Kingdom Parables: The Good Samaritan

Text: Luke 10:25-37

Theme: If we love God, we will love others.

What kind of Kingdom Citizen are you? From time-to-time I’ve reminded you of the kinds of Parables Jesus told. They’re all about the Kingdom. Some give us Characteristics of the Kingdom. Some give us Characteristics of the King. And some give us Characteristics of Kingdom Citizens. The Parable of the Good Samaritan is one of the last. When it comes to the people around you, how well do you see? How well do you hear? Do you speak out on the behalf of others? Do you care about people who have been wounded by life and are hurting? Or do you have blinders on that limit the scope of your vision?

Like every story that Jesus tells, he tells it within a context of something that is going on around him. The background for this parable is found in Luke 10:25. Luke 10:25 And, behold, a certain lawyer stood up, and tempted him, saying, Master, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?

A Jewish lawyer was one who would have been well-versed in the Old Testament Books of Moses and Jewish religious law. He knew the Jewish Bible backwards and forwards. The man asks a reasonable question: “What must I do to inherit eternal life?” He asks it with an unreasonable motive: It was to tempt the Lord. It’s a word that means to thoroughly test. This guy is not interested in discovering truth. He is interested in a debate.

Jesus answers the question by pointing him back to the law:

Luke 10:26-28 He [Jesus] said unto him, What is written in the law? how readest thou? And he answering said, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy strength, and with all thy mind; and thy neighbour as thyself. And he [Jesus] said unto him, Thou hast answered right: this do, and thou shalt live.

Jesus tells us in Matthew 22 that these two commandments—to love God with every fiber of your being, and to love your neighbor as yourself—are the two greatest commandments and that the whole law hangs on obeying them.

But, the lawyer is not finished. The Bible says that in an effort to justify himself he asks, “OK, just who is my neighbor?” He uses an old debating technique often employed by one who is losing the argument. He demands of Jesus; “Define your terms! What do you mean by ‘neighbor’?” And of course, the lawyer knows the answer to that question: His neighbors are people just like him. They’re people whom he likes and who like him in return. They’re people who look just like him, and think just like him, and act just like him, and worship the same God he does. In other words ... Jews! And maybe not even all of them. And Gentiles? Well ... Gentiles need to apply for neighbor status.

With a smile of smug satisfaction—thinking he has put Jesus between a rock and a hard place—he asks the question, “Who is my neighbor?” He should have quite while he was ahead!

It is at this point that Jesus tells a story that leaves the lawyer—and everyone else in the crowd—slack-jawed in amazement: “A certain man went down from Jerusalem to Jericho ... “ and most of you can pretty well finish the story from there.

What does the parable teach us about the behavior of Kingdom citizens?

I. WE CANNOT IGNORE A HURTING WORLD

ILLUS

How do you share the love of Jesus with a lonely man?

How do you tell a hungry man about the bread of life?

How do you tell a thirsty man about the living water of the Lord?

How do you tell him of His Word?

How do you tell a dying man about eternal life?

How do you tell an orphan child about the Father's love?

How do you tell a man who's poor about the wondrous riches of the Lord?

How do you tell him of His Word?

How do you tell a loveless world that God Himself is love?

How do you help a man who's down to lift His eyes above?

How do you tell a bleeding man about the healing power of the Lord?

How do you tell him of His Word?

People who know go to people who need to know Jesus

People who love go to people alone without Jesus

For there are people who need to see,

People who need to love

People who need to know God's redeeming love.

People who see go to those who are blind without Jesus

And this is people to people, yes,

People to people

All sharing together God's love.

A. THE INJURED TRAVELER

“In reply Jesus said: “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, when he fell into the hands of robbers. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him and went away, leaving him half dead.” (Luke 10:30, NIV84)

1. when Jesus says that a man went down from Jerusalem to Jericho, he meant down

a. the road descends approximately 3300 feet in about 17 miles

1) that’s an average drop in grade of 176 feet for every mile

2) it’s the equivalent of descending the height of an 18-story building between this auditorium and McDonalds

3) that’s a pretty steep grade

2. and it was a dangerous road

a. it was called The Way of Blood because so many people were bushwhacked along the way by thieves and robbers

3. the story that Jesus tells could have been ripped right out of the headlines of the Jerusalem Gazette: “Prominent Jerusalem resident attacked! Man mercilessly beaten, robbed and left for dead. See story page 3

B. THE INJURED TRAVELERS OF OUR DAY

1. we are surrounded by a great deal of pain in our society

a. everywhere you look, people are plagued with hardship, despair and discouragement

1) some are struck with injuries or illnesses that place them in physical pain

2) some are dealing with stigma and scars of emotional pain

3) some are living in the darkness of despair of spiritual pain

2. the mission of the church – and that translates into the mission of believers – is to reach out with hope and healing to a hurting world

3. with infinite love and compassion our Lord understood the human predicament

a. He had deep empathy with people;

1) he saw their needs

2) he saw their weaknesses

3) he saw their desires

4) and he saw their hurts

4. He understood and was concerned for people

a. every word he spoke was uttered because he saw a need for that word in some human life

b. His concern was always to uplift and never to tear down, to heal and never hurt, to save and not condemn

5. this is what the church today needs to emulate and model

II. WE MUST BE INVOLVED IN COMPASSION

“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.” (Luke 10:31–33, NIV84)

1. Christianity demands a level of caring that transcends human inclinations

2. let us not underestimate how hard it is to be compassionate

“Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. 10 Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers.” (Galatians 6:9–10, NIV84)

a. compassion is hard because it requires the inner disposition to go with others to the place where they are weak, and vulnerable, and lonely, and broken

3. but this is not our spontaneous response to suffering

a. what we desire most is to do away with suffering by fleeing from it or finding a quick cure for it

A. THE INJURED TRAVELER WAS A NEEDY TRAVELER

1. if anyone needed some compassion, it was this guy

a. he had been robbed, stripped, beaten and left in the hot sun to most likely die

2. the priest of the story saw the man and went on by

a. how amazing that a man who was supposed to work for the welfare of people ignored this man in need

b. his focus was more on the duty of religion than on devotion to God

c. if he had touched the man, according to Jewish law, the priest would have been spiritually ‘unclean’ for seven days

1) he placed the temple and its liturgy above the pain and suffering of the traveler

3. the Levite was the second man to approach the scene, but he too went on by

a. no reason is given for the man’s inaction

1) perhaps he was afraid that the thrives were still around

2) if he stopped to help perhaps others who came upon them would accuse him of the attack

3) perhaps he had some urgent business to attend to and was in a hurry

4) perhaps he felt the man had deserved his fate

5) perhaps the victim of the attack was just too much trouble

4. the third man to come upon the injured traveler was a Samaritan

a. at the very mention of the word, you would have undoubtedly heard the crowd that Jesus was speaking to gasp!

b. all good Jews knew that Samaritans were the bad guys

B. THE SAMARITAN WAS A COMPASSIONATE NEIGHBOR

1. the Samaritan is the truly merciful person of the story

a. he had a compassionate heart, a helping hand, and unlimited concern

b. he gave up personal comfort, physical energy, and valuable time

2. the robbers beat their victim up, the priest and Levite passed the victim up, but the Samaritan picked the victim up

a. the thief said, “What’s yours is mine, I’ll take it.”

b. the priest and Levite reasoned, “What’s mine is mine, I’ll keep it.”

c. but the Samaritan said, “What’s mine is yours, I’ll share it.”

3. some commentators have argued over the years—and rightly so—that this story should not be called the Parable of the Good Samaritan, but the Parable of the True Neighbor

4. too often, we measure our degree of compassion by what it will cost us

a. we quickly compute in our minds the cost to caring ratio and if the cost is too high we’ll choose not to get involved

b. this is what the priest and Levite did

1) they lost far more by their neglect than the Samaritan did by his concern

2) they lost the opportunity to become better men and good stewards of what God had given them

3) they could have been a good influence in a bad world, but they chose to fold their arms complacently, smile benignly, and say somewhat sarcastically, “Ask me if I care!”

5. Jesus Christ sets the model for active compassion for us to follow

“When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.” (Matthew 9:36, NIV84)

a. this must be our attitude as we look upon a society of helpless and hurting people

ILLUS. John MacArthur tells the story of a man who fell into a pit and couldn't get himself out. A number of different people come along and offer advise or commentary.

A Subjective person came along and said: "I FEEL for you, down there."

An Objective person came along and said: "It's logical that someone would have fallen down into that pit."

A Christian Scientist came along: "You only THINK that you are in a pit."

A Pharisee came along and said: "Only BAD people fall into a pit."

A Mathematician stopped to calculate HOW he fell into the pit.

A News Reporter wanted the exclusive story on his pit.

A Fundamentalist said: "You DESERVE your pit."

Confucius said; "If you would have listened to me, you would not be in that pit."

Buddha said: "Your pit is only a state of mind."

A Realist said: "Yep. That's a PIT."

A Scientist calculated the pressure necessary (lbs./sq.in.) to get him out of the pit.

A Geologist told him to appreciate the rock strata in the pit.

An Evolutionist said: "You are a rejected mutant destined to be removed from the evolutionary cycle. You are going to DIE in this pit, so that you cannot produce any "pit-falling offspring."

The County Inspector asked if he had a permit to be in the pit.

A Professor came by and gave him a lecture on: "The Elementary Principles of Deep Pits."

An Evasive person came along and avoided the subject of the pit altogether by walking on the other side of the road.

A Self-pitying person came by and said: “You haven't seen anything until you've seen MY PIT!!"

A Charismatic said:"Just CONFESS that you're not in a pit."

An Optimist came by and said: "Well, ya know. Things could be worse."

A Pessimist came right behind the optimist and said: "Ya know. I’ll bet things will get worse!!"

JESUS, seeing the man, had compassion on him, took him by the hand and lifted him out of the pit.

C. THE CHURCH MUST BE A BODY OF COMPASSIONATE PEOPLE

1. practical love is love that goes into the world and finds people where people are in life.

a. practical love goes the extra mile with no hesitation

b. practical love is exactly what Jesus Christ reveals to the world from the cross

c. practical love goes into the world where the rubber meets the road

d. Jesus is calling His people to show practical love to an impractical world

2. practical love can take many forms and appear in many different ways

a. practical love is seen in the soup kitchen as food is given to the hungry

b. practical love is shown when we enter the hospital room of the sick

c. practical love is revealed when we weep with those who have just lost a loved one

d. practical love is powerful!

e. Jesus is calling His people to show practical love to an impractical world

III. WE MUST BE INTENSIVE IN OUR CARING

“He went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he put the man on his own donkey, took him to an inn and took care of him. 35 The next day he took out two silver coins 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.’” (Luke 10:34–35, NIV84)

1. the traveler of our story needed some intensive care

2. what the Samaritan did helps us understand what it means to show mercy

a. the Samaritan had no compelling interest in this stranger

b. there was no logical reason for a Samaritan to stop and help a Jew

1) Jews hated Samaritans and Samaritans pretty much reciprocated by hating Jews back

3. but mercy does not need a reason to act kindly even toward strangers and enemies

4. do you see how Jesus turns the tables on this lawyer who would seek to justify himself?

a. the lawyer asks “Who is my neighbor?”

b. Jesus tells the story and then asks, “Which of these three men was neighbor to the victim?”

5. here then, is the central point of the parable ...

a. it is not “Who is my neighbor”?

b. it is ”To whom can I be a neighborly?”

1) it’s a question that has nothing to do with geography, citizenship, race, proximity or personality

2) it has to do with who ever needs my mercy or compassion or ministry at the moment

A. THE SAMARITAN’S ACTIONS ILLUSTRATE THE MINISTRY OF KINGDOM CITIZENS (the three “S’s” of ministry)

1. The Samaritan Showed Sympathy

a. the Samaritan reached out to this man when no one else would do so

b. he went out of his way to help a total stranger

2. The Samaritan Showed Support

a. the Samaritan could have done just enough to get the man help

b. but we see the Samaritan going the extra mile for this complete stranger

c. he bandaged the traveler’s wounds and used oil and wine from his own goods, to clean and sooth the man’s cuts and abrasions

3. The Samaritan Showed Sacrifice

a. the Samaritan places the traveler on his own donkey and takes him to an inn where he provides for the man’s care

b. he pays for complete room and board for an indefinite period of time and promises to pick up an additional expenses on his way back through

B. CHRIST CALLS US TO CARE FOR A DYING WORLD

1. bottom line, it requires time and effort and resources to be a true Kingdom Citizen

a. perhaps this is why Jesus—in another parable—encourages those who would follow him to count the cost of doing so

“Large crowds were traveling with Jesus, and turning to them he said: 26 “If anyone comes to me and does not hate his father and mother, his wife and children, his brothers and sisters—yes, even his own life—he cannot be my disciple. 27 And anyone who does not carry his cross and follow me cannot be my disciple. 28 “Suppose one of you wants to build a tower. Will he not first sit down and estimate the cost to see if he has enough money to complete it? 29 For if he lays the foundation and is not able to finish it, everyone who sees it will ridicule him, 30 saying, ‘This fellow began to build and was not able to finish.’ 31 “Or suppose a king is about to go to war against another king. Will he not first sit down and consider whether he is able with ten thousand men to oppose the one coming against him with twenty thousand? 32 If he is not able, he will send a delegation while the other is still a long way off and will ask for terms of peace. 33 In the same way, any of you who does not give up everything he has cannot be my disciple.” (Luke 14:25–33, NIV84)

b. it may also be why we see so many who profess faith in Christ abandon the narrow road when they find out what true discipleship is all about

An anonymous author once penned these words.

I was hungry and you formed a humanities club and discussed my hunger.

I was imprisoned and you crept off quietly to your chapel and prayed for my release.

I was naked and in your mind you debated the morality of my appearance.

I was sick and you knelt and thanked God for your health.

I was homeless and you preached to me of the spiritual shelter of the love of God.

I was lonely and you left me alone to pray for me.

You seem so close to God; but I am still very hungry, and lonely, and cold.

Jesus finished the story: vv. 36-37 “Which now of these three, thinkest thou, was neighbour unto him that fell among the thieves?37 And he said, He that shewed mercy on him. Then said Jesus unto him, Go, and do thou likewise.”