14 July 2025, How Do You Read the Law? Luke 10:25-37, AUC
- Do Young Kim
- Jul 13
- 8 min read

Let me begin today’s message with a story from many many years ago when I was leading a children’s service. It wasn’t a formal sermon, more like a "kids' talk" that aimed to make the message simple and relatable. The passage that day was ‘the Parable of the Good Samaritan’.
Let me take you back with me into that Sunday school room. Are we ready?
I told the children the familiar story. “Kids! one day a teacher of the law came to Jesus and asked, ‘Teacher! what must I do to get eternal life?” “Who is my neighbour?”
And instead of answering directly, Jesus told a powerful story. There was a man travelling from Jerusalem down to Jericho. On the way, he was attacked by robbers. They beat him, stripped him of his clothes, and left him half-dead on the side of the road. Soon, a priest came along. He was well-dressed, probably on his way to an important religious duty. The injured man saw him and thought, ‘Oh, thank God! I’m saved!’
But the priest just glanced at him and quickly crossed to the other side. He muttered “Oh, what a mess.”
Next, a Levite came along, another important religious figure. But he too looked, hesitated, and kept walking. The man on the ground must have felt his last bit of hope slip away. The wounded man was heartbroken. All his hope was gone. He thought, ‘This is it, then…’ and as he was about to close his eyes, he heard someone approaching. Yes, It was a Samaritan.
Now, the injured man completely gave up. ‘A Samaritan is not going to help me,’ he thought. Because, as you know, back in those days, the Jews and the Samaritans hated each other. They didn’t talk, didn’t help one another, didn’t mix.
But this Samaritan was different. As soon as he saw the man on the ground, he was moved with compassion. He rushed to him, cleaned and dressed his wounds. He put the man on his own donkey, took him to an inn. He cared for him all night. And the next morning, he gave money to the innkeeper and said, ‘Please look after him. If it costs more, I’ll pay the rest when I return.’
After telling the story, I asked the kids a question I was sure I knew the answer to. “Okay, kids! In that story, who was the kindest, most loving person?” They all shouted together, “The Samaritan!” “Brilliant!” I thought. This is going exactly to plan.
But then, almost without thinking, I asked another question: “So… who do you think was the worst person in the story?” Again, the kids answered straight away: “The priest!” “The Levite!”
But right in that moment … one child quietly raised his hand. I pointed to him, and the room got a bit quieter. He looked me right in the eye, and in a very clear voice, he said:
“how about…The robbers……….”
And I froze. I honestly couldn't say a thing. That simple answer hit me hard. ‘Oh dear, I really shouldn't have asked that second question! All I could do was force a smile and say, You know what… “I reckon you’re absolutely right.”
I don’t remember exactly how I wrapped up that moment. But later, I couldn't stop thinking about what that boy said…. His simple, honest answer made me realise…… how quickly ….we focus on the ones who failed to act, like the priest and the Levite. We are so conditioned to blame them that we forget about the people who started the whole mess in the first place. We forget the actual tragedy committed by the robbers.
Now, don't get me wrong. Jesus told this parable to answer a very specific question: “What must I do to inherit eternal life?" Who is my neighbour?" But that boy’s leads us to a whole new questions for all of us today, in this story, where am I standing? Which character do I most resemble?
So let’s ask that confronting question. Who are we in this story? Are we the person beaten and left on the side of the road, in desperate need of help? Are we the priest or the Levite? Are we the hero of the story, the Samaritan?
Maybe we’re the innkeeper, quietly making space for healing even when you don’t know the whole story. Or maybe we're the donkey, helping to carry someone else’s burden.
I know this is hard to say….maybe we’re the robbers. I hope not. But we have to ask: Have we ever caused harm, directly or indirectly? Of course, we all want to be the Good Samaritan. That’s the obvious answer. But if we’re being honest with ourselves… who are we most of the time?
Now, let’s flip the story. Imagine….. you are the one lying on the road, wounded man. I think…suddenly everything changes, doesn’t it? Who has walked past you in your time of pain? Who has surprised you by stopping, showing you love when you least expected it? Who is the Good Samaritan in your life?
And where is your “inn”? Where is that safe place where healing can begin……. church, family, friend, your support network?
Now, let's flip it again. Imagine you are the Samaritan. Who is the wounded person God is calling you to help? Who is your ‘donkey’ carrying the burden for others? And what is the cost for you to get involved? Or perhaps, you’re the innkeeper. Who has God brought to your door, asking you simply to provide a safe space for someone else's healing? make room in your life and your heart. That’s a powerful calling, isn't it?
In this story, there are so many roles, so many characters. The priest, the Levite, the Samaritan, the robbers, the innkeeper… and the man on the road. We find pieces of ourselves in more than one of them. So let me say ..all of this reflection brings us back to one powerful moment. One question. “What is written in the Law? … How do you read it?”
The Bible tells us this teacher of the law didn’t come with a sincere heart; he came to test Jesus, asking, “What must I do to inherit eternal life?” But Jesus, in his wisdom, doesn't give a straight answer. He answers with a question of his own: "What is written in the Law? How do you read it?"
At first, they sound like the same question. But the more I reflect, the more I see, they’re worlds apart. “What is written?” and “How do you read it?” are not the same at all.
The first question, “What is written in the Law?”, is a question of knowledge. It asks us to recall the text. What does it say? What is the command? The teacher of the law answers correctly: “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, strength, and mind—and love your neighbour as yourself.” He knew the law.
But then comes the second question. “How do you read it?”
And that’s where everything changes. This question takes us beyond knowledge…it goes straight to the heart. It asks: How are you interpreting these words? How are they shaping your life? Are they changing you? Are you reading the Law through the lens of love, mercy, and compassion? Because the priest and the Levite—they knew the Law. Probably better than anyone. But they didn’t know how to read it with love.
So… Jesus is asking: “How do you read it?.....” Are you interpreting it through the love I’m calling you to?
I’m convinced..this second question, “How do you read it?”….though far more challenging, is the one we need most. Let genuine human concern take priority over regulation. Because that, I believe, is what the Good News is really all about.
Unfortunately, an expert in the law still doesn't know how to read it properly and responds with yet another question. “Who is my neighbour?” But Jesus flips the question: “Which of these three do you think was a neighbour to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?” Can you sense the shift? It may seem small, but it changes everything. “Who is my neighbour?” becomes “Who qualifies to be my neighbour?”
The expert wanted to define the object of his love. He wanted to draw a line….to know who qualified. But Jesus calls him to become the subject of love. “Who acted like a neighbour?” In other words: Don’t ask who deserves your love. Ask yourself… am I living as someone who loves?
I have to say, this is Jesus’ way of reading the law. It’s about tearing down fences, stopping the calculations, and running toward the need. Someone becomes our neighbour not because they meet a certain criterion, but simply because they have a need—and we decide to be the one who meets it.
If defining a neighbour is what is written, then becoming a neighbour is how we read it.
So, my dear friends, I was reading the international news recently and it grabbed my attention. It was about a new piece of legislation in the U.S., called the ‘One Big Beautiful Bill Act.’
What a name! It sounds so positive, so full of hope—doesn’t it?
One! Big! Beautiful! Now, let's put aside any political opinions regarding this. That’s not the point. But when I saw that headline, I couldn’t help but think of Jesus’ question: "What is written in that bill? And how do people read it?" Is it really a ‘big, beautiful, for-everyone’ law, as the name suggests?
And are we reading it that way? This is a question on a completely different level. If Jesus were here today, I reckon He’d ask, “For the people actually affected by this 'big, beautiful bill,' who has been a neighbour to them?”
Of course, something isn’t truly “beautiful” or “great” just because of its name or the polished language used to describe it.
True beauty and greatness are revealed when that law, system, or action is read through the eyes of the vulnerable like wounded man on the road. when we consider what it means to those most affected. Their experience, their reality, is what tells the truth.
And even more importantly, we could ask: What does it actually lead to?
Does it lead to love? To mercy?
Or does it result in more division, exclusion, or harm? Jesus looked to the outcome.
And based on that, He didn’t ask, “Who is your neighbour?”
He asked, “Who became a neighbour to the one in need?”
We’re invited to move beyond simply asking questions—to start living out the answers.
“How am I reading this Word?”
And more importantly: Is the way I read it leading to real expressions of love and mercy—expressions that actually tend to someone’s wounds? That is true beauty.
That is the greatness of a life shaped by Christ.
The reason we are all here this morning is not to tick a box that says we know the Bible.
It’s not just to stand around on a Sunday looking nice. We are here to decide how we are going to read the great commandment of love. Scripture says: “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength, and with all your mind; and your neighbour as yourself.”
Today—how will you read this great command?
Are we willing to be the Samaritan, the innkeeper, the donkey?
Are we, as a church community, willing to create a place of healing for others? Following the way Jesus showed us how to read, let us now go and do likewise. I believe this is the life of a complete Christian—people who live with the values of the kingdom of heaven.
My prayer is that this week, and for the rest of our lives, we will continue to pray and discern—not just what is written, but how we are to read it. And just as Jesus drew near to us in love, in his sacrifice… may we discover deep and lasting joy in drawing near to others as a good neighbour.
Amen.
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