A number of conclusions may be drawn from the passage. I make no claim to any original thought in this regard.
The first of the Great Commandments comes from Deuteronomy 6:5, the second from Leviticus 19:18. Jesus tells us that obeying the two commandments will confer on us eternal life. It may be noted that Jesus states that these are the only provisions of the Law it is necessary for us to follow for eternal life. Therefore we may regard the rest of the Law as irrelevant to salvation? I believe so.
As we have noted before the Great Commandments are statements of principles encompassing all the Law and the Prophets.
In the parable we have the stark contrast between the behaviour of the priest and the Levite and that of the Samaritan. The Samaritan shows selfless love and sacrifice. The priest and Levite show no love at all considering themselves bound by the Law and its interpretation.
Elsewhere in the gospels we have Jesus railing against the inadequacies of the teachers of the Law and the Pharisees in applying the Law. Thus in Luke 6:1-11 Jesus says at v.9, addressing the Pharisees and the teachers of the Law:
I ask you which is lawful on the Sabbath: to do good or to do evil, to save life or destroy it?
Thus the Levite, the priest, the teachers of the Law and the Pharisees are all accused of misapplication of the Law, of using it to stop actions based on concern, love and practical assistance for fellow humans.
Today we should not interpret the Old Testament in order to deny full inclusion. It is the old covenant and for Christians has been replaced by the new. I recognise that for the followers of Judaism what Christians call the Old Testament is still very much alive. As Christians we should recognise that our faith is an independent faith and not a sect of Judaism. This was the battle fought by Paul. We should let go the chains which seek to tie us to the old covenant.
Future posts will consider christianity and social responsibility .
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