AND WHO IS MY NEIGHBOUR? - PART 4

WEDNESDAY 30 APRIL 2025

Reference: Luke 10:29 New International Version (NIV)

"But he wanted to justify himself, so he asked Jesus, 'And who is my neighbour?"'

In Luke 10:32 (AMP), Jesus also noted the action of the second passerby by saying, "Likewise a Levite also came down to the place and saw him, and passed by on the other side [of the road]."

The identity of the second person that came down to the place of incident and saw the gloom-ridden injured man was a "Levite." Who is a Levite? An offspring of Levi, a tribe in Israel which was set apart to produce priests for the Israeli descents.

When he saw the thumped and battered man, what did he do as a levite? He passed by on the other side of the road, which is an apathetic exertion. It could be a fearful levite, who could also have assumed that there were still hidden culprits, and therefore, to avoid being a victim of ruinous circumstance, injurious to his own health, he crossed over to the other side, denoting a witting impulse to protect himself from being vulnerable to another attack. However, you should gain or imbibe the understanding that these are my suggestive remarks conveying their unverified intentions.

Observing an analytical thinking of what could've gone on in the very minds of both persons who manifested a self-centered portrayal, will help you to properly understand the role they played in this parable. Of course, the parable of the Good Samaritan is a brief narrative that is not based on a real-life account, although it conveys a dramatic and evocative depiction of personalities that were used by the Lord Jesus to illustrate a moral lesson to the expert in Mosiac law. In a nutshell, these parables are mental pictures or visual representation of articulated stories strategically formed in the mind of the Lord, which can helpfully generate a quick understanding, insight, wiseness, or discernment of His spiritual teachings as a lucid narrative.

Therefore, my own logical reasoning, internal depiction and evaluative rendering of the parabolic scene, incident or event - is equally allowed while accessing the behavioural function of the Priest and the Levite. In other words, the question: "what could've led to their negative responses or actions" is an intense inquisitive identification that can lead us to a reasonable conclusion with a significant importance - which can always be recalled or imagined in favour of our spiritual understanding. It can also empower us with the ability to comprehend, discern, or to have ready insight into such a discussed matter, characterizing the spiritual truths, which the Lord Jesus has given in His parable.

Yes, in this parable, the Lord considered both the priest and the levite as displaying an injudicious exemplar which is - being unworthy of functioning as a neighbour. But that doesn't imply that all Priests or Levites are inconsiderate and wicked in nature, and that is my own decisive and most important point within the issues pertaining to this parable, which the Lord Jesus understands too. Stay tuned for part 5. Shalom!

Scripture Reading -  Hosea 10:12; Proverbs 11:18; Isaiah 3:10-11; Matthew 7:16-17; Galatians 6:9.

Exuberant Declaration:

Being a good neighbour is a form of conscious determination to do good when I'm in position to do so. Therefore, I'm gratefully empowered by God to remain faithful in well-doing. Hallelujah!