How to Gain Eternal Life 

An expert in the Law of Moses stood up and asked Jesus a question to test the Master’s knowledge. “Teacher,” he asked, “what must I do to have eternal life?” Jesus answered, “What is written in the Scriptures? How do you understand them?” The man replied, “The Scriptures say, ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, strength, and mind.’ They also say, ‘Love your neighbors as much as you love yourself.’” Jesus said, “You have given the right answer. If you do this, you will have eternal life.”

But the man wanted to show that he knew what he was talking about. So, he asked Jesus, “Who are my neighbors?” Jesus replied: “As a man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, robbers attacked him and grabbed everything he had. They beat him up and ran off, leaving him half dead. A priest happened to be going down the same road. But when he saw the man, he walked by on the other side.Later a Levite (temple worker) came to the same place. But when he saw the man who had been beaten up, he also went by on the other side.  A man from Samaria then came traveling along that road. When he saw the man, he felt sorry for him and went over to him. He treated his wounds with olive oil and wine and bandaged them. Then he put him on his own donkey and took him to an inn, where he took care of him. The next morning, he gave the innkeeper two silver coins, and said, “Please take care of the man. If you spend more than this on him, I will pay you when I return.”

Then Jesus asked, “Which one of these three people was a real neighbor to the man who was beaten up by robbers?” The expert in the law answered, “The one who showed mercy on him.” Jesus said, “Go and do the same!”  Orthodox Jews of that day wore around their wrists little leather boxes called phylacteries which contained important passages of scripture. In effect, Jesus said, “Look at the phylactery on your own wrist and it will answer your question.”

The road from Jerusalem to Jericho, about 20 miles long, was notoriously dangerous—a narrow passageway with craggy overhanging cliffs and sudden turns that made it inviting for thieves and robbers. Because many travelers were either seriously injured or killed on this route, it was called the “Bloody Way.” The injured man was obviously foolhardy to travel the road alone carrying goods and valuables. The priest remembered if he touched a dead man, he would be unclean for seven days (Numbers 19:11). The Levite’s motto was “safety first.”  He realized that bandits were known for using one of their number as a decoy. When an unsuspecting traveler stopped over the supposedly injured man, others would rush in and overpower him.  The Samaritan, possibly a commercial traveler, risked his own life because he had the love of God in his heart.

What Jesus said to the expert in the law, He says to us: “Go and do the same!”