Luke 10:25-37 “Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?” …And Jesus said to him, “You go, and do likewise.”
We like to be in charge. That’s human nature. And this nature affects or influences how we perceive the things around us. Even the word of God.
The story of the Good Samaritan has been told many times over in Sunday school and Christian education classes. And for the most part, it has been misquoted and interpreted out of context. The lawyer was asking Jesus how he could obtain eternal life. Jesus’ response to him came in the form of a parable which unveils to us the answer hidden in plain sight.
When we read it, it is easy to misinterpret “you go and do likewise” as us taking on the role of the Good Samaritan in order that we inherit eternal life. But we know we cannot do good to inherit eternal life. That is karma. Not Christian faith.
In fact, Jesus stuck to the point in answering the real question – “what can I do to inherit eternal life?”. When Jesus answered “go and do likewise, He did not mean to be like the Samaritan in dispensing good to a fallen man.
What Jesus meant in literal sense was that to the man who was robbed and left to die, death was a certainty. That man refers to each of us – we are appointed to die because of our condition.
The priest and the Levite are symbols of religion, they were expected to stop and help the man but they did not. And from the parable, it is clear – RELIGION WILL PASS YOU BY.
Finally, the Samaritan was the least expected to assist because in their culture, the Jews and Samaritans do not mix well. The Samaritan was a symbol of God’s grace – His grace will come from the most unexpected places.
All we can do is to receive His grace and eternal life, and be thankful.