Jesus: The Good Samaritan

 29But he, willing to justify himself, said unto Jesus, And who is my neighbour?

 

 

Jesus talks about a certain man robbed and wounded by thieves. This certain man is a picture of all of us, men and women who because of Adam have left the city of Peace because of sin.

 

We have been robbed and deposes from reigning in life at birth, because of Adam, who fell for Satan's lie (Genesis 3:1-8). Satan is a robber, but because of sin and death, we are all half-dead,

 

Now, two representatives of the Law of Moses pass by this "certain man". The priest and the Levite cannot help a fallen man, or else they will be defiled.

 

"10And he that is the high priest among his brethren, upon whose head the anointing oil was poured, and that is consecrated to put on the garments, shall not uncover his head, nor rend his clothes; 11Neither shall he go in to any dead body, nor defile himself for his father, or for his mother; 12Neither shall he go out of the sanctuary, nor profane the sanctuary of his God; for the crown of the anointing oil of his God is upon him: I am the LORD." (Leviticus 21:10-12)

 

The law does not help us, but rather shows us how helpless we are and magnifies are half-dead state.

 

Then comes the Samaritan, who is a picture of Jesus. Samaritans were half-Jewish, half-Gentile, despised by the Jews of Jerusalem. A source of scorn to the religious leaders, as well, but not to Jesus, who had to go through Samaria in order to minister to the woman at the well (John 4).

 

The Samaritan represents Jesus because the Body of Christ is made of Jew and Gentile (Ephesians 2:11-15)

 

Just like the Samaritan, Jesus became despised and rejected, so that we could be accepted:

 

"Thus saith the LORD, the Redeemer of Israel, and his Holy One, to him whom man despiseth, to him whom the nation abhorreth, to a servant of rulers, Kings shall see and arise, princes also shall worship, because of the LORD that is faithful, and the Holy One of Israel, and he shall choose thee." (Isaiah 49: 7)

and then

"He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not." (Isaiah 53: 3)

And then

"For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him." (2 Corinthians 5: 21)

and

"To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved." (Ephesians 1: 6)

Jesus today is your high priest forever (Hebrews 9: 22), serving still.

Let Him be your Good Samaritan today!