OH, THE PLACES YOU’LL GO SERIES1
23 July 2017
I. Introduction
-- turn
in Bibles to Luke 10:25-37
25 On one occasion an expert in the law
stood up to test Jesus. “Teacher,” he asked, “what must I do to inherit eternal
life?”
26 “What is written in the Law?” he replied.
“How do you read it?”
27 He answered, “‘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, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’”
28 “You have answered correctly,” Jesus
replied. “Do this and you will live.”
29 But he wanted to justify himself, so he
asked Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?”
30 In reply Jesus said: “A man was going
down from Jerusalem to Jericho, when he was attacked by robbers. They stripped
him of his clothes, beat him and went away, leaving him half dead. 31 A priest
happened to be going down the same road, and when he saw the man, he passed by
on the other side. 32 So too, a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him,
passed by on the other side. 33 But a Samaritan, as he traveled, came where the
man was; and when he saw him, he took pity on him. 34 He went to him and
bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he put the man on his own
donkey, brought him to an inn and took care of him. 35 The next day he took out
two denarii 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.’
36 “Which of these three do you think was a
neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?”
37 The expert in the law replied, “The one
who had mercy on him.”
Jesus told him, “Go and do likewise.”
-- this
evening we are continuing in our sermon series, “Oh, The Places You’ll Go” --
as we talked about last week, throughout scripture, God speaks to us and tells
us to “Go” -- but too often, we hear God’s word and do nothing with what we
hear -- James counsels us in James 1:22 to not merely listen to the word and
deceive ourselves, but to do what it says
-- so over the next several weeks,
we’re going to be looking at some of the commands from God to “Go” and commit
ourselves to actually stepping out in faith and doing what He has commanded
--
today’s message is from a familiar passage -- the story of the good Samaritan
-- everyone in here knows this story -- we’ve all heard it -- and the idea of
the good Samaritan has even found its way into our culture -- we have hospitals
and medicals centers named after this parable -- the camping organization, Good
Sam, has even taken its name from this parable and encourages its members to
help one another on their travels
-- but,
as they say, familiarity breeds contempt -- and we have become so familiar with
this story that we have inoculated ourselves against the true message that
Jesus was trying to express
-- let
me give you an example -- several years ago, a seminary professor designed an
engaging experiment to see whether his students were actually applying the
biblical truths they were learning -- so he began an in-depth study of the
parables with his class -- and told them that the majority of their grade was
going to be dependent on an oral examination where they would have to answer
questions about each of the parables -- the students were given a schedule for
their times and were warned that if they missed their appointment, they would
receive a zero on the test
-- on
the day of the exam, the students hurried to the professor’s office for their
scheduled appointment -- but as they neared the building, they heard someone
crying for help -- there was a man lying there on the side of the road, his
clothes disheveled -- blood running down his head -- it looked like he had hurt
or mugged
-- and
each student rushed right past him without stopping to help, because they
feared missing their appointed time -- what they didn't realize was that this
was their real exam -- after an in-depth study of the parable of the good
Samaritan, the professor wanted to see if the students would apply what they
had learned -- none did, and all failed the test -- all failed to show grace and
mercy to a person in need
-- they
knew the truth -- they had heard the command of Jesus to the expert in the law
to “Go and do likewise” -- but each of them failed to do what was required
-- so
let’s look at this familiar parable and see what we can learn about the place
Jesus wants us to go today
II. Scripture Lesson (Luke 10:25-37)
-- verse
25
25 On one occasion an expert in the law
stood up to test Jesus. “Teacher,” he asked, “what must I do to inherit eternal
life?”
-- now
in order to understand this passage, it’s important to know the context and
what is going on -- a shift has just occurred in the ministry of Jesus -- as
Luke says in Luke 9:51, “as the time approached for Him to be taken up to
heaven, Jesus resolutely set out for Jerusalem”
-- up to
this point, Jesus’ ministry has been focused on proclaiming Himself as the
Messiah -- this has been the season of teaching and preaching to the people --
this has been the season of miracles and signs that pointed to who Jesus was --
but now, Jesus has left Galilee and is making His way to Jerusalem to fulfill
the purpose for which He was sent
-- He
has already sent the seventy-two disciples ahead of Him to proclaim the Kingdom
of God was coming -- and now Jesus is resolutely approaching Jerusalem --
bringing with Him His disciples and a growing crowd of people -- it appears
that something new -- something revolutionary -- is coming to Jerusalem that
will shake up the religious establishment
-- Luke
tells us that as Jesus is making His way to Jerusalem, He is confronted by an
expert in the law -- meaning the Law of Moses -- the religious law -- this
expert in the law stops Jesus and asks Him, “What must I do to inherit eternal
life?” -- Luke says he asked this in order to test Jesus
-- now,
the thing you need to keep in mind is that the answer to this question was
well-known -- God had clearly told the people in His word what was required for
eternal life -- every Jew would have known this -- every Jew would have been
taught this from childhood
-- so,
the question is not so much to test Jesus as to whether what He was saying was
right or not, but to demonstrate to the people that what Jesus was teaching was
not revolutionary -- when you got right down to it, it was the same thing that
the church had been teaching for ages -- so the lawyer is trying to make the
point that there is no need to follow Jesus, just keep doing what you’ve always
been doing
-- but
Jesus turns the question back on the lawyer -- verse 26
26 “What is written in the Law?” he replied.
“How do you read it?”
-- in other words, Jesus is
saying, “you know what is there -- you’re the expert in the Law -- what does it
say?”
-- verse
27
27 He answered, “‘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, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’”
-- as expected, the expert in the Law answers correctly
-- he gives the orthodox message -- the message that the church had been
teaching since the Law had been given -- this is the foundation of the Jewish
religion -- the rock they had been standing on and proclaiming from the days of
Moses
-- but
look how Jesus responds -- verse 28
28 “You have answered correctly,” Jesus
replied. “Do this and you will live.”
-- don’t
miss what Jesus is saying -- He’s saying, “Yes, you are correct -- if you do
this, you will live” -- but what is implied in that response is the question,
“Have you really been doing this? -- Have you been fulfilling the commandments
of the Law?” -- Jesus called into question whether the expert in the law had
put into practice that which he had preached
-- verse
29
29 But he wanted to justify himself, so he
asked Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?”
-- so
now the accuser is the defendant -- the expert in the law had started this
conversation by trying to question Jesus and put Him on the spot, but now he
finds himself defending his own righteousness -- so, seeking to justify
himself, he responds back to Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?”
-- once
again, he expects Jesus to respond with the traditional Jewish understanding of
the term neighbor -- not only your near kin who lives next door, but the
stranger, the poor, the orphaned, and the widows who live among you -- this is
what the law said -- and, when Jesus responded like this, the man could
honestly affirm, “Good -- I do all that -- I show love and compassion to all of
these -- I have earned eternal life.”
-- as
Thomas Long points out, the lawyer “had found a place to stand -- [he] depended
upon the concepts “love God” and “love neighbor” to remain fixed and stable, a
system of religious justification, and, again like most of us, he had found a
sweet spot in that religious system that allowed him to be satisfied with
himself and his life.”2
-- or,
to put it another way, the lawyer sought to justify himself because he went to
church, read the scriptures, made the required sacrifices, and loved his family
and his friends and neighbors -- sound familiar?
-- but
Jesus doesn’t respond the way the expert in the law expected -- instead of
affirming what the expert in the law believes to be true, Jesus throws into
question the definition of a neighbor by telling him the story of the good
Samaritan
-- verse
30
30 In reply Jesus said: “A man was going
down from Jerusalem to Jericho, when he was attacked by robbers. They stripped
him of his clothes, beat him and went away, leaving him half dead. 31 A priest
happened to be going down the same road, and when he saw the man, he passed by
on the other side. 32 So too, a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him,
passed by on the other side. 33 But a Samaritan, as he traveled, came where the
man was; and when he saw him, he took pity on him. 34 He went to him and
bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he put the man on his own
donkey, brought him to an inn and took care of him. 35 The next day he took out
two denarii 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.’
-- like
I said in the beginning of this message, everyone here knows this story -- but
have you really listened to what Jesus is doing here to this expert in the Law?
-- Jesus
begins the story by saying, “a man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho” --
other translations have this as “a certain man was going down” -- and the
inference here is that this man Jesus is talking about in the story is the
expert in the Law himself
-- Jesus
is making this personal -- He is saying to the expert in the law, “pretend that
one day, you were going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, when you fall into the
hands of robbers -- they beat you -- they strip you of your clothes -- they
leave you for dead and throw you in the ditch -- you need help -- who do you
look to for assistance? -- who will be your neighbor?”
-- the
story goes on that a priest comes by and sees the man, but crosses the road and
passes by on the other side -- he is followed by a Levite, who also comes to
the same place and sees the man needing help, but does nothing -- finally, a
Samaritan comes by and takes pity on the man -- seeing his need, he has
compassion on him -- and sterilizes his wounds with oil and wine and puts a
bandage on him -- he takes him to an inn, where he sits by him and takes care
of him through the night -- the next day, he leaves money behind to ensure the
wounded man is taken care of, and promises he will return to check in on his
progress and take care of any more needs
-- now
it’s important that you know the Jews and Samaritans absolutely hated each
other -- “The two groups disagreed about everything that mattered: how to honor
God, how to interpret the Scriptures, and where to worship. They practiced their faith in separate
temples, read different versions of the Torah, and avoided social contact with
each other whenever possible.”3
-- Jews would not even cross into the region of Samaria, even if that
would shorten a trip -- they would have nothing to do with them at all
-- so
when Jesus introduces the Samaritan as the hero in the story, this would have
been shocking to the ears of His Jewish listeners -- they would never consider
helping a Samaritan -- and they would never consider having to rely on a
Samaritan for help
-- but
Jesus has now painted the picture of the expert in the Law, rejected by the
priest and the Levite, now being ministered to by someone he absolutely hated
-- think about your worst enemy -- think about that person you just can’t stand
-- or that group of people you just can’t be around -- now consider yourself in
need, and, while the people you thought were your friends and neighbors pass
you by, the only person who comes to your aid is that very person -- that’s the
message Jesus is trying to get across
-- verse
36
36 “Which of these three do you think was a
neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?”
37 The expert in the law replied, “The one
who had mercy on him.”
Jesus told him, “Go and do likewise.”
-- once
again, Jesus turns the question of the expert in the law back on him -- the
lawyer had asked, “And who is my neighbor?” -- now, after telling the story of
the good Samaritan, Jesus asks the question back to the lawyer, “Who do you
think was a neighbor to this man?”
-- “The
one who had mercy on him”
-- Jesus
has stretched the understanding of the expert in the law -- “When you're lying
bloody in a ditch, what matters is not whose help you'd prefer, whose way of
practicing Christianity you like best, whose politics you agree with. What matters is whether or not anyone will
stop to show you mercy before you die.”3
-- your
neighbor is not defined by relation -- your neighbor is not defined by
geographic proximity -- your neighbor is not defined by religion or politics or
personal beliefs -- everyone is your neighbor because everyone is in need
-- “the
real answer to the lawyer’s question “who is my neighbor?” is that you have no
idea who your neighbor is until you, yourself, know how needy you are, and in
that need receive the unexpected grace of being neighbored by God”2
-- Jesus
did not come to be a neighbor only to the righteous -- nor did He come to be a
neighbor only to the Jews -- He came to be the neighbor to everyone, and to
save everyone who was in that ditch -- He came for all of us
-- He
sums up His message by commanding the expert in the Law, to “go and do likewise”
-- to go and be a neighbor to all -- to go and have mercy on all because of the
mercy you have been shown by God
III. Closing
-- how
well do we do that? -- how well do we go and do likewise? -- if we’re honest,
we’d have to say, not very well
-- Several
years ago, there was a news report about a man who was standing near a hole
that had been dug as part of a large excavation -- A number of workers were in
the hole removing dirt when the walls collapsed around them -- Rescuers began
running from everywhere, but the man just stood by and watched the scene with
detachment -- Suddenly a woman called out from a nearby house: “Jim, your
brother is down there!” -- Instantly, he stripped off his coat and began
digging frantically -- Why? -- His brother was in mortal danger and he had to
get him out.4
-- how
like him are we? -- we tend to be like the expert in the Law -- we tend to draw
circles around our family and our friends and we proclaim these to be our
neighbors and everyone outside to not be such
-- we
pass by people in need -- wounded men and women lying in a ditch needing a
Savior -- because we don’t see them as our neighbors
-- I
remember listening to a plea from a radio host a few years ago, right after the
earthquake in Haiti -- he said that his brother needed help -- that he needed
money -- that he had been affected by the earthquake and was asking for people
to donate their money and their time and their resources, if they could
-- and
then he said that all those people were his brothers and his sisters -- that in
Christ we are all one, and that if one of us hurt, we all hurt -- everyone down
there was our neighbor and our brother or sister -- and they needed our help
--
that’s the same point Jesus is making here -- who is our neighbor? -- is it
that guy on the street holding a sign asking for money? -- yes, it is -- is it
that single mother who is living out of wedlock with her baby daddy? -- yes, it
is -- is it that homosexual carrying a rainbow flag during a Gay Pride parade
-- yes, it is
- I saw a
poster one time that showed a homeless alcoholic lying on a park bench and
covered with a newspaper -- the caption said, “You only love me as much as you
love this man.” -- and it was signed, “Jesus”
- Everyone
is our neighbor -- and the command from Jesus is to go and show mercy to them
as He has shown mercy to us -- do not turn from those in need.
- To be a
neighbor, we must show mercy
- To be a
neighbor, we must slow down and look for the need
- To be a
neighbor, we might have to cross over to the other side of the road
- To be a
neighbor, we have to get close to people
- To be a
neighbor, you must love God
- in the
Emmaus movement we have a saying, “make a friend, be a friend, introduce your
friend to Christ”
- the
message for you today is that if we are to “go and do likewise” as Jesus
commanded here, we must make a neighbor, be a neighbor, and introduce our
neighbor to Christ by showing His love and mercy to them, regardless of who
they are
-- let us
pray
1 Series idea and title borrowed from Eric Bryant,
Gateway Church, Austin, TX [http://www.ericbryant.org/]
2 The Lawyer's Second Question By Thomas G. Long, Bandy
Professor of Preaching and Coordinator of the Initiative in Religious Practices
and Practical Theology
3 [Debi Thomas, Go and Do Likewise, https://www.journeywithjesus.net/essays/1023-go-and-do-likewise]
4 Brian Bill, Knowing our Neighbors, https://www.sermoncentral.com/sermons/knowing-our-neighbors-brian-bill-sermon-on-salvation-136039
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