Highland Christian Church

ParablesThe Good SamaritanLuke 10:29-37Until we recognize Jesus as our Good Samaritan, we will not understand how to be one.This story is often used to teach ethics.  "Help anyone in need" tends to be where we go with this.  While that is a true statement, this story can often be summed up as a "change your behavior" story WITHOUT proper context.Jesus is directly addressing a religious leader who has no intentions of learning from Jesus.  We know that he set out to "trap" Jesus.  Jesus doesn't play into that.  The religious man doesn't even know that his question AND his answer simply show he doesn't understand how God works in our lives.  We do not EARN an inheritance.  We CANNOT keep the law - the law shows us that we can't when we properly study it.  "WHO is MY NEIGHBOR?" showed that all the man cared about was justifying himself.Jesus' telling the story of the good Samaritan was not just about being kind.  It was a lesson in how religion can