Luke 10:25-37(NASB)
The Parable of the Good Samaritan
25 On one occasion an expert in the law stood up to test Jesus. “Teacher,” he asked, “what must I do to inherit eternal life?” 26 “What is written in the Law?” he replied. “How do you read it?” 27 He answered, “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind’[c]; and, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’[d]” 28 “You have answered correctly,” Jesus replied. “Do this and you will live.”
29 But he wanted to justify himself, so he asked Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?”
30 In reply Jesus said: “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, when he was attacked by robbers. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him and went away, leaving him half dead. 31 A priest happened to be going down the same road, and when he saw the man, he passed by on the other side. 32 So too, a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. 33 But a Samaritan, as he traveled, came where the man was; and when he saw him, he took pity on him. 34 He went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he put the man on his own donkey, brought him to an inn and took care of him. 35 The next day he took out two denarii[e] and gave them to the innkeeper. ‘Look after him,’ he said, ‘and when I return, I will reimburse you for any extra expense you may have.’
36 “Which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?” 37 The expert in the law replied, “The one who had mercy on him.” Jesus told him, “Go and do likewise.”
In the above passage- verse 28, neighbor is not just a person living near or next door to the speaker or person referred to. It is 'plesion' in Greek, and according to the O. T. and Jewish conception, neighbor in this sense, means a member of the Hebrew race and commonwealth. (Ref. www.biblestudytools.com/lexicons/greek/nas/plesion.html)
When GOD summoned Israel to love their neighbors. HE commanded them to love their co fellow members of the Covenant, as themselves. In fact, GOD do not allow them to intermarry with their pagan neighbors. (Deuteronomy 7:1-4). GOD even instructed them to take possession of the pagans' land and after, neither GOD allowed Israel to associate with these nations. (Joshua 23:4-7) Even in the time of Jesus Christ, the Jews followed and observed the oracles of GOD in Ezekiel 44:9 which says, “This is what the Lord God says: “No foreigner uncircumcised in heart and uncircumcised in flesh, of all the foreigners who are among the sons of Israel, shall enter My sanctuary.”
This is the result of that expert of the law questioning Jesus Christ in Luke 10: 29. The lawyer believed that he had followed the law of loving his neighbor. He challenged our Lord Jesus, knowing that Jesus was drinking and eating with the sinners and pagans which are forbidden in the Scripture. Jesus corrected him by pointing who is the true neighbor, The true neighbor is not by ethnicity but by its true meaning; co believers in GOD, obedient in the Law, like the good Samaritan.
This is why Jesus Christ gave us New Commandment. In John 13:34-35, Jesus said “ I am giving you a new commandment, that you love one another; just as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this all people will know that you are My disciples: if you have love for one another.”
He included not only loving those who are good but those who are bad as well. No exceptions! Even our enemies, we have to love them.(Luke 6:27-37)
Jesus came for our perfection. Hebrews 12 :1-2 says, “ Therefore, since we also have such a great cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let’s rid ourselves of every obstacle and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let’s run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking only at Jesus, the [a]originator and perfecter of the faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.”
To be perfect is not only to love our neighbors but everyone just as Jesus had loved us. It is easy to love your co believers, but that does not make us pure. If the Old Commandment, the Law of Moses is perfect, then there’s no reason why we should need a New Covenant with GOD. Hebrews 8:7 and 13 says, “ For if that first covenant had been free of fault, no circumstances would have been sought for a second. When He said, “A new covenant,” He has made the first obsolete. But whatever is becoming obsolete and growing old is about to disappear.”
It is therefore right to say, 'Love One another as I have loved you' is not Exactly the same as 'Love Your Neighbor as yourself’
So, follow Jesus, His commandments are perfect and will lead us to Eternal Life in Heaven with HIM, AMEN
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