Luke 10:25-30

Luke 10:25 (KJB)
And, behold, a certain lawyer stood up, and tempted him, saying, Master, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?

Then Jesus was approached by a rich young ruler. (Luke 18:18 KJV) And a certain ruler asked him, saying, Good Master, what shall I do to inherit eternal life? He then asked Jesus what “good” thing shall I do to inherit eternal life? Notice that the man asked what shall he do. This is the main theme of religion, that is, that good works are to play a part in your résumé for Heaven. It seems every religion which wants to circumvent the cross will use works which they qualify as good. The only good works that a person can do is after they are saved. (Eph 2:10 KJV) For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them. That is because God is the one who has created certain works for us to do. For those who think that works play a part in salvation, God calls that an abomination. (Prov 21:27 KJV) The sacrifice of the wicked is abomination: how much more, when he bringeth it with a wicked mind? If you did one million good works per week, it will not net you the same result as one cross! He who has ears to hear!

Luke 10:26 (KJB)
He said unto him, What is written in the law? how readest thou?

Jesus in true teaching fashion, counters his question with two questions. Jesus wants him to see what the Scriptures teach concerning the requirements to obtain eternal life. Then he asks him, “how readest thou?” In other words, what is your understanding of the Scriptures on this subject? How do you interpret the requirements?

Luke 10:27 (KJB)
And he answering said, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy strength, and with all thy mind; and thy neighbour as thyself.

The man goes right to the Scriptures and quotes the two summations of the law. However, he does not give his understanding of them, just the quotations.

(Deu 6:5 KJV) And thou shalt love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might.

(Lev 19:18 KJV) Thou shalt not avenge, nor bear any grudge against the children of thy people, but thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself: I am the LORD.

Luke 10:28 (KJB)
And he said unto him, Thou hast answered right: this do, and thou shalt live.

Jesus then tells him that he is correct and if he is able to do this, then he will be able to inherit eternal life. Doing these two commands is not just a question of observing them but actually living them out daily. They require a high amount of self-denial. The problem is that man in his unsaved state is incapable of keeping these commands. If this man withholds just one small item from someone who asks of him, then he has broken the law and all humans have some measure of parsimony. This is why the death of Christ was necessary because He kept the law flawlessly and it was imputed to us.

Luke 10:29 (KJB)
But he, willing to justify himself, said unto Jesus, And who is my neighbour?

The man then responds on the defensive by asking who is his neighbor? He wanted to justify himself so he would continue to look righteous in the eyes of others. The Jews only saw themselves as neighbors and they would never look upon any Gentile as being their neighbor. Their good deeds only went as far as their own family or countrymen. Jesus was about to challenge those thoughts and make them realize that none of them could obtain eternal life through their idea of works.

Luke 10:30 (KJB)
And Jesus answering said, A certain man went down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell among thieves, which stripped him of his raiment, and wounded him, and departed, leaving him half dead.

Jesus then proceeds to tell a parable which is probably one of the most famous of all called “The Parable of the Good Samaritan.” This scenario would have been easily identifiable to the ones He was speaking to. The road from Jerusalem to Jericho was about 20 miles (32 km) and was known as the “Bloody Way.” It was often called this because of the frequency of the robberies which happened on that road. The setting of the story was probably based on a true and current event. The people listening probably surmised that the person walking the road was a Jew but that is not revealed. What Jesus wished to stress was the man’s desperate need regardless of race or religion. The “certain man” in this story represents all those who are in need. The man in this story was not only robbed but was also beaten to the point of being half dead so he was incapable of taking care of himself and needed help from an outside source.

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