No, the question is, “How do I enter into eternal life right now?” The Greek word for “life” here, zoé, means life that is real and genuine—life in its fullness and vitality. Jesus is on about that very point. In verse 28 he tells the guy, “Do this and you will live,” which is a slight iteration of zoé, which means to experience the God kind of life. The word “eternal” in front of zoé speaks to the source: Eternal life is life with heaven as its source. Jesus is giving us the keys to experiencing heavenly life right here, right now.
It wasn’t the pious guys in the parable that had eternal life. Far from it. It was the plain old Samaritan, down at the bottom of the religious ladder, who demonstrated he had a handle on what it means to live out love for God by loving others.
The Real Neighbor
As followers of Jesus, we can’t afford to miss the point in this legendary parable. We believe we would better understand Jesus’ point if, rather than calling this familiar story “the parable of the good Samaritan,” we called it “the parable of the real neighbor.” The Samaritan—the one who proved to be a real neighbor—demonstrates several important traits we can learn from.
Nearing. First, unlike the priest and the Levite who came upon the victim and intentionally crossed the street, the Samaritan moved in closer to assess what looked to be a bad circumstance. All three of the players in Jesus’ story “saw” the man who was in distress. All three of these guys were busy. They were on a journey. They had things to do. People to see. They were carrying on the duties and business of life. But there was a difference in the three. Two people saw and went on. One person saw and went to.
It is so much easier to just “pass over to the other side.” What we thought we saw or heard may not be the case. It could just be our imagination. That conversation I overheard between one of my kids and her playmate from down the street may have sounded like her family is struggling with finances, but I may have misunderstood. Then again, little Carly does seem to eagerly accept every offer for a snack or to stay for dinner.
I see our elderly neighbor across the street mowing his lawn, so I guess he is up to the task. I wonder if it would be a blessing to him if I offered to do that, or is the exercise good for him? Does he enjoy doing it himself? I will never know the answer unless, like the good Samaritan, I go to the person. If I “pass by on the other side,” like the priest and Levite, I will never know for sure.
Caring. The real neighbor in Jesus’ story begins to attend to the wounds he discovers. Not only does he offer his own immediate resources, he seeks the assistance of others nearby. The Samaritan needed to continue his journey. But he didn’t just leave the man behind. He asked an innkeeper to take care of the fallen man.
He said, “I’ll pay for his lodging and any other expenses, but this person needs more than that. Will you join me and pitch in and care for him while I am away?” Think about that. It is not normal for an innkeeper to play nursemaid to a houseguest, but the Samaritan made the request anyway. Our aim must be higher than to just be a good neighbor ourselves. The goal is to create a neighborhood of good neighbors whereby the collective gifts, talents, resources, and caring hearts of many neighbors join forces when needs arise.
Sharing. Finally, look back and see what set this neighboring example in motion. Before we get the parable of the real neighbor, we get the great commandment: “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind.” Heart. Soul. Strength. Mind. Jesus is talking about our passion and being. He is talking about our heart, our hands, and our head. What do you care deeply about? What do you love to do? What is your passion? What are you skilled at and knowledgeable about? Jesus says, “Love God with all of that!” And then he says, “Make it tangible by loving your neighbor as yourself.”
When we are passionate about something we want others to experience it as we have. Think about it. What is one of the first things you do after you have watched a movie you really liked? You tell your friends, “Oh, you have to go see it. It’s incredible!” It’s the same with a great book or a newly discovered restaurant or recipe. Some people do this with a new tool, a new app, or a new electronic device they have discovered. “I heard you are putting in a new wood floor this weekend. You are welcome to use my compound miter saw. It’s great. It has a laser guide and auto measuring. I’ll bring it over!”
It is natural for us to share what we have and know with friends. But Jesus takes it to an entirely different level. He defines real neighbors as those who are willing to do so with strangers—and not just strangers because they’ve never met. Jesus stretches the possibilities beyond the limits of comfort. He takes it to the extreme. By choosing a Samaritan as the real neighbor, while using a priest and a Levite as the failed neighbors in his story, Jesus blows away all excuses for ignoring our call to being neighbors.
Taken from Next Door as It Is in Heaven copyright © 2016 by Lance Ford and Brad Brisco. Used by permission of NavPress. All rights reserved. Represented by Tyndale House Publishers, Inc.
