Spiritual Goals and Values: Following Jesus in His Upside-Down Kingdomعينة

The Good Samaritan (Part 1)

“Jesus was God spelling himself out in language humanity could understand.” - S.D. Gordon

Once again, an expert in the law stands up to test Jesus, and once again, it is with the exact same question as the rich young ruler (what must I do to inherit eternal life?).

The difference is, where the rich young ruler flung himself at the feet of Jesus in desperate search of the answer, this expert in the law has other motivations: testing Jesus, and justifying himself (which, let’s face it, is never going to end well).

Jesus responds with the super-famous-and-for-good-reason parable of the Good Samaritan. In Luke 10:30, he begins with a man “going down from Jerusalem to Jericho.”

To fully understand this parable, it’s helpful to jump back in time and history to hear the story with all the context clues that the original listeners would have had. For example, here’s what they would have known:

This trip from Jerusalem to Jericho was a common path to take for merchants, travellers, soldiers, pilgrims, government officials, religious men, and political leaders of the day. It was about 27 kilometres in length, including almost a kilometre of elevation (that’s a lot!). This is why Jesus said this man was going down, because he was, quite literally, going down. The dramatic height shift brought with it a rapid environmental change, losing trees and vegetation on the journey. This made the trek inherently treacherous, as it was steep, sloping, and dry. It made the perfect hideout for criminals who took advantage of these factors to rob and steal from passersby. As soon as Jesus said that this man was travelling from Jerusalem to Jericho, everyone within earshot would have immediately understood exactly what this meant: danger.

So, the expert in the law is set out to test Jesus and he asks Him what he must do to inherit eternal life. Interestingly (and in classic Jesus fashion), He doesn’t really answer the expert, but instead asks him pointed questions that draw out his answers (don’t you hate it when teachers do that??).

What is written in the Law?” Jesus asks him, “now do you read it?”

The expert answers: “‘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, ‘Love your neighbour as yourself.”

“You have answered correctly,” Jesus replied. “Do this and you will live.”

But, this isn’t enough for the expert and so he pushes further (oh no..), and wanting to justify himself (not good) he asks a clarifying question: “and who is my neighbour?”

It is this clarifying question that launches Jesus to tell the parable in the first place. Before we dig too far into it though, it’s worth pausing to ask and think about the motivations, goals, and values of this expert in the law. What do you think were his motivations? His values? His goals?

Put yourself into the story and think through or journal the answers to these questions.

Among other things, it’s clear that he valued being right, and that his confidence lay within his own education and intelligence. I mean, he set out to test Jesus; the Son of God, the Lord of Lord, the King of Kings! Among other things, this expert in the law was proud. Where does pride lie within God’s Kingdom?

Here are some verses in Proverbs to think about when approaching this topic:

“When pride comes, then comes disgrace, but with humility comes wisdom” Proverbs 11:2

“Where there is strife, there is pride, but wisdom is found in those who take advice” Proverbs 13:10

“The Lord detests all the proud of heart. Be sure of this: They will not go unpunished” Proverbs 16:5

“Pride brings a person low, but the lowly in spirit gain honour” Proverbs 29:23

“Let someone else praise you, and not your own mouth; an outsider, and not your own lips” Proverbs 27:2

Think about or journal the answers to the following questions:

What does it look like for the follower of Jesus to actively resist pride?

How does pride look in our world today? Is it valued or devalued, and in what ways?

Ask the Lord to reveal to you any areas of pride within your life and heart, and spend some time in prayer and repentance.