Learning Evangelism From Jesus: Go and Do Likewise

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 of Illumination

Gracious God, as we open Your Word, open our hearts and minds to hear what You want to say to us. Give us wisdom to understand Your truth, humility to receive it, and courage to live it out. May Your Holy Spirit guide us and shape us to become more like Jesus. In His name we pray, Amen.

Introduction

▸ Have you ever seen somebody stranded on the side of the road and immediately started negotiating with yourself?

“Somebody else will stop.” “I’m already running late.” “They probably have a phone.”

▸ And before you know it, you’ve driven right past them. I admit I just did this on Friday.

▸ Most of us don’t have a problem seeing people in need. We have a problem deciding whether their need is going to become our problem.

▸ That is what makes the story of the Good Samaritan so powerful. The priest saw the man. The Levite saw the man. The Samaritan saw the man. They all saw the same need, but only one allowed what he saw to change what he did.

▸ It is possible to know the Bible, give the right answers, and still miss what God is asking us to do. The Bible teacher knew the law, but Jesus showed him that knowing the truth and living the truth are two different things.

▸ The question is not simply, “Do I know what God says?” The question is, “Am I willing to live it?”

1. The Right Answer Can Hide the Wrong Heart (vv. 25-29)

▸ The Bible teacher asked Jesus one of the greatest questions anyone could ask: “What shall I do to inherit eternal life?”

This is the kind of question you and I would love for someone to ask us. What an opportunity to share Christ and tell our testimony.

But there was a problem. He wasn't sincerely seeking the truth. Luke tells us that he was testing Jesus.

▸ This man was an expert in the law. He had spent his life studying and teaching God's Word. He had plenty of head knowledge, but Jesus knew there was something going on in his heart.

So instead of immediately answering him, Jesus asked a question: “What is written in the Law? How do you read it?”

Jesus turned the spotlight back on him. And the man gave the right answer: Love God with everything you have and love your neighbor as yourself.

It’s kind of like taking the written driving test. You can know every rule, pass the test with a perfect score, and still be a terrible driver. Knowing the rules doesn’t mean you’re actually following them.

▸ This Bible teacher knew the rules. Jesus was asking whether those rules had ever reached his heart.

Instead of allowing God’s Word to examine his heart, verse 29 says that he wanted to justify himself. So he asked, “And who is my neighbor?”

Sometimes we ask questions because we genuinely want the truth. Other times, we ask questions because we want to defend how we are already living.

That is the danger for us too. We can know Scripture, know the right answers, sit in church for years, and still use our knowledge to justify ourselves rather than allowing God's Word to change us.

▸ Knowing the Bible should lead us to examine our hearts, not justify ourselves.

▸ And that question—“Who is my neighbor?”—sets up the story Jesus is about to tell.

2. Real Love Crosses Boundaries and Costs Something (vv. 30-35)

▸ Jesus tells about a man who was attacked, robbed, beaten, and left for dead.

A priest came down the road. He saw him—and passed by.

Then a Levite came. He saw him—and passed by.

→ These were religious men. They knew the law. They knew what God commanded.

→ Their religious knowledge did not move them toward the wounded man.

Then along came a Samaritan. And that would have shocked the people listening to Jesus.

→ Jews and Samaritans were enemies. Racial, religious, and cultural barriers stood between them. If anybody had an excuse to say, “He's not my problem,” it was the Samaritan.

But when he saw the wounded man, Jesus says that he had compassion.

→ And his compassion became action.

He stopped. He bandaged his wounds. He put him on his own animal. He took him to an inn. He paid for his care.

Helping this man cost him time, money, convenience, and potentially even his own safety.

▸ Love is more than feeling sorry for someone. Love moves toward the person in need.

▸ Our neighbor is not merely someone who looks like us, believes like us, votes like us, or lives like us.

▸ Our neighbor is the person God places in front of us who needs mercy.

3. Jesus Calls Us to Become a Neighbor (vv. 36-37)

▸ Now Jesus turns the original question around.

The Bible teacher asked, “Who is my neighbor?” In other words, “Who qualifies? Where does my responsibility end?”

But Jesus asks, “Which of these three proved to be a neighbor?” That's an entirely different question.

▸ Jesus isn't giving us a list of people who qualify for our love. He is asking whether we will become the kind of people who show mercy.

The man answered, “The one who showed him mercy.” And Jesus said, “You go, and do likewise.”

▸ That's where this story becomes personal.

It's easy to talk about loving people. It's easy to believe in compassion. It's even easy to know the Scriptures that tell us to love our neighbor. But Jesus calls us to live it.

▸ The Christian life is not simply about having the correct beliefs. God's grace should change the way we treat people.

Learning Evangelism from Jesus

▸ Before we leave this conversation, notice not only what Jesus taught, but how He led this man toward the truth.

▸ First, Jesus asked questions.

Jesus didn't do all the talking. He asked, “What is written?” and “How do you read it?”

Good questions help people examine what they actually believe. Sometimes in evangelism, we need to talk less and listen more.

▸ Second, Jesus helped him examine his own heart.

This man's problem wasn't that he didn't know enough. He knew the law. His problem was that his knowledge had never dealt with the pride and self-justification in his heart.

Sometimes our job isn't immediately to give someone another answer. It is to ask the kind of questions that help them see what is already happening in their heart.

▸ Third, evangelism takes patience.

Jesus didn't force this man into a decision. He had a conversation with him, asked questions, told him a story, and gave him truth to wrestle with.

There are people in our lives we desperately want to come to Christ. But repeating the same thing every time we see them can sometimes cause them to shut the door.

▸ We need to trust the Holy Spirit enough to ask good questions, speak truth with grace, and give God room to work in their hearts.

Gospel Connection

▸ The man began by asking, “What must I do to inherit eternal life?”

▸ But Jesus’ words reveal the problem: none of us has done this perfectly. None of us has loved God with everything we have or loved our neighbor as ourselves. The law does not prove that we are good enough; it reveals how desperately we need grace.

▸ Jesus did what we could never do. He lived the life we could not live, died the death we deserved to die, and rose again so that we could be forgiven and made new.

▸ We don't show mercy so that Jesus will save us. We show mercy because Jesus has shown mercy to us.

Takeaway for the Week: The question is not, “Who deserves my help?” The question is, “Will I become a neighbor to the person God places in front of me?”

Conclusion

▸ The Good Samaritan reminds us that loving our neighbor is more than something we believe—it is something we do.

The priest saw the man. The Levite saw the man. The Samaritan saw him too. The difference was that the Samaritan stopped.

▸ There will always be reasons to keep walking. We are busy. We have somewhere to be. Helping may cost us time, money, or convenience. The person in need may even be someone we would normally avoid.

▸ But Jesus turns the question around. The question is not, “Who deserves my help?” The question is, “Will I become a neighbor to the person God places in front of me?”

▸ So this week, keep your eyes open. God may place someone in your path who needs you to stop, see them, and show them the love of Jesus.

▸ Jesus’ final words are simple: “Go and do likewise.” Will we be the priest or the Good Samaritan?

Prayer Following Sermon

Lord Jesus, thank You for showing us what it truly means to love our neighbor.

Give us eyes to see the people You place in front of us, hearts filled with compassion, and hands willing to serve. Help us not only to know what Your Word says, but to live it out each day.

As we leave this place, give us the courage to hear Your words, “Go and do likewise,” and then faithfully obey.

In Jesus’ name, Amen.