Who is My Neighbor?
Notes
Transcript
Opening Illustration
Opening Illustration
The following is a man’s eye witness account that taught him a valuable lesson:
“A few years ago I saw a truck in front of me roaring fiercely about to turn the corner into the freeway ramp.
In the driver’s seat of the humongous truck was a man in his late 20s ramming his engine and blasting his stereo.
The guy had dark glasses and a black T-shirt-the type you associate with a rabid Raider fan.
I had nothing but dislike, distaste and derision for his outward appearance.
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As the man was turning into the freeway he did not slow down but was traveling at his normal speed.
He was in such a hurry that I thought he was putting his life and the life of others in danger.
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However, he made a U-turn into the opposite lane and did not go into the ramp.
Slowing his truck down, he jumped out of his truck as the same time it screeched to a complete stop.
How dangerous, I thought to myself as I took clearer look at the stocky man who was wearing shorts and spotting tattoos.
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Then I saw smoke coming out of a car lying on the side of the road where the man had stopped.
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How wrong I was.
Beside the car was a woman who was in need of help and it turned out that the young man was not a danger or nuisance to the public but a good Samaritan and a hero to a individual in distress.”
This “unlikely” hero understood what it meant to help one’s neighbor...
This “unlikely” hero understood what it meant to love one’s neighbor as themselves...
And this act of neighborly love is the heart of our message today.
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So, please turn your Bibles to the Gospel of Luke.
We will conduct our study in Chapter 10 and focus on verses 29 through 37.
Our message this morning is titled, “Who is My Neighbor?”
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This message today will focus on one of the more important and famous parables of our Lord and Savior...
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So, this morning we will cover three main points:
1) The Background
2) The Parable
And...
3) The Call to Action
Opening Prayer
Opening Prayer
Before we consider our text, please join me in prayer...
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Heavenly Father...
You are the great I Am!
You are the Creator of all things seen and unseen!
You are truly like no other!
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Help us understand Your truth that we will be studying today...
Guide my lips so only Your truth is shared...
Guide listening ears to hear Your message today with spiritual ears...
Guide their eyes to see with spiritual eyes!
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Thank You for allowing us to gather here today on this blessed Lord’s Day...
Thank You for providing us with the Scriptures which is the source of all truth...
And thank you for sending Your Son to save ruined sinners like us!
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And it is in Jesus’s name we pray all these things...
Amen.
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Let’s turn to our text for today:
Reading of the Text
Reading of the Text
29 But he, desiring to justify himself, said to Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?”
30 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.
31 Now by chance a priest was going down that road, and when he saw him he passed by on the other side.
32 So likewise a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side.
33 But a Samaritan, as he journeyed, came to where he was, and when he saw him, he had compassion.
34 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.
35 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.’
36 Which of these three, do you think, proved to be a neighbor to the man who fell among the robbers?”
37 He said, “The one who showed him mercy.” And Jesus said to him, “You go, and do likewise.”
So, let’s look at our first point...
1) The Background
1) The Background
Verse 29: But he, desiring to justify himself, said to Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?”
Our passage today picks up from where we left off last week...
Let’s look at that passage one more time to remind ourselves of the conversation that was going on between Jesus and this Scribe...
So, look with me at Luke 10:25-28 which says:
25 And behold, a lawyer stood up to put him to the test, saying, “Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?”
26 He said to him, “What is written in the Law? How do you read it?”
27 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.”
28 And he said to him, “You have answered correctly; do this, and you will live.”
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Now, it is at this point that our passage picks up...
So, let’s look at our opening verse make make some observations...
The first thing that should catch our attention is the phrase “desiring to justify himself” which reveals the man’s self-righteous character.
The phrase “desiring to justify himself” means “to vindicate himself.”
So, Luke provides us with some insight into the Scribe’s intentions behind his question.
The implication is that he wished to soften the demand of God’s command and did not feel a sense of obligation to loving everyone but only a select group of people.
As theologian Darrell L. Bock says:
“The lawyer is looking for the minimum obedience required, but Jesus requires total obedience.
That the lawyer seeks the minimum shows that something is wrong in approaching God on human terms and not on God’s.
Jesus refuses to allow this limitation.
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The question becomes whether he loves God enough to respond to his demand.
Does he love others by being a neighbor to them regardless of their origin?”
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So, this question...
“Who is one’s neighbor?”
For our verse, that is the million dollar question...
And the religious elite of the day...
Well, they had an answer...
But it did not line up with the Word of God.
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You see Beloved, for Scribes and Pharisees they believed that one’s neighbors were the righteous alone.
So, a Pharisee’s neighbors would be other pharisees...
At its widest and most liberal extent, the circle of “neighbors” was confined to Israelites only.
So, those reviewed as the wicked—including rank sinners such as tax collectors and prostitutes, gentiles, and especially Samaritans—were never considered neighbors at all.
In fact, they were to be hated because they were the enemies of God.
That was the concensus of the religious elite and other Jews of Jesus’ day.
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However, we are not called to hate our neighbors, Beloved...
What we are to hate is sin...
You see Beloved, godly hatred is marked by a broken-hearted grieving over the condition of the sinner.
And the Pharisees and Scribes elevated hatred toward the wicked to some kind of status of great virtue.
Yet, that is the exact opposite of what God commanded...
The Scriptures are clear that not only are we to love our neighbors...
But we are to love our enemies too...
So, our neighbor is to be anybody we come into contact with...
In fact, we can consider everyone in God’s creation who is created in the image of God to be a neighbor...
And Jesus illustrates this point with a powerful parable...
So, this takes us to our second point.
2) The Parable
2) The Parable
Verses 30-35: 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.’
This parable starts off setting up the scene of a traveler going from Jerusalem to Jericho...
Well, that path was a rocky, winding, and treacherous descent of about 3,300 feet in the space of 17 miles.
That stretch of road was notorious for being beset with thieves and dangers of all kinds.
It was a rocky thoroughfare winding through the desert and surrounded by caves, which made good hideouts for robbers who laid in wait.
Even centuries after Christ’s time, robbers continued to exploit travelers on this road.
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As the Baker Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament on Luke says:
“To meet such robbers was the fate of this man.
‘Lēstēs’ means highwaymen or bandits, but can also refer to political zealots or what we might call terrorists today.
The man is outnumbered, since ‘Lēstēs’ is plural.
Such robberies were often group affairs.
The robbery left the man in a serious state, for not only was he robbed, stripped, and beaten, he was also ‘left for dead.’
The man is fighting for his life.”
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So, Jesus starts the parable by introducing a “certain man” as some translations render it.
Nothing is know about this man...
And that was intentional by Jesus...
This man could be anybody...
His religious affiliation, country of origin, occupation...
None of it is given.
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All we know is this man is meet by ruthless robbers that not only steal everything he had but beat him to an inch of his life...
We has left for dead...
Just a human being who is in desperate need of help.
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Will this man survive?
Will there be anyone to help?
Hearers of this parable would have been wondering...
And all of a sudden Jesus introduces a new character to the story...
Will he help this man who is hanging on to his life by a thread?
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Jesus says, “Now by chance a priest was going down that road.”
Well, that sounds promising, right?
Because a “priest” was a descendant of Aaron who had priestly responsibilities in the Jerusalem temple...
Many would expect the priest of all people to help, right?
But he didn’t.
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In fact, Jesus said he just “passed by on the other side” which demonstrates his lack of compassion for the injured man...
In other words, this is a colorful way of describing the priest’s unwillingness to love his neighbor as himself.
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Furthermore, the parable says the the priest “was going down that road.”
Because Jerusalem sits on a mountain twenty-five hundred feet above sea level, one always goes down from Jerusalem no matter which direction one takes.
You see, since the priest was leaving Jerusalem (and likely the temple), it is highly unlikely that he was concerned primarily with matters of ritual purity...
He just didn’t see a need to help and wouldn't be bothered.
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So, we are back a square one...
A man who’s life is slipping away...
Will anyone help?
Does anyone care?
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Next, Jesus introduces another character...
A “Levite.”
Surely, he will help, right?
Because a Levite was a member of the tribe of Levi...
He may not have been a descendant of Aaron and therefore not a priest...
But, the Levites assisted the priests...
Many would also expect a Levite of all people to help, right?
But he didn’t either...
He just passed on by on the other side too.
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This is shocking...
A Priest and a Levite...
These were supposed to be men of God!
Where is the love?
As 1 John 3:17 says:
17 But if anyone has the world’s goods and sees his brother in need, yet closes his heart against him, how does God’s love abide in him?
Beloved, for the hearers of Jesus’ parable...
This is a sad situation that just keeps getting sadder and sadder...
So, what’s next?
Will there be someone willing to help?
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So, after the priest and the Levite pass the beaten victim...
Many hearing this parable probably expected a lay Jew to come along and help the man in need...
Was that who Jesus was going to introduce?
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No, Jesus shocks everyone with a radical and unexpected twist...
A “Samaritan” came along and is the only one who had the heart to help this half dead victim...
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Now, you must understand...
Culturally speaking, it would have been unthinkable for a Samaritan out of all people to be a hero of a story...
Jews and Samaritans despised each other!
To Jews, Samaritans were not simply outcasts, they were enemies.
But a Samaritan is exactly who Jesus said helped the man in need in this parable.
I love this note from the Reformation Study Bible:
“Listeners would expect a priest and a Levite to be followed by a lay Israelite in an anti-clerical story.
The Samaritan is totally unexpected, as is his kindness.
Samaritans claimed to be descended from non-Israelites transplanted by Assyria after the fall of the northern kingdom, and their religion was a syncretistic amalgam of paganism with deference to the Lord and His law.
Jews regarded Samaritans as foreigners and avoided sharing eating utensils with them.
On Jewish lips, ‘Samaritan’ was an insulting slur.
For Jesus to make a Samaritan the parable’s hero to be emulated is shocking.”
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You see Beloved, the Rabbis of the day knew how to quote Scripture very well...
But, they missed the big picture!
They studied Scripture to see themselves approved by men...
However, they twisted Scripture to do this...
They told the people to love those who are like them...
And to hate anyone they labeled as an enemy...
But that is not what God commanded...
Look with me at what it says in Matthew 5:43–45:
43 “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’
44 But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you,
45 so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven. For he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust.
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What was the point of a head full of theology and Scripture if that truth hasn’t landed in one’s heart!
Beloved, we need o do better...
We need to know the Gospel...
We need to have sound theology...
But we can’t stop there...
We need that Gospel message to penetrate our heart!
We need that sound theology to transform our DNA!
We need to live out what the Word of God says!
We need to have love and compassion...
Just like the Good Samaritan!
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Now, Jesus says that the Good Samaritan “had compassion” or as other translations will render it “took pity” on a complete stranger...
He took his own items and sacrificed them for another...
He gave to someone who was in no condition to pay him back...
The message being communicated is that the Samaritan was filled with a deep feeling of sympathy...
As Volume 8 of The Expositor’s Bible Commentary says:
“‘Took pity’ implies a deep feeling of sympathy, a striking response that stands in contrast, not only to the attitude of the priest and the Levite, but also to the usual feelings of hostility between Jew and Samaritan.
This pity is translated into sacrificial action.
The Samaritan probably used pieces of his own clothing to make the bandages; he used his own wine as a disinfectant and his own oil as a soothing lotion.
He put the man on ‘his own donkey’ and paid the innkeeper out of his own pocket, with a promise to pay more if needed.
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Love should not be limited by its object; its extent and quality are in the control of its subject.
Furthermore, love is demonstrated in action, in this case in an act of mercy. It may be costly:
Cloth, wine, oil, transportation, money, and sacrifice of time.
There is a striking reversal of roles here.
The Jewish ‘expert’ would have thought of the Jewish victim as a good person and the Samaritan as an evil one.
To a Jew there was no such person as a ‘good’ Samaritan.
Jesus could have told the story with a Samaritan victim and a Jewish helper, but the role reversal drives the story home by shaking the hearer loose from his preconceptions.”
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How hard is it for you to love someone who love you back?
How hard is it to love a faithful friend?
That is easy!
Even the worst of the worst of human beings love those who love them...
But, we are called by God to love differently...
We are called to love like God!
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I want to remind you of what it says in Luke 6:32–36 and even after this message I would love for you to go back and revisit this text and really chew on it...
I would like you to meditate on this because this is pretty profound and completely contrary to our fleshy desires...
That passage says:
32 “If you love those who love you, what benefit is that to you? For even sinners love those who love them.
33 And if you do good to those who do good to you, what benefit is that to you? For even sinners do the same.
34 And if you lend to those from whom you expect to receive, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners, to get back the same amount.
35 But love your enemies, and do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return, and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High, for he is kind to the ungrateful and the evil.
36 Be merciful, even as your Father is merciful.
Are we called to model ourselves after other people?
No!
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We are called to model ourselves after God!
He is the perfect standard that we strive to act like!
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Beloved, be merciful like God is merciful!
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It does not matter if someone is ungrateful...
Be merciful!
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It does not matter if someone is evil...
Be merciful!
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Why?
Because, God is merciful to the ungrateful and the evil!
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Next, our passage records that the Good Samaritan provided the beaten man with “oil and wine.”
Oil and wine was carried by most travelers in small amounts as a kind of first-aid kit.
So, the wine was antiseptic...
And the oil acted as a soothing and healing agent.
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Then, Jesus says the Samaritan “set him on his own animal.”
So, the Samaritan loads the man on his own mule or donkey, which probably meant that the Samaritan walked from here on.
And then he takes him to an inn, where he can provide care and comfort to this man he has just met.
Furthermore, he does not just “dump and run,” but stays the night to care for him.
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Finally, Jesus says the Good Samaritan leaves “two denarii” for the innkeeper to take care of the victim of this brutal attack...
To put this in modern terms this is equivalent to two days’ work of wages.
So, this was probably more than enough to permit the man to stay until he recovered.
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In fact, two denarii would have paid for anywhere from three weeks to two months in the inn...
So, that might indicate the severity of the beaten man’s condition and the generosity of the Samaritan.
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But that was not all...
Even if the money all ran out, the Good Samaritan was ready to cover any other additional expense needed.
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Wow!
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That is the love and care that we should show everyone!
That is why Jesus says in John 13:34:
34 A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another.
That love also means we are to be gentle with others even if they wish us hard...
And we are to be forgiving of others even when they are cruel to us...
As Ephesians 4:32 says:
32 Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.
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Now that we finished going through this amazing parable...
Let’s get back to the conversation between Jesus and the Scribe...
And this takes us to our third and final point.
3) The Call to Action
3) The Call to Action
Verses 36-37: 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.”
Take note of how Jesus reversed the Scribe’s original question.
The scribe just assumed it was up to others to prove themselves neighbor to him...
Yet, with Jesus’ reply, it makes it clear that each person has a responsibility to be a neighbor to others...
Especially to those who are in need!
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In other words, Jesus’ question corrects the lawyer’s improper original question.
The question is not “who is my neighbor?” but “how can I be a neighbor?”
So, Jesus indicated that one should worry less about who a neighbor is than about being a good neighbor.
As the Pillar New Testament Commentary on Luke says:
“The question Jesus asks the lawyer is not the same question the lawyer asked Jesus in verse 29.
For the lawyer, ‘neighbor’ is a noun.
‘Neighbor’ is an object to whom one owes duties—burdensome duties that the lawyer desires to avoid.
For Jesus, ‘neighbor’ is a verb, a way of behaving toward people in need that gives life to both giver and receiver.”
So, we are to see our neighbour in everyone with whom we come into contact with.
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Furthermore, by seeing others as our neighbors, we must remember to consider the wellbeing of others even over ourselves...
Our goal is to build them up...
Our goal is to model for them the love of Christ so they can also become followers of Christ if they are not already...
As Romans 15:1–2 says:
1 We who are strong have an obligation to bear with the failings of the weak, and not to please ourselves.
2 Let each of us please his neighbor for his good, to build him up.
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Now, notice the Scribe’s reply to Jesus...
This “expert” of the Law cannot avoid the thrust of the parable...
It is to powerful...
However, he apparently finds it impossible to even utter the word “Samaritan” in his reply...
So, he says, “The one who showed him mercy.”
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The Scribe has seen the point that Jesus is making, but has yet to break through his own prejudice...
So, Jesus calls him to respond...
Jesus lays out a call to action for the Scribe...
A call to action that extends to anyone who desires to be a follower of Christ!
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Jesus’ answer of “You go, and do likewise” implies that all people are to be treated as neighbors—with mercy and compassion...
And this is not a one time deal...
The present tense of the command in this context looks at continuous response...
So, mercy and compassion needs to be in the very blood of the believer!
Mercy and compassion is how a follower of Jesus is identified by.
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Take a look at what Romans 12:16-20 says which is a quote of Proverbs 25:21–22:
16 Live in harmony with one another. Do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly. Never be wise in your own sight.
17 Repay no one evil for evil, but give thought to do what is honorable in the sight of all.
18 If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all.
19 Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.”
20 To the contrary, “if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink; for by so doing you will heap burning coals on his head.”
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The way we treat people is an indication of our heart health!
In fact, on the Day of Judgement, that is what will be evaluated...
For our actions are a testimony of who we really are.
As Matthew 25:32-40 says:
32 Before him will be gathered all the nations, and he will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats.
33 And he will place the sheep on his right, but the goats on the left.
34 Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.
35 For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me,
36 I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me.’
37 Then the righteous will answer him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink?
38 And when did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you?
39 And when did we see you sick or in prison and visit you?’
40 And the King will answer them, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.’
Did you see that, Beloved?
Jesus didn’t say to those who will inherit the Kingdom of God...
Did you say the sinner’s prayer?
Did you walk down the aisle when the preacher prompted you?
Did you identify as a Christian?
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No, Jesus looked at the actions of those who will inherit the Kingdom of God!
That was the indicator of who was a genuine follower of His.
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Now, these good deeds...
These actions...
They do not grant us salvation...
That would be a gross miscalculation!
However, those good deeds and good actions are a by product of a living and saving faith!
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Now, continue with me and look at Matthew 25:41-46 which says:
41 “Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels.
42 For I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me no drink,
43 I was a stranger and you did not welcome me, naked and you did not clothe me, sick and in prison and you did not visit me.’
44 Then they also will answer, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to you?’
45 Then he will answer them, saying, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to me.’
46 And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.”
The same truth as before but now presented in the negative...
A life that is void of good deeds...
A life that is void of good actions...
Is a life that is also void of a living and saving faith!
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So, don’t just call yourself a believer with words...
But act like a believer, too!
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Don’t just know how to recite the Good News...
But make sure the Good News lives in your heart, too!
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Live a life where you treat everyone as a neighbor...
Live a life where you put others first...
Live a life defined by love and compassion...
Live a life where good deeds and good actions are a reflection of your transformed heart!
Closing Illustration
Closing Illustration
So, as this message comes to a close...
I would like you to consider this:
A little lame boy was once hurrying to catch a train.
In the press of the crowd he experienced real difficulty in manipulating his crutches, especially as he was carrying a basket full of fruit and candy.
As the passengers rushed along, one hit the basket by mistake, knocking oranges, apples, and candy bars in all directions.
The man who caused the accident paused only long enough to scold the cripple for getting in his way.
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Another gentleman, seeing the boy in distress, went to his aid.
Quickly he picked up the fruit and added a silver dollar to the collection, saying,
“I’m sorry, Sonny! I hope this makes up a little!”
With a smile he was on his way.
The young boy who had seldom been the recipient of such kindness called after the “good Samaritan” in gratitude and awe,
“Mister—please sir, are you Jesus?”
“No,” replied his new-found friend,
“I’m only one of His followers.”
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So too the people whose lives we touch need to see the Lord in our acts of compassion and Christian kindness.
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Beloved, go out this week and be intentional...
Go out this week and let the world see Christ in you!
Go out this week and model the love of Christ for an unloving world!
Go out this week and love the unlovable!
Go out this week and show love and kindness to those who don’t deserve it!
Go out this week and place the needs of others ahead of yours!
Go out this week and be Christ-like!
Closing Prayer
Closing Prayer
Let’s pray...
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Heavenly Father...
If anyone hearing this message right now does not know You in a saving way...
Open their eyes...
Bring someone into their lives that will model Christ’s love for them...
And lead them to a genuine and saving faith!
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I appeal to Your Name’s sake!
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For those hearing this message who already know You...
Give them the boldness of a lion to share the Gospel message with the lost...
And give them a heart of love and compassion so others can see Christ in them...
May we never forget the love that was first shown to us by You Lord!
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Again, I appeal to Your Name’s sake!
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It is in Jesus’s name we pray all these things...
To God be all the glory.
Amen.