“Which of these three, do you think, proved to be a neighbor to the man who fell among

the robbers?” He said, “The one who showed him mercy.” And Jesus said to him, “You

go, and do likewise.” (Luke 10:36-37)

Each of the fifty states as well as the District of Columbia have statutes referred to as Good

Samaritan Laws. These laws, named after our parable, are designed to encourage bystanders

to render aid in the aftermath of an accident or medical emergency by protecting the Samaritan

from legal liability stemming from their efforts to assist or rescue the injured party. A closely

related legal concept is that of a “duty to render aid.” The principle is that some folks are not just

encouraged to render aid, but they are by virtue of their training and/or profession required to

render competent aid.

It’s this idea of a duty to respond or render aid that I’d like to consider in light of this parable and

the great commandment found in the lawyer’s response in Luke 15:27. I want to suggest that

we, as believers in Jesus, have a duty to love our neighbor, to be merciful, to render aid.

Admittedly, folks can get a bit uneasy when you start to talk about duty and commands as they

relate to the believer. After all, the commands are rooted in the Old Testament Law, and we’re

under grace not under law. In addressing the conflict between law and grace, the Apostle Paul

wrote the following to the church at Galatia:

For you were called to freedom, brothers. Only do not use your freedom as an

opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another. For the whole law is

fulfilled in one word: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” (Galatians 5:13-14)

The grace by which we’ve been set free and made new equips us to love others. Having been

equipped by grace, we are called and constrained to love our neighbor. In a sermon on the

great commandment, Alistair Begg observes that loving our neighbor is not the way to life, but it

ought to be the way of life for those who have found the way to life in Christ Jesus. Sadly, we

too often find ourselves identifying with the response of the priest and the Levite, as opposed to

the compassion and mercy demonstrated by the Samaritan.



Who do you know that’s hurting, that has been robbed, beaten, and left for dead on the road of

life, and you’ve just been passing by on the other side of the road? Will you answer the call to

love your neighbor, to be merciful, and to render aid?

By Jesse Smith