Which One was a Neighbor? - Luke 10:36

Luke the beloved physician wrote how a certain lawyer asked Jesus, “And who is my neighbor? 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. And by chance there came down a certain priest that way: and when he saw him, he passed by on the other side. And likewise a Levite, when he was at the place, came and looked on him, and passed by on the other side. But a certain Samaritan, as he journeyed, came where he was: and when he saw him, he had compassion on him, And went to him, and bound up his wounds, pouring in oil and wine, and set him on his own beast, and brought him to an inn, and took care of him. And on the morrow when he departed, he took out two pence, and gave them to the host, and said unto him, Take care of him; and whatsoever you spend more, when I come again, I will repay you”, and in chapter ten and verse thirty-six of his book Luke shared how Jesus asked the lawyer, “which now of these three … was neighbor unto him” where we read:

Which now of these three, do you think, was neighbor unto him that fell among the thieves?

The verse reads, “Which now of these three, do you think, ...” Luke began with the words, “which now of these three” or “who at this time of the priest, Levite and Samaritan”, “do you think” which means “do you, lawyer, suppose, account and repute” the following. Luke shared how Jesus asked the lawyer which of the “three” men did he “suppose” was as follows.

The verse goes on to say, “... was neighbor unto him that fell among the thieves?” Luke continued with the words, “was neighbor unto him” which means “was as a friend or fellow man to the man” “that fell among the thieves” or “who was entrapped and overwhelmed by robbers, plunderers, freebooters and brigands”? Luke shared how Jesus questioned who the lawyer thought was as a “friend or fellow man” to the man who was “robbed, beaten and left for dead”.

When we think through Luke's words in this verse, we see how Jesus employed this story to answer the question of the lawyer who asked who was his “neighbor”. Jesus was a master storyteller, and He used them to bring about “Kingdom truths”. When he presented this question to the lawyer, He lead him to the way people are to be toward others. God loves everyone, and He desires to have a personal relationship with them through His Son Jesus. Those who are wise will understand they are a “neighbor” to God who reaches out to everyone and wants them to “yield” to His Son Jesus as their personal “Savior and Lord” who will care for their every need.

Next time Luke shares how the lawyer answered, “he that showed mercy on him”, so read ahead, and we shall join together then.

Until tomorrow…there is more…

Look for the daily devotional book “Equipped for Battle – From Generation to Generation”, the marriage book “So, You Want to Be Married”, “One Year in the Sermon on the Mount” and the new poetry book "Random Mushrooms Volumes I and II" and the new novel "Elizabeth County" in all major bookstore sites, http://www.amazon.com ; http://www.barnesandnobles.com ; download to e-books, and find it locally at www.mrzlc.com/bookstore. All references are from "Strongs Concordance".