Today I would like to share the grace of God under the title, ¡°Who was the Neighbor to the Man Who Fell into the Hands of Robbers?¡±
An expert in the law came to Jesus and asked about how to inherit eternal life. Jesus said to him, ¡°Live as what the Bible says and then you will have eternal life.¡±
The expert in the law asked, ¡°The Bible says, ¡®Love according to the Law.¡¯ What does it mean that we should love our neighbors?¡± He wanted to justify himself before others, so he asked Jesus again, "And who is my neighbor?" Then, Jesus answered him with a parable.

In Jesus¡¯ parable, a man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, when he fell into the hands of robbers.

Luke 10:30 says, "A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, when he fell into the hands of robbers. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him and went away, leaving him half dead.¡±

No matter how prosperous we may live, all of us have already fallen into the hands of robbers. Because Adam and Eve were deceived by the devil and robbed of their life, their descendants fell into the hands of the devil who came only to steal and kill and destroy and had to live in pain.

Romans 5:12 says, ¡°Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all men, because all sinned--¡±

Adam who met the devil, a robber, committed sin that all people faced death. Who would be a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers? A priest was going down the same road and saw the bleeding man who was dying on the street, but he passed him by on the other side.

Luke 10:31 says, ¡°A priest happened to be going down the same road, and when he saw the man, he passed by on the other side.¡±

Priests and the Pharisees and the teachers of the Law all represent the law. However, the priest in this parable lost love, which is the original essence of the law.

Romans 13:8 says, ¡°for he who loves his fellowman has fulfilled the law.¡±
Chapter 13:10 also says, ¡°Love does no harm to its neighbor. Therefore love is the fulfillment of the law.¡±

At that time those priests and the Pharisees only condemned and judged others by the law. Any decrees and regulations of the law without love couldn¡¯t help revive people. The Levites had a lower status than priests, but they were also chosen to serve God and people like priests.

Leviticus 19:18 says, "Do not seek revenge or bear a grudge against one of your people, but love your neighbor as yourself. I am the LORD.¡±

God loved the Israelites so much that He gave them various positions to serve, but they didn¡¯t love their neighbors with those positions. The Levites were fully aware of this commandment of love. However, this Levite let this dying man alone and passed by on the other side.
Apostle Paul said in his letter to the Corinthians as follows, ¡°If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames, but have not love, I gain nothing.¡±(1 Corinthians 13:1-3)
What a great declaration this is! If we believe without love, it has no meaning at all. No matter how many gifts and power we may have, if there is no love, it doesn¡¯t benefit us at all. Nevertheless, a Samaritan happened to come where the bleeding man was and when he saw him, he took pity on him. The previous Jewish people such as the priest, Levite, a Pharisee and a Sadducee all had status, but they all passed by this bleeding and dying man on the other side. However, this Samaritan helped the man.

Luke 10:33-35 says, ¡°But a Samaritan, as he traveled, came where the man was; and when he saw him, he took pity on him. He went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he put the man on his own donkey, took him to an inn and took care of him.
The next day he took out two silver coins and gave them to the innkeeper. 'Look after him,' he said, 'and when I return, I will reimburse you for any extra expense you may have.'¡±

How generous he was! While he traveled on business, he postponed his schedule and brought the man to an inn, which was a hospital at that time, and asked the innkeeper to take care of him and promised to reimburse him for any extra expense to heal the wounded man. The Samaritan took pity on the robbed man. The phrase, ¡®take a pity¡¯ usually expresses the heart and mind of Jesus. In the Bible, most of the phrases show that Jesus took pity on people. I can¡¯t remember any legal people who took pity. Jesus took pity on sick people and the blind and the deaf and healed them all. He also took compassion on the hungry people in the wilderness and fed them all. Once Jesus met the widow who cried over her only son who was dead and took pity on her and raised her son from death. As Jesus took pity on us,
he carried all our sins to the cross. Nowadays Jesus takes pity on each one of us. If not, we are only doing things that deserve a slap in the face. If this were the case the Lord would not satisfy His anger no matter how many times He may slap both our cheeks. Nevertheless, the Lord takes pity on us and loves us so much. Jesus loves us who are miserable due to diseases, starvation, and failure in life. After this parable, Jesus asked the teacher in the law, "Which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?" The teacher in the law must have thought that Jesus would take his side, but He taught him one of the most important lessons.
Jesus who delivered us from death told here that He really takes pity on us. Jesus washed away our sins with His precious blood. He cleanses our sins because of His pity and compassion on us.

Romans 3:23-24 says, ¡°for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.¡±

In addition, Jesus healed all our diseases of hearts and minds.

1 Peter 2:24 says, ¡°He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; by his wounds you have been healed.¡±

Jesus also liberated us from our lives that got tangled in curses. He settled our curses and gave us abundant blessings instead. In the Bible, there are two ways before us; one is to receive the blessings of David and Abraham while other is to receive the curses of the devil. I believe that you will receive the blessings of David and Abraham by believing in Jesus.

3 John 1:2 says, ¡°Dear friend, I pray that you may enjoy good health and that all may go well with you, even as your soul is getting along well.¡±

Philippians 4:19 says, ¡°And my God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus.¡±

The devil comes only to steal, kill, and destroy us, but Jesus who is with us does not do that kind of thing. Above all, Jesus healed our death that stemmed from our sins. He healed all those who had the disease of death and made them all righteous.

John 5:21 says, ¡°For just as the Father raises the dead and gives them life, even so the Son gives life to whom he is pleased to give it.¡±

2 Corinthians 1:10 says, ¡°He has delivered us from such a deadly peril, and he will deliver us. On him we have set our hope that he will continue to deliver us.¡±

The Lord always wants to share life with us. Like a good Samaritan delivered a dying man who was robbed, Jesus washed away our sins by His blood and healed our diseases of bodies and hearts and bandaged our wounds. And He also filled us with all our needs abundantly to restore us fully. Furthermore, He moved us from eternal death to eternal life. Therefore, whosoever comes to Jesus today will be healed from sins, filth, sickness and diseases, poverty and death. Priests, the Pharisees, and the teachers in law are all representing the law without love. Especially, the priest in the parable lost love, which is the original essence of the law.

Romans 13:8 says, ¡°for he who loves his fellowman has fulfilled the law.¡±

Romans 13:10 says, ¡°Love does no harm to its neighbor. Therefore love is the fulfillment of the law.¡±

At that time most priests and the Pharisees, and the teachers in the law used to use the law to condemn and judge others harshly. The decrees and regulations of the law without love did not practice love but to kill people. What Jesus meant to this teacher in the law who asked Him how to inherit eternal life is to teach that when we take a pity on others it is true love for our neighbors. To love our neighbors is to take a pity on them. When we believe in our Lord Jesus Christ, He will give us love in our hearts by the Holy Spirit. His love is to take a pity on others. When we receive this love to take a pity on others from the Lord, He will make us love our neighbors endlessly. There is no end in God¡¯s love and grace. Like our God is eternal, His mercy and love and compassion is infinite. I bless you in the name of the Lord that you will think, speak, support, and encourage like the Lord to live a decent life on the earth.