454. The Bad News from The Good Samaritan

Part 3 of our look at the parable of The Good Samaritan. A lawyer had asked Jesus how he may obtain eternal life, and this inspired the parable. Afterwards, Jesus asked the lawyer who he thought was a good neighbor. The man responded, "The one who showed mercy." Jesus said, "Go and do the same." (Or "do likewise"). In the context of the lawyer's question and the parable, "go and do the same" was not an exhortation to show mercy, but was the Lord's way of ministering the impossible standard of perfection that the law demanded.


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453. Who Is the Good Samaritan?

The parable of The Good Samaritan has often been taught from the perspective that we should show mercy to others and be good to our neighbors. That is something that should be encouraged. However, that is not what the parable is about. Jesus is not answering a question about how to treat our neighbor. Rather, a lawyer is asking a question about how to inherit eternal life, and in doing so he is trying to justify himself through keeping the law. By trying to take on the role of The Good Samaritan, we have unknowingly encouraged people to "go and do likewise." That is, to try to justify themselves instead of trusting in Christ.


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452. Introduction to The Good Samaritan

One of the more popular parables Jesus shared was the story known as The Good Samaritan. This week we focus on a conversation between Jesus and a lawyer who had tried to trap Jesus into saying something against the law. His question was about how to inherit eternal life. It's another case of asking a law-based question and receiving a law-based answer. The lawyer asked yet another question as he was seeking to justify himself, and so it is this exchange between him and Jesus that inspires the parable. This lays the ground work for the parable which we'll dive into on next week's podcast.


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