The Good Samaritan - Why Ask this Question to Jesus? For me the words written in the Bible are all there for a reason. There is nothing there by chance. The writer of the Bible specifically felt that a particular sequence was needed to be written. Nothing was done as an afterthought. To God and the writers of the Bible, every word written serves a purpose. In the same critical mind frame, I try to read the passage of the good Samaritan. In the last episode, we talked about why the leaders of Israel through the teacher of the law test Jesus at this point in time. So in continuation of that thought I ask, 'Why ask this particular question to Jesus?' 'On one occasion an expert in the law stood up to test Jesus. “Teacher,” he asked, “what must I do to inherit eternal life?”' - Luke 10:25 Of all the question the teacher of the law could have asked, why this? What would the leaders of Israel gained by the question put forth by their proxy? There must have been something in that question that the lawyer thought would trap Jesus. Expose him. Something that would undermine him. At the least, the teacher of the law wanted Jesus to clarify something for him. Now could it be an innocent question that he had been struggling with that he wanted Jesus to confirm? Yes, but no. The Bible clearly reads that the teacher of the law 'tested' Jesus. Also, he knew the answer to the question he asked. But the question continues after Jesus answered the teacher of the law by asking him what the Bible says about the question. 'And who is my neighbor.' But he wanted to justify himself, so he asked Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?” - Luke 10:29  The teacher of the law knew the answer to his first question. And if Jesus answered the question correctly, then, he could ask this second question. He led Jesus on this trail of question to get at this question. Who is my neighbor? Back in Luke chapter 9 we see that Jesus sends out the 12 before he sends out the 72. But before he sends out the 72, there is an event that is buried between the lines. In Luke 9:7-9, Jesus comes into attention of Herod. He becomes known by the authorities due to his popularity. Now Herod the tetrarch heard about all that was going on. And he was perplexed because some were saying that John had been raised from the dead, others that Elijah had appeared, and still others that one of the prophets of long ago had come back to life. But Herod said, “I beheaded John. Who, then, is this I hear such things about?” And he tried to see him. - Luke 9:7-9 Right after that he performs a miracle by feeding 5,000 people (male count) in Bethsaida. The significance of the miracle is rooted deep within the Jewish culture. When Moses led the Israelites from Egypt, God blessed the Israelites with mana and quail throughout their sojourn. So when Jesus performed this miracle, the significance of it was not lost on the people. Especially with the believe that we would be given mana in heaven was definitely not lost on the people. The problem is, Bethsaida is not in the Jewish territory. It is in Syria.  Of the 5,000, there would have been some Jews, but there would have been many other people. It would have been a melting pot of nationalities, religions, cultures, ethnicities and race. Everyone was welcome, travelers, locals, traders, there was nobody checking immigration papers at the gate, no ICE agents, no one to check documents. So this miracle that resemble so much like the mana was given not only to the Israelites, but to the gentiles also. So for this teacher of the law, Jesus was performing miracles, healing the sick, driving out demons and feeding the masses outside of the chosen people. He is trying to figure out if Jesus was thinking the same way as he was. And to this, Jesus answers by giving this parable. So come along for the ride. Subscribe, leave a comment below, share and I'll see you guys on the other side. - Worm PS Support this almost daily Bible study Vlogs by subscribing to my YouTube channel.

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