inherit eternal life – Penuel Baptist Chapel, Roch

February 9th 2025: Alan Davison

Published on February 10, 2025 by Penuel Baptist RochLeave a comment

Luke 10:25-37

Introduction.

It is a truism that we do not like to be inconvenienced. There are certain things in life which are dramatic and introduce great change. Things like redundancy, bereavement, terminal illness, grief and so on. But what about those things which are simply inconveniences? These irk us. Someone once said that “an itch is worse than a pain.” In many ways this parable that the Lord taught was something of an irritant to the lawyer’s world view. There are some things that are not too great an issue but which nevertheless irritate us and we cannot handle them.

For our purposes we need to consider the whole context of this passage first before we focus on the text of Luke 19:25. In the secular world this parable of the Good Samaritan has come to stand for the act of doing good to others in need in a random fashion, or the doing of good deeds from a desire to be compassionate. But what the Lord was teaching goes much deeper than these basic views.

In Luke 10:25 the lawyer asks the Lord Jesus: “what shall I do to inherit eternal life?” This man was a lawyer in Israel, and so was very much concerned with the Torah, the Law. Now the Lord Jesus sought to point the lawyer back to the Torah (verse 26). And then in response in verse 27 the lawyer quotes two passages, one from Deuteronomy 6:5 and the other from Leviticus 19:18:

You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength. (Deuteronomy 6:5).

… you shall love your neighbour as yourself: I am the Lord. (Leviticus 19:18b).

The Lord Jesus responded to this by saying “You have answered correctly; do this, and you will live,” (verse 28). Here is a classic statement of the covenant of works. To our minds it looks very much like a salvation by works. Right at the end of the parable the Lord Jesus adds these concluding words: “You go, and do likewise,” (verse 37). These things are impossible for fallen human beings to do. The only one who could keep the law in perfection was the Lord Jesus. So by emphasising the need for obedience to the law, the Lord Jesus was leading the lawyer to the point of realisation that he was incapable of keeping it and needed a Saviour.

But knowing that he could not do these commands, the lawyer sought to “justify himself,” (verse 29), and so asks the question “and who is my neighbour?” (verse 29). He was, in effect, seeking a loophole. Something lower in standard that he could keep. By asking this question he wanted an escape route. If his neighbour could be defined in narrow terms then that would go a long way to him being able to keep these commands.

One thing the lawyer knew well from his recollection of the law was that the two commands, to love the Lord wholeheartedly, and to love one’s neighbour as oneself, were inseparable. He probably thought that he was keeping the first commandment pretty well (i.e. to love God), by his observance of the ceremonial laws. But in order to “justify himself,” he wanted to narrow down the commandment to love his fellow man into something manageable.

Text focus.

Now the text we shall consider is found in verse 25, which reads as follows:

And behold, a lawyer stood up to put him to the test, saying, “Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?” (Luke 10:25).

For our purposes we shall home in on what the lawyer asks under three headings as follows:

[1] What shall I do?

[2] To inherit.

[3] Eternal life.

[1] What shall I do?

This is the age old problem that mankind faces. What should I do? Well, the Lord made it very plain in the Old Testament, and especially in the Law, that there are certain over-arching rules which must be kept fully always. The book of Deuteronomy stresses this point and repeatedly states that obedience is required for blessing. The Israelites were to keep all the laws, statutes, and precepts, if they wanted to life in the land of promise and be blessed. God’s law is perfect, holy, good, spiritual, and right (see Romans 7). And it is incumbent upon all to do all that God requires (Micah 6:8).

But the great problem is that no one can keep these laws. None have done so. Israel, given so much blessing and advantage by the Lord as His chosen vine failed repeatedly. We know from the New Testament that the law was added as a school master to lead us to Christ (Galatians 3:24,25). Its main purpose was to convict us of sin. By looking at the law, and by trying to keep it, in our failure we are brought to see our great need of mercy from the Lord. For the Christian the law is now a promise. It is no longer “thou shalt” as an imperative, but “thou will” as a promise. Through faith in Christ and His righteousness freely given by grace to us, we are enabled to live as Christ in this world. We are not perfect, but we press on and keep walking by faith in Him (Galatians 2:20). In this way the law is a blessing to the believer, for through it we see Christ, an in it we see how we can live by faith in Him.

The priest and the Levite were very much concerned with keeping the ceremonial law. They were concerned that if they went to the wounded Jew they would become defiled and would no longer be able to minister. Their problem was that they had split the two great commandments into separate parts. They would have been made ceremonially unclean in handling the man, but there was provision in the law for them to become clean again. In treating the man they would have been keeping the second great commandment to love their neighbour. Perhaps they had limited their thoughts to the first great commandment saying ‘God must come first” but the Lord Jesus made it clear elsewhere that these two commandments (to love God and to love our neighbour) were actually inter-twinned and inseparable.

On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets. (Matthew 22:40).

There is no other commandment greater than these. (Mark 12:31).

If we focus on one or the other, we are out of balance. When we love the Lord we ought as a consequence to love our fellow man. No man can truly love God if they hate or ignore their fellow man (1John 4:20). We must always be wary of diluting these commands, of bringing them down to our level so as to keep them in our own strength. Keeping these is only possible for us fallen human beings by faith in Christ and with the aid and power of the Holy Spirit.

Now the priest and the Levite were keen to keep the law as best they could but they were only seeking to follow the letter of the law and not the heart or spirit of it. Samaritans were considered to be ‘mongrels’ by Jews. They were an impure mix of races and not pure Jews of the twelve tribes of Israel. They were also idolaters. Jeroboam I at the division of the kingdom of Israel instituted two false calves for the Israelites in the north to worship. But despite their mixture and their distorted practices, they still had access to the word of God. It is possible that the Lord Jesus was alluding to an incident recorded in 2Chronicles 28. In this chapter Israel had defeated Judah and had taken captive 200,000 “women, sons, and daughters,” together with “much spoil,” and brought them into Samaria (2Chronicles 28:8). These captives were going to be forced into slavery in Samaria. But then all of a sudden we read that a prophet called Oded came and spoke to the people at Samaria (2Chronicles 28:9). He remonstrated with the people at Samaria who had wanted to make these captives into slaves (2Chronicles 28:10). Oded implored the people to return these captives because of the wrath of God which was upon them (2Chronicles 28:11). At this point some of leaders of Ephraim take this advice on board and declared that these captives were no to bring the captives into Samaria to be slaves (2Chronicles 28:12,13). Consequently the armed men (who presumably were guarding the captives) left the captives and the spoil “before the leaders and all the assembly” (2Chronicles 28:14). And then we read these words:

Then the men who were designated by name rose up and took the captives, and from the spoil they clothed all who were naked among them, dressed them and gave them sandals, gave them food and drink, and anointed them; and they let all the feeble ones ride on donkeys. So they brought them to their brethren at Jericho, the city of palm trees. Then they returned to Samaria. (2Chronicles 28:15).

Here we have an account of Samaritans aiding weak and troubled Jews. Just like the Good Samaritan in Jesus’ parable, they clothed them, dressed them, fed them, and even anointed them to tend to their needs. Note here that this action was all as a response to the word of God through the prophet Oded.

It is possible, then, that our Samaritan in the parable was someone who depicted for us as having acted out of response to hearing God’s word. We do not have such in the text of Luke 10, but the text from 2Chronicles 28 leads us to think that the Lord intended this lawyer to think along these lines. It was God who motivated the good Samaritan.

[2] To inherit.

It is interesting that the lawyer does not speak of earning or of gaining eternal life but refers instead to the idea of inheriting it. How does one inherit something? Well, it certainly does not come to a person by right, or through effort, or by means of works. An inheritance is a gift. It is something received and not earned. The key point (generally speaking) is that the one inheriting is somehow related to the donor or benefactor. Now believers inherit on account of their adoption into the family of God. Consider these words from Peter:

3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His abundant mercy has begotten us again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 4 to an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled and that does not fade away, reserved in heaven for you, 5 who are kept by the power of God through faith for salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. (1Peter 1:3-5).

God the Father has begotten us again and has adopted us into His family to a living hope and to an inheritance described as being “incorruptible,” “undefiled,” which “does not fade away,” and which is “reserved in heaven” for us. It is a sure and certain inheritance. And we also learn too that we are “kept by the power of God through faith” for this inheritance. There is a sure and certain inheritance reserved for believers, and believers are kept or preserved for this too. All of grace!

[3] Eternal life.

In one way or another humanity struggles with its mortality and hankers after eternal life in one form or another. Many in the secular world merely speak about their ‘legacy’ hoping that their name, achievements or fame may live on after they are gone. The Egyptians were keen on immortality and so they built impressive tombs for the afterlife. But the Bible has a very clear definition of eternal life. It is not just a matter of prolonging life on earth, but rather a quality of life. In John 10:10 the Lord speaks about coming to give life in “abundance.” A life that is over and above the norm and the experience of life here on earth. Resurrection life is much more than life perpetuated. New birth is the start of this eternal life. Our Lord and Saviour made reference to this the night before He died:

And this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent. (John 17:3).

Now the Samaritan spent some time with the wounded man and then after leaving told the inn keeper that he would return with further payment to cover all that was needed. He sought for the man not only to be tended, but to be healed, and to make a full recovery. Perhaps him telling the inn keeper that he would return was to ensure that the wounded man was properly cared for. It rather reminds us too of the Lord’s promise to return for us at His second coming. In the rescue and recovery of this wounded Jew we can see our salvation. It is noteworthy that the Lord Jesus was actually called a “Samaritan” by some (perhaps just before this parable) (John 8:48).

The new born life is a life in Christ and expressive of Christ’s life (Galatians 2:20; Philippians 1:21). To smile when you have a hard time at work, or to not yell back when someone viciously berates you is of the way of Christ and His righteousness. These attitudes are not self-imposed or drummed up but come from the indwelling Spirit as we feed on Christ. A person who truly knows God and loves Him will live a life of pleasing and beauty. Again it is not by self but through faith in Christ and with the aid and power of the Holy Spirit.

When the Lord concluded His parable He asks the lawyer: “Which of these three, do you think, proved to be a neighbour to the man who fell among the robbers?” (verse 36). The lawyer could not bring himself to say “the Samaritan,” but instead said “the one who showed him mercy” (verse 27). He accepted the parable, but only grudgingly. The Lord Jesus was saying to this lawyer: “you copy this good Samaritan.” Why? Well because he fulfilled the law. He loved God and out of his love for God he cared fully for the wounded man.

Conclusion.

What shall we conclude? Looking at the lawyer and the Samaritan we see two different approaches. Both believed in God. Both wanted to honour the Lord. But the lawyer wanted to operate on his own terms, for he sought to “justify himself.” In contrast, the Samaritan demonstrated the life of God. In like manner we should love God wholeheartedly and show such devotion by loving all mankind and being a good neighbour to all we come across.

October 30th 2022: Ian Middlemist

Published on November 2, 2022 by Penuel Baptist RochLeave a comment

Luke 10:25-37. “The Great Samaritan.”

Being in prison is not pleasant (to say the least)! Imagine you are in a situation where you have done something and have been charged with a crime, but you want to be cleared of these charges. You need a good lawyer or solicitor to get you off, to present your case in the best possible light. Well, that is what is happening here in this well-known passage most usually referred to as the ‘Parable of the Good Samaritan.’

In Israel the Law was uppermost in their thinking. The Law of God, which makes demands on all mankind, can only be interpreted properly by the Creator, for it is He who has defined it. Many people interpret the Law in their own way, from their own perspective. Some say, “Well I have never murdered anyone, so I have kept the commandment ‘thou shall not kill.” But the Lord points out to us in Matthew 5:22 that anyone who is unjustly angry with another in their heart and refers to them as a “fool” is in danger of judgment and hell fire. The Law applies not simply to the external examples set down but to the very heart of each specific issue. Each command in the ten commandments acts as a heading.

We have in our text a popular and to some their favourite story. This passage has inspired many to become better people (do-gooders) and may well have been the inspiration for charities like the Red Cross and others. We must be kind not simply to strangers but to those considered to be our enemies. But God’s Law is supposed to challenge us – who we are – it is not there for us to pat ourselves on the back.

[1] How may I inherit eternal life?

We are introduced to a “certain lawyer” who wanted to ask a testing question of the Lord Jesus (v25). He asks: “Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?” This is the question uppermost in this lawyer’s mind. Is this our question? Do we ask such a question today? I rather think not. We have other ‘more pressing’ questions (we believe). Questions such as: “how shall I pay my bills in this difficult time?” How will I cope with what I face at work? How will I pay for the petrol and heating bills? How will I deal with this illness I face?” Our questions are very much this world centred and earth-based. But this lawyer who has come to Jesus, is concerned with the issue of life and death. What happens after we die? He wants to know how he will fare in the life to come. Eternity awaits! He knows about heaven and hell. Where will I spend eternity? There is, in fact, no greater question to ask. Where will you go when you die? Do you have assurance of a place in heaven? Or do you deserve to be in hell?

Now the lawyer spoken of here is a different kind of lawyer to the ones we know of in our day. This man was concerned about the Law and how we interact with God. Modern day lawyers are concerned with cases between people (person A vs person B). This lawyer was concerned with the cases between people and God.

You may be asking this question, “Why cannot it be true that all people will inherit eternal life?” Surely, we might think, it is God’s good nature to welcome everyone? However, there is the great problem that none are good enough to enter heaven. None are as good as God who is the great definer of good, and He will not admit to heaven anyone who is not good. So, the lawyer asks what he might do to gain an entrance.

Now the lawyer was well aware that the Lord Jesus would direct him to the Law to make a summary statement – the two great commandments. We get a similar incident in Mark 10 where the rich young ruler asks the same basic question (“good Teacher, what shall I do that I may inherit eternal life”? Mark 10:17). In that instance the Lord Jesus pointed the rich young ruler to the second table of the Law. So, the ‘answer’ to the question concerning eternal life was well known – do the Law and you will live (Leviticus 18:5). The lawyer knew the answer to his own question! However, what the lawyer did not know in truth was whether he met the standard of God. What the lawyer wanted was to justify himself. How could he be sure that he was actually keeping the Law? It is likely that in truth the lawyer knew that he did not keep the Law properly. So, his second question gets to the heart of the issue. He wanted to justify himself (v29). He wanted to have an assurance that what he was doing in his attempt to keep the law was sufficient. In many ways this second question (“and who is my neighbour”) is the lawyer’s attempt at getting around the Law, or of side-stepping it somehow by finding a ‘loophole.’ He wanted to know what he could practically do himself in order to be able to enter heaven.

Now this, we know, is the wrong approach. None can keep the Law (except Christ Jesus) and so none can actually inherit eternal life by their own works. None can justify themselves. To attempt such is actually to be proud and even arrogant. We need the Law – it shows us the character of God and what is good – but we need deliverance, rescue and salvation.

[2] The good Samaritan, (v30-35).

There are three options here to the situation described in meeting the requirements of God’s Law that people may adopt.

Ignore the lawyer and his question. Don’t even bother to seek justification.
Seek a loophole. Get knowledge of the Law to find a way of appeasement. This is what many ‘religious’ people do. They make an acceptable religion for themselves and stick to it as best they can.
Humble yourself and seek the Lord for the one way possible. There is one way which will be true to the totality of all of the Law and which will bring great joy. Become a servant of the Living God.

The story that the Lord Jesus relates is very true to life. The priest and the Levite both ‘walk on by’ when they come across the poor beaten man. But we must not be too quick to judge these two men here in this story that the Lord tells. Have you ever done this? Have you passed by on the other side? There are many accounts we could speak of in contemporary life of a similar nature. I heard of a young two year old girl who was knocked down by a vehicle and left bleeding and unconscious and it was reliably reported in the media that many people saw her but did nothing. They just walked on by. There are many other similar accounts and maybe you too have walked by when you saw a beggar or someone in need by the road.

The story is vivid. A Jewish man is on his way from Jerusalem to Jericho. In those days the roads were dangerous on account of robbers who would take advantage of people in isolated areas. We have similar places in our world. Places you would not go about into at night or on your own. Now this Jewish man fell among the robbers who took his clothing and harmed him seriously so that our Lord described him as being “half dead” (v30). In this description of the plight of the robbed Jewish man we have a graphic picture of the threefold lost state of all mankind.

None one cared for him – those who should have cared all passed by.
He was in desperate need of rescue and kindness.
He could not save nor even help himself.

[a] The Priest (a ‘man of the cloth’ v31).

The priest comes by and saw a man who looked and appeared, to all intents and purposes, as dead. Now the Law instructed this man that to go near a dead person was to become defiled (Leviticus 21:1,11). So rather than risk defilement he passes on by. One commentator puts it like this: “the priest transgressed the entire second half of the law to preserve his keeping of the first.” He was in a dilemma. If he touched the man to help him he would become defiled and then not able to do his duties. Because he wanted to keep his duties and perform his rites he walks on by. So he ignored compassion in order to preserve his own dignity.

[b] The Levite (of lesser rank v32).

Levites were support workers to the priesthood. They performed various practical functions in the temple. The text indicates that he came by and had a closer look (“came and looked”). He also, however, passes on by. It would be too costly for his reputation to do anything for the man who appeared to be dead. Martin Luther King in his efforts to help the black sanitary workers in 1968 said this: “what would happen if we did nothing?” All acts of kindness are costly and will also cause suffering, but what happens if we do nothing?

[c] A certain Samaritan (v33).

Now the lawyer may then have expected that the next person to come near would have been an Israelite layman. The priest and the Levite have been shown up as no help, but surely an ordinary Israelite man would do something? But no one expected the Lord Jesus to suggest a Samaritan man. The mention of such a person would have aroused deep feelings within the lawyer. The Samaritans were utterly detested. They were considered to be the scum of the earth. It was natural in Israelite company to pray for the destruction of the Samaritans – they were thought that bad.

Now we are challenged, as this lawyer was, to show kindness to all people for all needs. But we need to go further than simply looking out for all mankind’s needs.

[3] The Great Samaritan (v36,37).

Imagine if Jesus had told the story the other way around. Consider the scenario if he had a Samaritan man beaten and left for dead and an Israelite came by? No Jew would ever help the Samaritan! It would have been unthinkable. But Jesus is placing this lawyer in the story as-it-were, for the one beaten and left for dead is an Israelite. As we read the account we are meant to put ourselves in the place of the beaten man. The Lord Jesus is speaking to an Israelite lawyer, and the Israelite in the story is the man beaten and left for dead. The Lord effectively says to the lawyer: “wouldn’t you want even a Samaritan to help you in such a desperate condition?” To such a question the lawyer surely would have had only one response? When in such a poor and needy condition, then surely help from anyone is accepted. When you are poor and needy then anyone could be your neighbour.

In Ephesians 2:5 we are taught that all people by nature are dead in trespasses and sins, and the only hope for us is rescue and deliverance – being made alive. The tragedy is that most people are unaware of their lost and needy condition. They are, as the Israelite man in the story, “half dead” (v30). They walk around and live in an earthly sense but they are spiritually dead – separated from God – and so half dead. All the people we see in the world are ravished by sin and are dying in sin as ‘that day’ approaches when Christ returns. Some take medication to dull the pain of their (unknown) sin. But sin renders a person helpless and legally undeserving of the kindness of God and eternal life.

BUT One has come – one most unlikely, unexpected – to rescue and to deliver. His name is “Jesus Christ,” who was once called a “Samaritan”:

Then the Jews answered and said to Him, “do we not say rightly that You are a Samaritan and have a demon?” (John 8:48).

Christ Jesus is the Great Samaritan. It was He who entered this world of sin and degradation. Jesus entered this dangerous world precisely to see us, touch us, lift us, to bring us to safety, to clothe us, and for this great help to be a permanent reality for the rest of our lives. This is exactly what the Samaritan man did. But Christ Jesus did it at the cost of His life.

Don’t try to be a good Samaritan! Instead recognise yourself as the half dead Israelite robbed by sin and in need of rescue. You need to receive the love of Christ as depicted here in this story. You are in dire need! And there is One who has come and not passed on by. He has come to deliver and to give you a permanent place of safety. We cannot see ourselves as the good Samaritan. None are like this by nature except Christ Jesus who was once called a “Samaritan” (John 8:48). Stop justifying yourself! Recognise your state and be rescued by the Great Samaritan. And then follow Him as He continues in His plan of rescuing unworthy people. Have you been rescued by this Great Samaritan – Jesus Christ?