the Law shows us that we need to be saved. There can be no real conversion without conviction, and the Law is what God uses to convict sinners (Rom. 3:20). Remember in Mark 10:17-22, that Jesus basically said something similar to the “rich young ruler” that came running to Him and asked the same question, “Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?” By the way, this is a very good question we should all consider.   The scribe gave the right answer, but he would not apply it personally to himself and admit his own lack of love for both God and his neighbor. So, instead of being justified by throwing himself on the mercy of God (Luke 18:9-14), he tried to justify himself and wriggle out of his predicament. He used the old debating tactic, "Define your terms! What do you mean by 'neighbor'? Who is my neighbor?" Remember the “rich young ruler” tried to convince himself and Jesus that he had kept all the commandments.   It is interesting to note that Jesus did not say that this story was a parable, so it could well be the report of an actual occurrence. For Jesus to tell a story that made the Jews look bad and the Samaritans look good would either be dangerous or self-defeating. "You just made that up!" they could say. "We all know that nothing like that would ever happen!" So it is possible that some of His listeners, including the lawyer, knew that such a thing had really happened. Either way, the account is realistic.   There are many lessons from this story that we can learn and apply to our own lives. But the one I have enjoyed sharing the most over the years is that the people in it basically represent the three philosophies that we might have in life concerning money and things!   The thieves – “What is thine is mine, and I am going to take it”. The priest and Levite – “What is mine is mine, and I am going to keep it”. The Good Samaritan – “What is mine is thine, and I am going to share it”.   What is your attitude toward your “things” today?   God bless!