Luke 10:30-37

Introduction

“Go and do the same.”

When Jesus was embarrassing the hypocritical religious elite or eating with wealthy tax collectors turned followers like Matthew or Zacheus, it was more appealing to go and do the same.

When James and John thought that Jesus was headed for a throne in Jerusalem rather than a cross, they asked if they could go and do the same.

But what about when Jesus touched the lepers with their contagious, skin-rotting diseases?

What about when Jesus confronted the man who was chained up in a graveyard because he was possessed by a legion of demons?

We are eager to go and do the same as Jesus did when the going and doing is clean and rewarding, but about when the going and doing is dirty and costly?

As we think toward Good Friday and Resurrection Sunday, we have been pondering what it mean to take up our cross and follow Jesus.

The spirit of the cross is sacrificial love, and the path of the cross will be uncomfortable, kingdom-proclaiming, and kingdom-focused, but unless we take up our crosses and follow him, we cannot be do his disciples.

Do we want to be his disciples? Do we want to be his apprentices? Do we want follow Jesus, learn from him, and then go and do the same?

If we do, we will have to learn to meet the broken in their brokenness just as Jesus did.

Jesus gave us a parable in Luke 10 that shows us what this looks like.

[READING - Luke 10:30-37]

Luke 10:30–37 NASB95

30 Jesus replied and said, “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell among robbers, and they stripped him and beat him, and went away leaving him half dead. 31 “And by chance a priest was going down on that road, and when he saw him, he passed by on the other side. 32 “Likewise a Levite also, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. 33 “But a Samaritan, who was on a journey, came upon him; and when he saw him, he felt compassion, 34 and came to him and bandaged up his wounds, pouring oil and wine on them; and he put him on his own beast, and brought him to an inn and took care of him. 35 “On the next day he took out two denarii and gave them to the innkeeper and said, ‘Take care of him; and whatever more you spend, when I return I will repay you.’ 36 “Which of these three do you think proved to be a neighbor to the man who fell into the robbers’ hands?” 37 And he said, “The one who showed mercy toward him.” Then Jesus said to him, “Go and do the same.”

[PRAYER]

[CONTEXT] At the end of Luke 9, Jesus set his face toward Jerusalem. Along the way, he sent out 70 or so disciples in pairs to various cities to prepare the way for his arrival. Their work concluded, those 70 or so disciples returned to Jesus rejoicing, and Jesus called them blessed and rejoiced because the Father allowed them to recognize Jesus as the Christ, the Messiah, the Son of God.

But in the midst of this rejoicing an expert in the Jewish Law tried to put Jesus to the test, “Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?” (Lk. 10:25).

Rather than answer, Jesus asked for answer from the supposed expert.

Rather than have his answer be graded, Jesus will grade the expert’s answer.

Jesus asked, “What is written in the Law? How does it read to you?” (v. 26).

The expert replied, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength, and your neighbor as yourself,” (v. 27).

And Jesus said that was correct; if the expert went and did that, he would live (v. 28).

But the expert wasn’t finished; he had a more difficult question for Jesus, one that was sure to stump him: “If the law says that I am to love my neighbor as myself, then who is my neighbor?”

In response to that question, Jesus will give the parable of the good Samaritan.

[CIT] In this parable, Jesus gave us a picture of loving our neighbors as ourselves; he gave us a picture of taking up our cross and following him; he gave us a picture of touching the broken in their brokenness.

[PROP] If we aim to be disciples of Jesus, we will look at this picture of the Good Samaritan and go and do the same.

[TS]…

Major Ideas

#1: Notice that the Samaritan felt compassion for the beaten man (Lk 10:33)

Luke 10:33 NASB95

33 “But a Samaritan, who was on a journey, came upon him; and when he saw him, he felt compassion,

[EXP] To feel compassion for someone is to feel pity for them, to be deeply moved in the pit of your stomach for someone. When the Samaritan saw the man who had been stripped, beaten, and left half dead, he was sick to his stomach.

His compassion demanded that he do something to help.

[ILLUS] Jesus was compassionate.

Matthew 9:36 NASB95

36 Seeing the people, He felt compassion for them, because they were distressed and dispirited like sheep without a shepherd.

Are we compassionate toward the distressed and dispirited?

Matthew 15:32 NASB95

32 And Jesus called His disciples to Him, and said, “I feel compassion for the people, because they have remained with Me now three days and have nothing to eat; and I do not want to send them away hungry, for they might faint on the way.”

Are we compassionate toward those around us with practical needs like hunger?

Matthew 20:34 NASB95

34 Moved with compassion, Jesus touched their eyes; and immediately they regained their sight and followed Him.

Are we moved with compassion to touch others at the point of their need so they see and follow Jesus?

[APP] If I don’t feel compassion for others as Jesus did, there are a few steps I can take so I go and do the same as he did.

One, I can avoid whatever increases my callousness toward others.

Maybe its partisan politics or news stories about people abusing the welfare system.

Whatever increases my coldness toward the needs and hurts of others… whatever makes me feel less compassionate toward my neighbors created in God’s image is likely something I should avoid.

Two, I can pray that God the Father would make me more compassionate.

“Lord, open my eyes to the distressed and dispirited.”

“Lord, help me to feel the practical needs of those around me.”

“Lord, move me toward others with compassion so that they see and follow Jesus.”

Third, I can remember Jesus’ compassion for me.

When I was spiritually dead, Jesus didn’t pass me by. His compassion moved him to my side, so that through his great love I was brought back to life.

If we’ve experienced the compassion of Jesus, let’s remember it anew and go and do the same.

[TS]...

#2: Notice that the Samaritan came to the beaten man (vv. 33-34)

Luke 10:33–34 NASB95

33 “But a Samaritan, who was on a journey, came upon him; and when he saw him, he felt compassion, 34 and came to him and bandaged up his wounds, pouring oil and wine on them; and he put him on his own beast, and brought him to an inn and took care of him.

[EXP] When the priest and Levite came upon the beaten man and saw what looked like a dead body on the side of the road, they passed by on the other side. It’s likely they were telling themselves, “It’s best not to get involved. I’ve got important spiritual business to attend to. If I become ritually unclean checking on a dead person, I won’t be of any use in the temple. Yes, best not to get involved.”

This is callousness hidden behind religious excuses, but while the priest and the Levite (which was a priest’s assistant) crossed the road to pass by on the other side, the Samaritan came upon the beaten man and then came to the beaten man.

[ILLUS] When Jesus came upon the hurting, he came to the hurting rather than passing by on the other side.

When Peter’s mother-in-law was ill with a fever, Jesus came to her and healed her (Matt. 8:14-15).

When Jairus said his daughter was dying, Jesus came to her and raised her from the dead (Matt. 9:23).

When Lazarus was four days dead in the tomb, Jesus came to him and raised him from the dead (Jn. 11:17).

In 1 Timothy 1:15, Paul said that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners.

[APP] When I am tempted to pass by on the other side, I need to remember that Jesus came to me to save me from my sins. He wasn’t too busy. He didn’t offer fine-sounding excuses. He wasn’t concerned about the messiness of it. He came to me and brought me back to life.

If I follow him, I must be willing to go and do the same.

I must be willing to go and bring the healing of Jesus to the hurting.

I must be willing to go and bring his mercy to those in misery.

I must be willing to go and bring his balm to the broken.

If I’m not willing to go and do that, then maybe I’m not fit to be his disciple.

[TS]...

#3: Notice the Samaritan’s care for the beaten man (Lk. 10:34-35)

Luke 10:34–35 NASB95

34 and came to him and bandaged up his wounds, pouring oil and wine on them; and he put him on his own beast, and brought him to an inn and took care of him. 35 “On the next day he took out two denarii and gave them to the innkeeper and said, ‘Take care of him; and whatever more you spend, when I return I will repay you.’

[EXP] There are a few things we should notice about the Samaritan’s care for the beaten man.

One, it was personal care.

The Samaritan came to him, treated him, bandaged him, and loaded him up to take him for further care.

This was personal care that required the Samaritan to be hands on.

Two, it was knowledgeable care.

The Samaritan knew enough to pour wine on the wounds as a cleansing disinfectant and knew enough to pour on oil as a soothing balm.

Three, it was costly care.

The Samaritan paid two days wages in advance to the innkeeper so the beaten man would be cared for until he returned.

And, finally, it was continuous care.

Before continuing on with his business, the Samaritan got the beaten man to the inn so he would continue to be cared for.

Then he promised to come back, pay what needed to be paid, and continue to care for the man.

[ILLUS] When we think about it, this is how Jesus cared for us when he gave himself as the sacrifice for our sins.

It was personal.

Although Jesus was God, he became a man; he took on flesh and dwelt among us.

It was knowledgeable.

Jesus knew our sinfulness and knew the Father’s will was for him to lay his life down on the cross as the sacrifice for our sins.

It was costly.

Our salvation cost Jesus his life. Jesus humbled himself to the point of death even death on a cross so that we would be reconciled to God.

And it is continuing.

Jesus was raised from the dead. He ascended to the Father’s right hand and there he intercedes for us and prepares a place for us.

He continues to care for us there, and he has sent his Holy Spirit to continue to care for us here.

[APP] If I have experienced the saving care of Jesus, am I willing to do and do the same?

Am I willing to get my hands dirty and care personally?

Am I willing to learn what’s necessary to care knowledgeably for the hurting?

Am I willing to care even when it cost me not only money but time and energy?

Am I willing to care continually when continuous care is required?

[TS]…

Conclusion

I recently had a Good Samaritan opportunity. I didn’t see someone left for dead on the side of the road but I did obligate myself to help someone in need.

Now, I’m telling you this, not because I’m boasting, but because my attitude was wrong all the way through it.

You see, when I offered to help, I didn’t really want to cross the road to help, I just wanted to be thought of someone who offered to help.

And then the amount of help needed grew.

First, it was one thing, then a few things, then a couple more things—all while the cost was going up.

And when it came to deliver the help, I wanted to delegate it by having someone else do it.

I didn’t want to personally do it.

And then what began as a one day help very quickly became a two day help and more help may be needed in the future.

In other words, there was and may still be a continuous element to this help.

I wish I could tell you that my heart attitude was better, but I was an inwardly-grumbling Good Samaritan if I was one at all.

That is not the way of Jesus, my Lord.

That is not going and doing the same as he did.

Jesus’ compassion was a joyful compassion.

Jesus’ came to us joyfully when he came to save us from sin and death.

Jesus’ was happy when he cared for us—he was happy to be doing his father’s will…

…and I should be happy to go and do the same.

[PRAYER]

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“Let Others See Jesus in You” Hymn 363