WHO’S THE neighbor?

Christ Jesus speaking to His Church

"Arise and come, my neighbour, my fair one, my dove; in the shelter of the rock by the outwork show me thy face, and let me hear thy voice; for thy voice is sweet, and thy face is fair."  Song of Solomon 2:14  

In Luke 10:25-28, it is written,

" And, behold, a certain lawyer stood up, and tempted him, saying, Master, what shall I do to inherit eternal life? He said unto him, What is written in the law? how readest thou? And he answering said, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy strength, and with all thy mind; and thy neighbour as thyself. And he said unto him, Thou hast answered right: this do, and thou shalt live."

Temptation Comes

We enter the scripture at this point where a certain lawyer stands up against The Truth, and attempts to tempt Him. The lawyer certainly did not understand who he was dealing with, just as the men of the carnal law (religious men, but not spiritual) do not understand The Truth when it is spoken to them today. Why don't they hear? It is written,

"No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.”
Matthew 6:24

When one is busy serving the false master of the dead letter law, it is impossible to hear The Truth. It is only when one begins to understand that something is not right with the false carnal doctrines, and starts questioning where these dead traditions and dead doctrines come from, and turns away from them, and seeks after the true Spiritual doctrine with all his heart that ones ears, eyes, and heart begin to be opened to the Truth. Then the temptation comes. The temptation to not believe the Truth, but to stay with the traditions and doctrines of men and demons, Matthew 15:8-9, 1 Timothy 4:1, Mark 7:6-7.

The Messiah says,

"Ye hypocrites, well did Esaias prophesy of you, saying, This people draweth nigh unto me with their mouth, and honoureth me with their lips; but their heart is far from me. But in vain they do worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men. And he called the multitude, and said unto them, Hear, and understand: Not that which goeth into the mouth defileth a man; but that which cometh out of the mouth, this defileth a man."
Matthew 15:9

The weak become fearful of going on. It takes trust and faith in a supernatural power, the Messiah, to be able to fight against these temptations and go on. It is a war of the Truth against the carnal thought. And what carnal thought sides with that temptation? Well, it can come in many forms; doubt, fear, unbelief, traditions, fear of man, and the list can go on and on. But, ultimately, it is a war of the WORD of Truth against the word of falsehood (the dead letter - see Romans 7:6 & 2 Corinthians 3:6); the Spirit against the carnal, the Heavenly against the earthly, the Eternal against the corruptible. One must trust that our Creator, who obviously made us, is able to keep us and save us. One needs to prefer and hold fast to eternal things over, and against the corruptible.

In Romans 1:18 it is written,

"For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness;"

Here's Good News, the Master gives us by His Spirit, all the armour that we need to stand against the wiles of the enemy (carnal letter) as we see in the following verses,

Count the Cost

It is necessary to COUNT THE COST.

In Luke 14:27-33, it is written,

" And whosoever doth not bear his cross, and come after me, cannot be my disciple. For which of you, intending to build a tower, sitteth not down first, and counteth the cost, whether he have sufficient to finish it? Lest haply, after he hath laid the foundation, and is not able to finish it, all that behold it begin to mock him, Saying, This man began to build, and was not able to finish. Or what king, going to make war against another king, sitteth not down first, and consulteth whether he be able with ten thousand to meet him that cometh against him with twenty thousand? Or else, while the other is yet a great way off, he sendeth an ambassage, and desireth conditions of peace. So likewise, whosoever he be of you that forsaketh not all that he hath, he cannot be my disciple."

Know for sure, there is a war going on in your soul. One must submit ones will to the Will of God, The Truth, The Heavenly doctrine.

I'd like to say, that the war is over as soon as we turn to the Truth, but we can see by the scripture we began with, that ignorance tried to tempt even the Truth Himself. The temptation can come through those who want to hold the Truth in unrighteousness, even believing they are serving God in doing so. The teachers of the doctrines of men come as messengers of light, but deceitfully so, even as we can deceive ourselves by not insisting to see the scripture by the Spirit of Christ alone, and instead trust in the carnal letter of death interpretation.

"But he, willing to justify himself, said unto Jesus, And who is my neighbour? And Jesus answering said, A certain man went down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell among thieves, which stripped him of his raiment, and wounded him, and departed, leaving him half dead."
Luke 10:29-30

Isn't this wonderful, Jesus answers the tempter. He (the tempter) asked, and Jesus answered. Are you asking? Are you listening for the master's answer? Is His answer more important to you than any carnal sacrament, teaching, tradition, or human being?

Therefore, those who deny that the law is spiritual are not in the know or knowledge of His righteousness, but strive to justify themselves in a letter of the law, which brings death unto their souls, and not life.

As horrible a situation as this is, and has been for thousands of years, the one in denial of the law, the prophets and all scripture, including the New Testament being spiritual, doesn't know who his neighbor is. Yes, he thinks he knows, but he doesn't! We can't justify ourselves. We see by the above scripture that the lawyer desired to justify himself, and even before the very Truth who stood before him. This Truth, this Messiah, is truly the only justification that saves. He paid the price, we didn't! We are the ones whose debt is so great, we could never repay it. We needed someone to come and pay the price for us. And He (Christ) did!

Who was going Down to Jericho?

Now, as we go on in this parable, let us call upon the teaching of one of the most important teachers of the Congregation of The Messiah before Nicaea, and one of the most influential Christian writers of all time, Origen of Alexandria, Egypt. This quote is from his teaching, Homilies on Luke.

"The man who was going down is Adam. Jerusalem is paradise, and Jericho is the world. The robbers (in the Greek this word is interchangeable, i.e. robber or thief) are hostile powers. The priest is the law, the Levite is the prophets, and the Samaritan is the Messiah. The wounds are disobedience, the beast is the Master's body, the pandochium (that is, the stable), which accepts all who wish to enter, is the Congregation. And further, the two denarii mean the Father and the Son. The manager of the stable is the head of the Congregation, to whom its care has been entrusted. And the fact that the Samaritan promises he will return represents the Savior’s second coming.

All of this has been said reasonable and beautifully. But we should not think that it applies to every man. For, not every man "goes down from Jerusalem into Jericho," nor do all dwell in this present world for that reason, even if he who "was sent on account of the lost sheep of the house of Israel" went down. Hence, the man who "went down from Jerusalem into Jericho" "fell among robbers" because he himself wished to go down. But, the robbers are none other than they of whom the Savior says, "All who came before me were thieves and robbers." But still, he does not fall among thieves, but among robbers, who are far worse than thieves. He fell among them when he was going down from Jerusalem. "They robbed him and inflicted blows on him." What are the blows" What are the wounds that have wounded a man? They are vices and sins.

Then the robbers, who had stripped and wounded him do not help the naked man, but they strike him again with blows and leave him. Hence, Scriptures says "They robbed him and inflicted wounds on him; and they went away and left him" -- not dead, but "half-dead." But it happened that first a priest, and then a Levite, were going down on the same road. Perhaps they had done some good to other men, but not to this man, who had gone down "from Jerusalem to Jericho." for, the priest saw him--I think this means the law, and the Levite saw him--that is, in my view, the prophetic word. When they had seen him, they passed by and left him. Providence was saving the half-dead man for him who was stronger than the law and the prophets, namely for the "Samaritan". The name Samaritan means "guardian." He is the one who "neither grows drowsy nor sleeps as he guards Israel." On account of the half-dead man, this Samaritan set out not "from Jerusalem into Jericho," like the priest and Levite who went down. Or, if he did go down, he went down to rescue and care for the dying man. The Jews had said to him, "You are a Samaritan and you have a demon" Though he denied having a demon, he was unwilling to deny that he was a Samaritan, for he knew that he was a guardian.

So, when he had come to the half-dead man and seen him rolling about in his own blood, he had pity on him. He drew near to him, in order to become his neighbor. "He bound his wounds, poured in oil mixed with wine," and did not say what the prophet records: "There is no poultice to put on neither oil nor bandages" Isaiah 1:6. The Samaritan is that man, whose care and help, all who are badly off need. The man who was going down from Jerusalem and fell among thieves, who was wounded and left by them half-alive, needed the help of this Samaritan most of all. You should know that, according to God's providence, this Samaritan was going down to care for the man who had fallen among thieves. You learn that clearly from the fact that he had bandages, oil, and wine with him. I do not think that the Samaritan carried these things with him only on behalf of that one, half-dead man, but also on behalf of others who for various reason, had been wounded and needed bandages, oil and wine.

He had oil. Scripture says of it, "to gladden one's face with oil" without doubt, it means the face of him who was healed. He cleans the wounds with oil, to reduce the swelling of the wounds, but also with wine, adding in something that stings. And the man who had been wounded "he placed on his own beast," that is, only his own body, since he deigned to assume a man. This Samaritan "bears our sins" and grieves for us. He carries the half-dead man, and brings him to the pandochium--that is the Congregation, which accepts everyone and denies its help to no one. Christ calls everyone to the Congregation when he says,

"Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened, and I shall refresh you."
Matthew 11:28

After he has brought him in, he does not depart immediately. He remains for a day at the inn with the half-dead man. He cares for his wounds not only during the day, but also at night. He devotes all his attention and activity to him. And when he wants to set out in the morning, "he takes two denarii" from his tested silver, from his tested money, and pays the innkeeper. Without a doubt the inn-keeper was the angel of the Congregation, whom the Samaritan bade to care for the man diligently and bring him back to health. For a short time he himself cared for the man.

"Two denarii" appear to me to be knowledge of the Father and the Son, and understanding of how the Father is in the Son and the Son is in the Father. An angel is given this knowledge as if it were a payment. He is to care diligently for the man entrusted to him. The promise is made to him that whatever of his own money he spends on healing the half-dead man will be repaid directly to him.

The Samaritan, "who took pity on the man who had fallen among thieves," is truly a "guardian," and a closer neighbor than the law and the prophets. He showed that he was the man's neighbor more by deed than by word. According to the passage that says, "Be imitators of me, as I too am of the Messiah," it is possible for us to imitate the Messiah and to pity those who "have fallen among thieves." We can go to them, bind their wounds pour in oil and wine, put them on our own beasts, and bear their burdens. The Son of God encourages us to do things like this. He is speaking not so much to the teacher of the law as to us and to all men when he says, "Go and do likewise." If we do, we shall obtain eternal life in the Messiah Jesus Christ to whom is glory and power for ages of ages. Amen."
Origen of Alexandria

The man that received the "guardian" into his soul, the man that received the care and help of the "guardian", this is the man who now can sing,

"I rested in the Spirit of the Lord: and the Spirit raised me on high: And made me stand on my feet in the height of the Lord, before His perfection and His glory, while I was praising Him by the composition of His songs. The Spirit brought me forth before the face of the Lord: and, although a son of man, I was named the Illuminate, the Son of God: While I praised amongst the praising ones, and great was I amongst the mighty ones. For according to the greatness of the Most High, so He made me: and like His own newness He renewed me; and He anointed me from His own perfection: And I became one of His Neighbours; and my mouth was opened; like a cloud of dew; And my heart poured out as it were a gushing stream of righteousness, And my access to Him was in peace; and I was established by the Spirit of His government. Hallelujah."
Odes of Solomon 36:1-8

  (Please see "OUR TESTIMONIAL" on the web site.)

The Fall is in the Thought of the Heart

May I continue now with a few additional spiritual thoughts. Seeing that the man who was going down represents Adam who fell from Heavenly Jerusalem into the world (Jericho). How did he fall? He fell in the thought of His heart. By his own reasoning he fell into disobedience. He was taught that which was good, and he heard evil, and he left the good and fell among thieves.

"He fell among thieves..". The thieves represents those teachers (spirits working in men) who lie to us in regards to what the doctrine of the Messiah truly is. But, after one finds the Messiah, then one should clearly see these thieves and avoid them. And we must beware that thieves can come into our soul through doubting the spiritual Truth and by returning to a carnal letter interpretation of scripture, rather than standing in the Truth,

which is the spiritual interpretation of scripture, for THE SPIRIT IS THE TRUTH (see 1 John 5:6, John 6:63).

"..which stripped him of his raiment.." Removing from him his immortality, by removing the Truth for a lie.

"...and wounded him..." Leaving him to suffer in his sin of disobedience.

"...leaving him half-dead."

We have a part of us which is immortal, (i.e., a part that always continues) our soul. While one remains in the sin of disobedience our soul is left half-dead (i.e., the soul has the image of going on and on in eternity, but it is dead in regard to its having the likeness of God's Divinity) . See how ones soul suffers, when it is in a vessel that doesn't have the light of the Heavenly Truth.

Priest, Levite, and Samaritan

"But a certain Samaritan, as he journeyed, came where he was: and when he saw him, he had compassion on him, And went to him, and bound up his wounds, pouring in oil and wine, and set him on his own beast, and brought him to an inn, and took care of him." Luke 10:31-34

Origen points out that the priest represents the law and the Levite represents the prophetic word. So, we see we have the law and the prophet passing by on the other side. Why passing by? Why are they each not of help when passing by singly?

It is written,

“Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind." Matthew 22:37

What do we see here?

We see the first and great commandment, on which it states that "...all the law (the priest) and the prophets (the Levite) hang on. What power do these two commandments have that all the law and the prophets are able to hang on them? Are the law and the prophets not able to hold themselves up? What is the strength that they need to make them LIVING and LIFE-GIVING?

The law and the prophets have no life giving spiritual strength in their historical or earthly understanding, it is the Spirit of the Messiah which is the power that brings LIFE (spiritual understanding), to the law, the prophets, and the New Testament.

This seems a good place to add what Origen in his writings, Homilies on Leviticus, wrote regarding the necessary oneness of the Messiah, Moses (law), and the Prophets. For Origen says;

"Do you wish to see how Moses is always with Jesus Christ, that is, the law of the gospel? Let the gospel teach you that when Jesus Christ” was transformed" in glory, so also "Moses and Elijah appeared" at the same time with him, so that you may know that the law, the Prophets, and the gospel always comes as one and remain in one glory. Even Peter, therefore, when he wanted to make "three tents" for them, is accused of ignorance as "one who did not know what he said." For there are not three tents for the law, and the Prophets, and the gospel, but there is one tent, which is the Congregation of God."
Origen, Homilies on Leviticus

"But a certain Samaritan (the Messiah) ... came." LUKE 10:33

The Messiah comes with "oil", His grace and mercy. It is He that is able to "bound up his wounds, pouring in oil and wine, and set him on His own beast."

The "wine" is His Spiritual teaching, which in Him becomes healing and life-giving. But if one sees the law and the prophets "without HIM", then there is no healing, no life, just a dead letter law .

"... and set him on His own beast." Luke 10:34 The beast bears the burdens that are too heavy for man to carry, and this represents the Body of the Messiah.

" ... and brought him to an inn, and took care of him." Luke 10:34

The inn is the congregation. There is only one congregation. For the congregation is His Body. The Messiah is not a monster with many bodies. He is LOVE, with one body and one mind. No confusion, no thoughts of man entering in to make wrong interpretations and teachings. ONLY ONE!

The unity of His Oneness is His great beauty!

"And, behold, a certain lawyer stood up, and tempted him, saying, Master, what shall I do to inherit eternal life? He said unto him, What is written in the law? how readest thou? And he answering said, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy strength, and with all thy mind; and thy neighbour as thyself. And he said unto him, Thou hast answered right: this do, and thou shalt live.

But he, willing to justify himself, said unto Jesus, And who is my neighbour? And Jesus answering said, A certain man went down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell among thieves, which stripped him of his raiment, and wounded him, and departed, leaving him half dead. And by chance there came down a certain priest that way: and when he saw him, he passed by on the other side. And likewise a Levite, when he was at the place, came and looked on him, and passed by on the other side.

But a certain Samaritan, as he journeyed, came where he was: and when he saw him, he had compassion on him, And went to him, and bound up his wounds, pouring in oil and wine, and set him on his own beast, and brought him to an inn, and took care of him. And on the morrow when he departed, he took out two pence, and gave them to the host, and said unto him, Take care of him; and whatsoever thou spendest more, when I come again, I will repay thee. Which now of these three, thinkest thou, was neighbour unto him that fell among the thieves? And he said, He that shewed mercy on him. Then said Jesus unto him, Go, and do thou likewise." Luke 10:25-37

When the Messiah departed, " he took out two pence (His image and likeness of the Father, and of the Son), and gave them to the host..."

The Messiah has GIVEN US everything we need for salvation. From the scriptures that we have studied here we have seen that the law and the prophets are what hang on the Messiah, the two Great commandments.

What are these two commandments? They are love! Read them, meditate and pray regarding them. I believe you will see that the Kingdom of law has a law which is truly LOVE. Every kingdom has laws, but in God's Kingdom law is LOVE, for God is LOVE. And it is written,

"He will never leave us nor forsake us."
Heb.13:5

So, we have three becoming one, the law, the prophets, and the Spirit of Christ. When we see and believe by the Heavenly Jerusalem mind, the mind of Christ, these three become one power of salvation unto our soul.

This power causes us to enter into one thing, LOVE.

Jesus Christ, THE HEAVENLY SPIRITUAL WORD OF GOD, IS LOVE!

" Which now of these three, thinkest thou, was neighbour unto him that fell among the thieves? And he said, He that shewed mercy on him. Then said Jesus unto him, Go, and do thou likewise."
Luke 10:36-37

Yes, it is the Messiah that has come with grace and mercy. He is the one that has taken the heavy burden upon Himself, that our burden maybe light.

And so who is my neighbor? We have found that the neighbor represents the Messiah.

The good neighbor comes and does for us what we were not able to do for ourselves. If we want to enter into this great love, then let us each "ask, seek, and knock" for Christ the Truth, to come in and give life, i.e., new mind to our soul; so we may become strong in faith, and be able to grow in His Spiritual Wisdom OF LOVE.

In His Righteousness. Amen.

The Living Sword
World Ministries

If you have been visiting and enjoying the web site, and appreciate the unique information you have found here, we would appreciate it if you would share the Web Site with your friends.

Thank you.