The Good Samaritan

Announce Text

Text Introduction

There is a book on evangelism I recently learned of called Questioning Evangelism by Randy Newman. I have not read it yet, but what the author does in the book is approach Evangelism through asking questions. If, for example you get into a conversation with someone about eternity, and the person objects to the idea of hell, you might respond to this objection with a question: Are you saying that no one goes to hell? Well, I don’t know, maybe Hitler. OK, well then how do we know who goes to hell and who doesn’t? Apparently what the author did was go through the New Testament, and in particular the gospels and examine all the instances where Jesus engaged people by asking questions. Regardless of what we may make of this kind of approach to evangelism, what we will observe today is Jesus asking a lawyer some questions. But He does this to surface the truth about this lawyer and the truth about all of us.

Before we read the text together, I’d like to frame the passage for us in an effort to help us see the flow of this exchange we will see between Jesus and this lawyer.

It begins with a question from the lawyer.

Jesus responds to the lawyer’s question with a question.

The lawyer answers Jesus’ question.

Jesus tells the lawyer to comply with his own answer

Then the lawyer asks another question.

Jesus again responds with a question, but sets up His question by telling a story.

The lawyer answers Jesus’ question.

And then Jesus tells the lawyer to comply with his own answer.

In this exchange, man’s desperate need for God is made clear.

Read Text

Luke 10:25–37 ESV

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?” 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.” And he said to him, “You have answered correctly; do this, and you will live.” But he, desiring to justify himself, said to Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?” 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. So likewise a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. But a Samaritan, as he journeyed, came to where he was, and when he saw him, he had compassion. 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.’ Which of these three, do you think, proved to be a neighbor to the man who fell among the robbers?” He said, “The one who showed him mercy.” And Jesus said to him, “You go, and do likewise.”

Prayer

Introduction

Martyn-Lloyd Jones

Welsh

Pastor in London

Power expositor of God’s Word

Probably saw thousands. maybe tens of thousands come to the Lord

Started the Westminster Reformed Conference for pastors

The Puritan Reformed Conference

He was instrumental in starting the Banner of Truth Press.

He eventually was diagnosed with cancer, and in fact was dying of cancer.

He stepped down from his position in the church

He stopped preaching at conferences

The man who preached to thousands was now confined to his home, and often to his bed.

Iain Murray was his biographer, and he records in that biography one of the last conversations he had with Lloyd Jones. He asked him, how are you coping now that you’re on the shelf. In other words, how are you coping now that you’re not in the lime light anymore. And now, you can barely get out of bed to edit some manuscripts for a bit before you need to go back to bed for the rest of the day. Lloyd Jones replied:

Luke 10:20 ESV

Nevertheless, do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven.”

This answer did not come from a man who was consumed by what people thought of him. This answer did not come from a man who was burdened by an impulse to save face or justify himself to anyone. It was not about his accomplishments, it was not about his notoriety, it wasn’t about his preaching ministry anymore. All that remained is these last months of his life… all that remained as he faced the realities of his weakness and insufficiencies in his cancer-riddled body was the electing love of God. His name was written in heaven, and that because of Jesus.

Lloyd-Jones is a good example for us in this way, because the fact is:

FCF

Many live as if they are self-sufficient

And they therefore live this exhausting, futile life striving to maintain face in the sight of people. Attempting to marginalize the reality of their insufficiencies. No peace.

There is only one solution. And Lloyd-Jones referenced it.

Main Idea

Our insufficiencies are satisfied in the sufficiency of Jesus.

Analytical Question

What insufficiencies are met by the sufficiency of Jesus?

Our inability merit peace with God (25-29)

Jesus is teaching a crowd. Often the teacher in this kind of situation would be seated along with everyone else listening.

But when someone wanted to ask a question, they would stand up… just like in Africa

The person who stands to ask a question is a lawyer. What do we know about lawyers?

They were regarded as experts in the law… the books of Moses… the law of God… so lawyers were really considered expert theologian

The occupied seats on the Sanhedrin. Under Roman law, there was a council of 70 or 72 people made up of aristocrats, priests, scholars etc.

They were powerful people in the Jewish culture at the time. The studied the law to interpret the law. They taught the law to others and they decided questions about the law, how the law applied to a particular situation on behalf of others.

They were respected… feared even

But the lawyers comes to Jesus with a question in v. 25. Now again, he stood up and culturally that would have been a sign of respect to the teacher. But in this particular case, the question is posed, not with respect, but with a hidden agenda. To put Jesus to the test. In other words, this lawyer was a hypocrite.

This hypocrisy becomes more explicit later in this gospel:

Luke 20:20 ESV

So they watched him and sent spies, who pretended to be sincere, that they might catch him in something he said, so as to deliver him up to the authority and jurisdiction of the governor.

The lawyer proceeds to ask his question: what must I do to inherit eternal life.

Even on the surface, apart from the malicious intent of the question, the question is filled with contradiction.

How do inheritances work? A person is born into a family, and on that basis receives an inheritance.

The presupposition of the lawyer is that the inheritance of eternal life is something that can be achieved. What must I do?

Jesus responds this question with a question. We know the frustration of receiving responses to our questions with a question, but Jesus does this quite often in the gospels, and we need to see that it’s a way to make the truth clear and to expose the error and hidden agendas.

So in v. 26, Jesus responds to the lawyer’s question with His question” what is written in the law? How do you read it?

Now remember what we know about lawyers. They are theologians. They are regarded as experts in the law. So the question Jesus asks should be easily answered.

Now I do want to point out that despite the motives of this particular lawyer, the question itself is a good question. In fact, there is no more important question than this question. And the answer that the lawyer provides is the right answer. If anyone wants to know what we need to do to have eternal life, the answer is to love God perfectly. To love Him with all of our heart, soul strength and mind. In other words, love God full and above all else.

Now, it’s important for us to recognize that the lawyer’s answer was essentially quoting Scripture. Two scriptures in fact. The first is from Deut. 6, often referred to the Shema. And the second is from Lev. 19.

But you might know that there’s someone else who quoted these 2 particular verses of Scripture. Jesus. Some scripture, different context.

Jesus is talking with another lawyer.

Mark 12:28–31 ESV

And one of the scribes came up and heard them disputing with one another, and seeing that he answered them well, asked him, “Which commandment is the most important of all?” Jesus answered, “The most important is, ‘Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ The second is this: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.”

This lawyer’s question is what is the most important commandment? Jesus answers this question directly. He doesn’t answer the question with a question. He makes it very clear. What’s most important? Love God, and right after that, love people.

Here, it’s helpful to remember the context of Deut. 6, where the command to love God with heart, soul, mind and strength found. Idolatry was being addressed. In the culture at the time, there were thousands of gods. The god of the sea, the god of love. But what Israel was exhorted to know and recognize, to hear (that’s what Shema means) was that God is one, and so instead of dividing your affections to all these gods, give all of yourself to the one true God.

And when we consider that to love God is the greatest commandment, it is so because if we love God this way, we will obey all the other commandments. If we love God will all our heart, soul mind and strength, we wont’t lie. If we love God, we won’t lust. If we love God, we won’t steal. We won’t cheat on our taxes, be resentful, bitter. When we break one of the 10 commandments, for example, we break this commandment to love God.

And as far as the second commandment is concerned: love your neighbor as yourself. That command is one that calls us to take ourselves from out of the center. We have an inclination to think of ourselves first. Our interests first. Even when it comes to our kids, of course we want to put our kids first, but so much of us our own own interests is wrapped up in our commitment to our kids. We believe that our kids reflect us on some level. Out on the sports field, they reflect us in some way. Their academic success, they way they are perceived by others. But this command to love others as ourselves, removes us and our interests from the center.

But back to Luke 10, the lawyer’s question regarding what we must do to inherit eternal life, Jesus does not answer by saying love God and love people. He made it clear that those two commands are the most important, but not the way we receive eternal life.

Our insufficiency is brought into clearer focus here. Obeying the most important commands, while necessary to have eternal life with God, cannot be obeyed well enough by us to have it. And the lawyer knows it. How do I know the lawyer knows it? V. 29

Luke 10:29 ESV

But he, desiring to justify himself, said to Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?”

Why did the lawyer feel the need to justify himself. Jesus just told him his answer was right. When you and I are told we are right about something, we don’t have a lingering impulse to demonstrate that we’re right.

The lawyer sees his insufficiency. He doesn’t love God this way. He doesn’t love people this way. No one does. Those commands are the most important commands, but this lawyer theologian, nor anyone else can obey them to merit peace with God. To inherit eternal life.

But the lawyer, we’re told in v. 29, motivated by a desire to justify himself, asks another question. Before we move onto this next exchange between the lawyer and Jesus, I want to us see something is the lawyer’s desire to justify himself. Many of us in this room are familiar with the doctrine of justification.

Jesus became a substitute sacrifice for the sins of His people on the cross.

He paid the price His people owed in full through His sacrifice.

In doing so, their sin was reckoned to Him and His righteousness was given to them.

on this basis, God declares His people justified.

But this lawyer, in a desperate effort to save-face attempts to declare himself justified by doubling down in his effort to corner Jesus.

This theme of self-justification is seen in the gospel of Luke elsewhere

Luke 16:14–15 ESV

The Pharisees, who were lovers of money, heard all these things, and they ridiculed him. And he said to them, “You are those who justify yourselves before men, but God knows your hearts. For what is exalted among men is an abomination in the sight of God.

Jesus is talking about money and in doing so, he rubbed the Pharisees the wrong way. They began to push back on what Jesus was saying and ridiculed Him. And what Jesus does here is he distinguishes between their efforts to justify themselves before people and their inability to justify themselves before God. God knew their hearts. Doesn’t matter if man affirms us. They were still condemned before God.

This is the reality the lawyer faced in Luke 10. Trying to justify himself before this crowd and even Jesus, but actually condemned despite his efforts in self-justification.

So he picks up on the answer he gave to his own question. The command to love our neighbors as ourselves, and asks his second question: who is my neighbor.

He’s desperate. He can’t contend with his insufficiencies. The other insufficiency that only Jesus can meet is

Our inability to have peace with people (30-37)

Like his first question, the lawyer’s motivation for asking his second question is far from genuine.

Jesus, again, answers this question with another question, but sets up His question by telling a parable. We call it the parable of the Good Samaritan.

Now this parable is often misunderstood and misapplied. No question, both in and outside the church, this parable is known by many. This parable is often appealed to justify some form of social justice. It’s often suggested that this parable contains the essence of Christianity. Christians ought to be doing what we see in this parable, it’s suggested. It should be all about helping those who are in need. But to interpret this parable that way is to ignore the context. The purpose of this parable is to show the lawyer and us today the extent of our insufficiencies and our need for the grace of God.

Summary of the parable

A man is traveling from Jerusalem to Jericho. This is about a 17 mile trip, and the road would have been steep, rugged, difficult to walk.

The man is robbed, stripped and left for dead. And what’s important to note about this, he would have been unidentifiable in this condition. Language was an identifier, and clothing was another. So, no one would know anything about him by looking at him other than he was in distress.

Then 3 individuals see him… one at a time.

First a priest. The priests would travel to Jerusalem to fulfill their 2 week stint after which they would go back home. If the priest was coming from Jerusalem, having completed his 2 week duties, and then touched, what seemed to be Im sure, a dead body, he would be unclean. He would need to go back to Jerusalem and go through the process of being cleansed. He passes by on the other side.

Then a Levite comes and sees this man. He was someone who helped out in temple matters but was not a priest. He would have had similar concerns to the priest. He passed by on the other side as well.

Then the Samaritan comes. I think many of us know that the Jews and the Samaritans didn’t associate with one another. The level of disdain the Jews had for the Samaritans was significant. Centuries earlier, the Assyrians attacked the northern 10 tribes of Israel and took them into captivity. One of the things the Assyrians did was to take the leadership of the tribes disperse them from their people. Then they brought in other people from other territories that had been attacked and mixed all the people up. The Assyrians were trying to reduce the risk of rebellion. So what happened to people who were in Samaria was they intermarried with others and the loyalty to their own people was diminished, and their religious convictions were all mixed up. And then after the captivity was over, the souther trines rebuilt the temple, but the northern people built their own temple. They didn’t want to have anything to do with Jerusalem. Nothing to do with the Judeans. Eventually when the Jews regained power, they burnt that temple to the ground. The Samaritans were considered half-breeds. And this conflict and tension remained. So that the hero of the story is a Samaritan would have been shocking to this Jewish audience, not a little bit offensive, especially to this proud lawyer.

The Samaritan takes care of this victim. Pours oil and wine on his wounds. He puts him on his own animal, which means he’s now walking on this rough terrain. And takes him to the nearest inn. He pays the innkeeper 2 days worth of wages which would have paid for about a week or so. But he also commits to paying any charges that went beyond the two denarii. Now what we should understand here is that there was no mechanism to deal with an inability to pay what you owe other than slavery. In other words, if this man, who had been attacked, and was now recovering in this inn, stayed beyond the time that 2 denarii covered, and was unable to pay, he would have become the inn keeper’s slave. So, not only does this Samaritan save this person from death, and pays the immediate expense of his recovery, he saves him from slavery as well.

So now we come to Jesus’s question, which is His answer to the lawyers second question: who is my neighbor?

Luke 10:36 ESV

Which of these three, do you think, proved to be a neighbor to the man who fell among the robbers?”

Do you see what Jesus does here? The lawyer’s question was who is my neighbor? Who are the people that I should love as myself? Certainly not a Samaritan.

But Jesus turns his question on its head. Not, who is my neighbor but to whom must I be a neighbor?

To love our neighbors as ourselves is to be willing to love those who many regard as unlovable. It is to be willing to inconvenience ourselves. To sacrifice of ourselves.

But there is limit to how consistently and fully we can obey this command. We cannot obey this command to the degree that we achieve peace with people. We are selfish sometimes.

Today’s Father’s Day. Dads! We don’t love our kids as we should all the time. Love our wives as Christ loves His church. We fall short. Gee, thanks Andy, happy father’s day to me.

But there’s good news, and this is the point. Our insufficiencies have been taken care of through Christ. Jesus is making clear that we can’t do it. We can’t love God as we should. We can’t love people as we should. And this explains why there is so much strife in the world.

Conclusion

Our insufficiencies are satisfied in the sufficiency of Jesus.

Peace with God and peace with people come only through Christ. But do we see that in this exchange between this lawyer and Jesus. I suggest what has been made abundantly clear is that the mad can’t do it. We can’t love God fully enough nor our neighbors to the extent enough that we merit eternal life. And we’re not worthy of eternal life as an inheritance. So where does the sufficiency of Christ come in?

We need to keep the context in mind here.

Luke 9:44–45 ESV

“Let these words sink into your ears: The Son of Man is about to be delivered into the hands of men.” But they did not understand this saying, and it was concealed from them, so that they might not perceive it. And they were afraid to ask him about this saying.

His miracles were not the main concern. Jesus wanted His disciples to be clear on something. He was going to the cross. He was going to be delivered into the hands of men. in other words, he would be mistreated and killed by the hands of men. This of course, was according to the divine plan of God. The disciples didn’t get it. They had no category of understanding their Messiah as one who would be killed. They were not able to understand.

But then just a few verses down in the same chaper.

Luke 9:51 ESV

When the days drew near for him to be taken up, he set his face to go to Jerusalem.

Jesus understood. He knew His mission. It was to save His people from their sins. He was sufficient to provide the way for peace with God and among people. So he set His face to go to Jerusalem.

So the point here is that we need to see the parable of the Good Samaritan within the shadow of the cross

We need to view what what Jesus is making clear to this lawyer and everyone else who was listening in light of the resurrection.

We are meant to see this well know, precious story of our insufficiencies in light of glory, because Jesus went to Jerusalem, accomplished His mission and overcame our insufficiencies.... our sin.