Luke 10:30 (ESV) Jesus replied, “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and he fell among robbers, who stripped him and beat him and departed, leaving him half dead.
The road from Jericho to Jerusalem was a steep descent of 19 miles through a desolate rocky area. It was a prime location for bandits to raid unsuspecting travelers. Robbers attacked him, stole his belongings, beat him and left him nearly dead. The man would probably not survive without someone to help him. However, the road was well traveled and I’m sure the man was looking out for the first traveler to help him.
Luke 10:31 (ESV) Now by chance a priest was going down that road, and when he saw him he passed by on the other side.
It seems that the injured man had been left lying on the road itself or close to it. A priest from Jerusalem was the first traveler to see the injured man lying there. Rather than getting involved, he altered his path to get as far away from the man and quickly walked by.
One would have expected a priest in the temple to care for the man. However, he pointedly ignored him. Perhaps he was late for an appointment. Or, was afraid the robbers could still be lurking. Or maybe he wasn’t sure if the man was dead or not and didn’t want to be made unclean.
Luke 10:32 (ESV) So likewise a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side.
The next traveler was a Levite, a helper to the priests in the temple. He had a lower rank than the priest, but Jesus’ listeners would have expected both him and the priest to help the wounded man. Yet, the Levites response was the same. He saw the man, but moved to the other side of the road and quickly passed by.
Both men knew the command to love your neighbor as yourself. If they were lying on the roadside, surely they would have wanted someone to help. Yet, they did not see the injured man as their neighbor whom they must love. These two are examples of how not to be a neighbor.
It’s easy to not be a neighbor, isn’t it. Just pass by on the other side of the road, not my responsibility. It’s true that we can’t meet all the needs in our world. Yet, God does call us to love our neighbor as ourselves.
To love our neighbor is going to require some time, some concern and some resources. In other words, loving our neighbor is going to cost us something. Yet, for those who truly love God, He provides us with the means to love our neighbors and not pass by on the other side of the road.