Good Samaritan
Applying the Kingdom • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
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Reading:
For you were called to freedom, brothers. Only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another. For the whole law is fulfilled in one word: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” But if you bite and devour one another, watch out that you are not consumed by one another.
Introduction:
Do you know how many people are estimated to live in Huron county?
Approximately 31,500 ish.
If we divide that number by our average number in attendance here last year do you know how many people each one of us would have to claim as ours to reach?
768 people each.
That is an impossible number for each one of us to manage.
If it is impossible then how are we able to achieve the call of the Lord?
We recruit others, by making disciples and to train them to do the same.
We reach those in Huron County through the multiplication process.
Here is another question:
Do you get along well with everyone?
Do you like everyone?
We all can find reasons to not like, or even get along with all people.
How can we reach those who we struggle with?
By following the example Jesus left us.
And...He also gave us instructions to achieve this calling!
Through Love!
Transition:
Let’s get a little context for our today’s passages.
In Luke 10 Jesus sends out 72 people ahead of Him.
After this the Lord appointed seventy-two others and sent them on ahead of him, two by two, into every town and place where he himself was about to go.
They were tasked with the duty to live wholly dependent on the Lord while achieving His will to reach others with the Good news that the Messiah is there.
They did as directed.
They returned and gave a report of the authority and power they had.
Told of the protection from Satan and the authority in the spiritual realm.
Jesus thanked the Father for many things; but one in particular.
For I tell you that many prophets and kings desired to see what you see, and did not see it, and to hear what you hear, and did not hear it.”
Finally the long expected Messiah had come with power and authority.
Many wished to see that day; but many did not.
What a privilege for them to have seen the Messiah.
As the narrative continues we could be surprised by what happens next:
A Lawyers Pride (25-28)
A Lawyers Pride (25-28)
And behold, a lawyer stood up to put him to the test, saying, “Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?”
Imagine this situation right here:
Jesus and His disciples and everyone present all sitting talking or listening to Jesus.
Jesus just finishes rejoicing in about His Fathers will and the authority of those He sent out over demons and the protection.
That wasn’t even the craziest statement:
He makes a claim to everyone there about Himself:
All things have been handed over to me by my Father, and no one knows who the Son is except the Father, or who the Father is except the Son and anyone to whom the Son chooses to reveal him.”
He leans over to His disciples and whispers an awesome statement about the whole thing:
Then turning to the disciples he said privately, “Blessed are the eyes that see what you see! For I tell you that many prophets and kings desired to see what you see, and did not see it, and to hear what you hear, and did not hear it.”
Now a lawyer, hearing all of this, decides to give his perspective with intention.
Verses 25-26 provides:
The Lawyers perspective (25-26)
The Lawyers perspective (25-26)
And behold, a lawyer stood up to put him to the test, saying, “Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?” He said to him, “What is written in the Law? How do you read it?”
This lawyer must have been full of himself to think that he could stump Jesus.
We get an indication of who Jesus was to him.
He refers to Him as “Teacher”.
And behold, a lawyer stood up to put him to the test, saying, “Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?”
The lawyer has been trained to “set people up” through semantics and debate.
since he believed that Jesus was just a teacher maybe he thought he was smarter than Him and could prove Him wrong in front of everyone.
Illustration:
Have you ever been in a debate with someone and they asked a question and you answered them, then only a little later you answer another question or explain something but it contradicts the answer to the first question?
You’ve been duped, and all of your arguing is fraud and dismissed.
I think this is what the Lawyer is attempting to do with Jesus.
It is a disingenuous question and conversation all together.
Conversing with the intention to defame the other.
The question is:
What shall I do to inherit eternal life?
Jesus responds with: You know what it says, why don’t you instruct me about what it says.
The wisdom Jesus has towards the attempt to trap Him with words:
Jesus questions him (27)
Jesus questions him (27)
He said to him, “What is written in the Law? How do you read it?”
And he answered, “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 neighbor as yourself.”
He quoted what scripture said.
Listen back to Jesus’ question to him:
He said to him, “What is written in the Law? How do you read it?”
How do you read it?
How do you as a lawyer interpret what the law is saying?
The lawyer could’ve began a dissertation on the grammar and all the other things to justify what he wants it to say.
Instead he only quoted what it says.
And he answered, “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 neighbor as yourself.”
That was a smart answer; but truthful as well.
Jesus affirmed his answer as truth.
And he said to him, “You have answered correctly; do this, and you will live.”
It is awesome how the Lord cuts through all the smoke and mirrors.
The Holy spirit gets right to the heart of the person by going through the issue.
That shouldn’t be surprising to us here in the church age since we are told how the Lord works through the Word and Spirit in the lives of men.
For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart. And no creature is hidden from his sight, but all are naked and exposed to the eyes of him to whom we must give account.
Jesus divided all of that “extra” and hit the target: The heart of the lawyer, and anyone else listening.
This is no different than how God reaches us today.
He reaches each one of us by the conviction of the Holy spirit in our heart and mind as the word is preached or presented in any way.
This is why in every situation where the word is presented it’s exciting since we have no idea what He will do in each and every life here or online.
I don’t think the lawyer was really expecting Jesus to reach him with the truth of a question, which he may have believed had no answer.
Transition:
Jesus gives us:
The Point (28)
The Point (28)
And he said to him, “You have answered correctly; do this, and you will live.”
“Do this and you will live”.
Do what?
How are we to inherit eternal life?
Obey the first commandment with your whole being.
Your Heart
Your Soul
Your Mind
Your neighbor as yourself.
So we are told by Jesus that our
Emotions are to be dedicated to our King and for His use.
Our will is laid down and His is carried!
Our spirit is the Lords!
Since we are wholly dedicated to the Lord the Love He has shown us is expected to be reciprocated to everyone we come in contact with.
Transition:
Yet with this truth being affirmed, the Lawyer gets to the point of contention, or at least he thought that was it.
But he, desiring to justify himself, said to Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?”
Instead of using a question to spark thought in the person, Jesus uses an parable and expresses:
Three different hearts (29-33)
Three different hearts (29-33)
The kingdom of heaven truth is presented to us from an angle we have received; but need to extend to others.
The pride of the lawyer rears it’s ugly head, he needed to prove himself after standing and trying to discredit Jesus.
We get:
The Lawyer’s Tactic (29-30)
The Lawyer’s Tactic (29-30)
But he, desiring to justify himself, said to Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?”
Let’s pick and choose what we argue about.
He decided to ask Jesus to describe which neighbor specifically.
This brings up a common perversion about God’s word:
The bible may have been written in a certain time and to a specific culture; but it was written and recorded by God to all, and for all!
All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness,
Just like the declaration of independence and the constitution and all that we have as our laws that were written for our country, they are considered timeless and applicable to all.
The truth applies in every culture, and to every people.
It isn’t so specific to be bound to a time when it was written.
If it was, then there would be a portion of history that would deem it irrelevant; which it isn’t.
Transition:
His word applies in every situation, and we hear of:
The first heart Jesus reveals to us:
The Priest (31)
The Priest (31)
Jesus replied, “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and he fell among robbers, who stripped him and beat him and departed, leaving him half dead. Now by chance a priest was going down that road, and when he saw him he passed by on the other side.
Jesus gives us the hypothetical situation:
A man traveled approximately 17 miles, with a 1,800 foot drop in elevation.
It was considered dangerous since it went through desert, cave areas, and had a general rough terrain.
The caves would be where the robbers hid, waiting for their next target.
The robbers didn’t just hurt the man, they stripped him, beat him, and was left to die in the dessert.
Just when it seemed all hope was lost someone came along who could help.
A Priest!
Before we cast judgment we should understand a point that we may not know or have missed.
It was his duty to maintain ceremonial cleanliness in order to keep the law.
If the man was half dead the only way for the priest to know for sure was to touch him; but:
If the priest touched him and in fact he was dead, he defiled himself which the law forbade.
And the Lord said to Moses, “Speak to the priests, the sons of Aaron, and say to them, No one shall make himself unclean for the dead among his people,
The surety of keeping his ceremonial purity was to avoid the man all together.
Or, He could help the man.
The ceremonial purity won.
He didn’t just side step him, He positioned himself on the opposite side of the road.
The priest’s job was to perform religious rights on behalf of another person.
To place self in last place and to place others first.
God, Then fellow man.
Connection:
How many times are we more worried about our appearance or cleanliness to help those in need?
Or place ourselves first, instead of last?
He wasn’t the only one on the road that day; next we get:
The Levite (32)
The Levite (32)
So likewise a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side.
The Levite was of the house of Levi, as was the priest; who’s task was to a helper to the priestly duties.
Jericho was a city of Priests and Levites, so they must have been coming back from their temple duties.
The Levite learned from the leadership of the Priest, instead of following the Lord.
The law gave the truth for what should be done for those in need.
You shall not see your brother’s donkey or his ox fallen down by the way and ignore them. You shall help him to lift them up again.
Is it not to share your bread with the hungry
and bring the homeless poor into your house;
when you see the naked, to cover him,
and not to hide yourself from your own flesh?
The Levite and the Priest knew the law; but chose to avoid the one who needed them.
Since they were so worried about themselves.
Next, we come to:
The Samaritan (33)
The Samaritan (33)
But a Samaritan, as he journeyed, came to where he was, and when he saw him, he had compassion.
This is one who wasn’t treated with respect or esteem compared to the Priest and Levite.
The Samaritan was the one that came from a group of people who were excommunicated from the Jewish family.
The Samaritan’s were those who disgusted the Jews.
This is the last person who would’ve been expected to help, or who could’ve been obligated to help.
Yet the Samaritan was the one who looked on his fellow man, and obeyed the law.
Connection:
There are people in your life that would be surprised by you helping them in the moments they need help.
Are you agreeing with what they choose to do?
No, but you are meeting a need they have because you are able.
The Samaritan saw the need of the man.
He could meet that need and He did, by operating from a love like Jesus.
We see that the others who “knew” what was right to do, avoid the man in need, but the leas likely to help shows
The Compassion (34-37)
The Compassion (34-37)
He didn’t just see him and feel bad, or sit and talk with him about what happened.
His compassion was revealed by:
Action! (34-35)
Action! (34-35)
He went to him and bound up his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he set him on his own animal and brought him to an inn and took care of him. And the next day he took out two denarii and gave them to the innkeeper, saying, ‘Take care of him, and whatever more you spend, I will repay you when I come back.’
The Samaritan sacrificed a lot to care for the man.
Tending to wounds
Pouring oil and wine on them
Put the man onto his animal
Helped find a place to rest and heal.
Connection:
You know what this reminds me of?
When you invite people to church.
You are helping them with a need because you care about their soul.
Point:
Reaching those in need:
typically require a sacrificing of our resources.
It may be inconvenient, unappreciated, not reciprocated.
Why are you doing it?
For glory?
or for the care of your fellow human?
The Samaritan gave the hotel 2 days wages for anything the man needed to get well.
Application:
What is God asking you to sacrifice for your neighbor in need?
Embarassment of a conversation about God to give them the gospel and possibly reconcile their soul to the Lord?
Inviting them to church and ignoring the fear of their rejection?
We can sacrifice for others.
Especially our neighbors; but:
Who’s The Neighbor (36)
Who’s The Neighbor (36)
Which of these three, do you think, proved to be a neighbor to the man who fell among the robbers?”
Who showed neighborly actions towards the man robbed?
The least likely to.
In who’s life are you least likely to be viewed as the loving neighbor?
You have anyone in mind?
If so, extend compassion to that person, allow Jesus to do something awesome in their lives through you.
The lawyer after this must have been surprised about his failure.
He only had one option:
Acknowledge the Truth (37)
Acknowledge the Truth (37)
He said, “The one who showed him mercy.” And Jesus said to him, “You go, and do likewise.”
The lawyer understood that being a neighbor to someone is those whom you show mercy to.
Don’t be the one who knows what is right to do and not do it.
Be the one who obeys by faith and allows compassion to be action!
Conclusion:
We are given resources like:
Money
Tools
Knowledge
Expertise in certain areas
A personality that “know’s a guy!”
We have those things to help one another, not to keep for ourselves.
It will be a sacrifice sometimes, whether it’s time or resources; but showing your a neighbor through compassion may give you that awesome opportunity to impact a soul for eternity.
The lawyer had no idea how wrong he was for thinking Jesus was just a teacher;
But now he knew Jesus’ claim to be God was true!
Pray!