Surprised By Love
“SURPRISED BY LOVE!”
Neighbor Day 2008: How to be a Good Neighbor
Luke 10:25-37
Pastor Robby Roberson
May 18, 2008
I think we should spend a few moments setting the story and its’ context. The central characters here are the Lord Jesus and a “lawyer.” This man was not a lawyer and the sense that the word is used today. He was supposed to be an expert in the law of God. He was a scribe whose specialty was interpreting the law. Aside from one usage of this word in Matt. 22:35, Luke is the only one of the gospel writers who uses it.
His intent was to put Jesus to the “test.” The word test is in the intensive form meaning to test thoroughly. His initial question was “what must I do to inherit eternal life?” This same question is raised by several inquirers (Luke 18:18-23; Matt. 19:16-22; John 3:1-15).
Jesus didn’t answer the man’s question. Instead he answered with another question to the supposed expert: “how do you read it?”
The man answered quoting Deut. 6:5 and Lev. 19:18. They were passages he wore on the fringe of his garments in tiny leather boxes. His phylactery contained the answer to his own question to Jesus.
Jesus responds with a quote of Lev. 18:5. The problem of course is have you done it? Do you know anyone who has loved the Lord God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, with all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself? Have you done it every day, every hour of your life with no slip up? With a holy God 99.99% is failure. Seventy percent is not passing with God. It is an “F” on His report card! “For whoever keeps the whole law, and yet stumbles in one point, he had become guilty of all” (James 2:10. OUCH! The Bible is clear that to be saved by keeping the law requires that one keep the whole law perfectly, all the time. None of us can. The law just condemns us of our guilt.
The lawyer knew he didn’t have eternal life so he tried to put Jesus on the defensive. He tried to justify his lack of love. It should be noted that in the Jewish lawyer’s mind, his neighbor could never be a Gentile. He would have to be from the Jewish race, an Israelite. Jesus’ story must have been shocking to him!
Remember that the story is Jesus’ answer to “who is my neighbor?” It is interesting to me that Jesus chooses a “chance” (happened – NIV) encounter in the midst of a trial of life.
1. THE SURPRISING LOVE OF A NEIGHBOR IS MOTIVATED INTERNALLY.
“But a Samaritan, as he traveled, came where the man was; and when he saw him, he took pity on him.” Lk 10:33
To “take pity” is esplagchnisthe (3-12) and means “to be moved in the inward parts, to feel compassion.” I think it is instructive to notice the other times that Luke uses the word in his gospel (7:13; 15:20 – see also: Mt. 14:14; 18:27; 15:32; Mk. 6:34; 8:2; 9:22; 1:41). It is a love that moves and motivates one to act!
2. THE SURPRISING LOVE A NEIGHBOR MOVES POSITIONALLY.
“He went to him…” Lk 10:34a
He moved toward this half-dead man (who was probably a Jew and his sworn enemy! In the cases of the priest and the Levite Jesus has used a word that only appears these two times in the New Testament. It is the word antiparelthen and means “to pass by on the opposite side.” That went out of their way to avoid helping this half-dead man.
It is fascinating to me that Jesus chose this graphic word picture and then chose as his hero of the story a Samaritan – one who had been passed by on the opposite side all his life (that must have galled the lawyer)! There was “ongoing mutual animosity” (The Criswell Study Bible, pg. 1244) between the Jews and Samaritans. John MacArthur says, “While Assyria led most of the populace of the 10 tribes away (into the region which now is northern Iraq), it left a sizable population of Jews in the northern Samaritan region and transported many non-Jews into Samaria. These groups intermingled to form a mixed race through intermarriage. Eventually tension developed between the Jews who returned from captivity and the Samaritans. The Samaritans withdrew from the worship of Yahweh at Jerusalem and established their worship at Mt. Gerizim in Samaria. Samaritans regarded only the Pentateuch as authoritative. As a result of this history, Jews repudiated Samaritans and considered them heretical. Intense ethnic and cultural tensions raged historically between the two groups so that both avoided contact as much as possible” (John MacArthur, Jr., The MacArthur Study Bible, pg. 1583).
This tension was so intense that a Jew traveling from Jerusalem to Galilee would often go through the region of Perea to avoid contact with a Samaritan (see map). This ethnic and cultural bias is also reflected in the following passages of Scripture:
“Now he had to go through Samaria…the Samaritan woman said to him, “You are a Jew and I am a Samaritan woman. How can you ask me for a drink?” (For Jews do not associate with Samaritans.)” Jn 4:4, 9
“The Jews answered him, “Aren’t we right in saying that you are a Samaritan and demon-possessed?” Jn 8:48
“And he sent messengers on ahead, who went into a Samaritan village to get things ready for him; but the people there did not welcome him, because he was heading for Jerusalem. When the disciples James and John saw this, they asked, “Lord, do you want us to call fire down from heaven to destroy them?” But Jesus turned and rebuked them.” Lk 9:52-55
The Samaritan made a dramatic move past bias. He literally “drew near, approached.” He went beyond his pent up racial and religious prejudices. “For a Samaritan to travel this road was unusual. The Samaritan himself was risking not only the thieves, but also the hostility of other travelers” (MacArthur, Ibid, pg. 1535). The surprising love in his heart moved him past his bias to draw near to his neighbor in need. We too, cannot say “they’re not my kind of people!”
3. THE SURPRISING LOVE A NEIGHBOR IS OFTEN MEASURED SACRIFICIALLY.
“…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. 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.’” Lk 10:34b-35
· IT WILL INVOLVE TOUCH.
You cannot bandage wounds unless you physically touch the person. It was done at a distance, through an intermediary – he physically handled the wounded man.
· IT WILL INVOLVE TIME.
Remember he was traveling (v. 33). He interrupted his trip. He took time to take him to an inn (v. 34). He spent a night carry for him because it was the next day before he left (v. 35).
· IT WILL INVOLVE YOUR TREASURE.
This account is ripe with personal cost. It was his own personal oil and wine (v. 34 - “probably carried by most travelers in small amounts as a kind of first-aid kit. The wine was antiseptic; the oil soothing and healing” (MacArthur, Ibid, pg. 1535). He put him on his own donkey (v. 34) while he walked. He paid himself for two people to stay in an inn (v. 35). He gave his own two silver coins (“two days’ wages. Probably more than enough to permit the man to stay until he recovered” – MacArthur) (v. 35) while promising more if there was extra expense (v. 35).
4. THE SURPRISING LOVE A NEIGHBOR VALUES LIFE LIVED RELATIONALLY.
Let’s move outside this text for a moment to say that the Word of God values life lived relationally. The New Testament is filled “one anothers.” The New Testament is filled with Paul’s relationships with others and Peters, etc.
Here are two significant Old Testament passages that hold high the value of life lived in relationship:
“Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their work: If one falls down, his friend can help him up. But pity the man who falls and has no one to help him up! Also, if two lie down together, they will keep warm. But how can one keep warm alone? Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken.” Ec 4:9-12
“There was no one to rescue them because they lived a long way from Sidon and had no relationship with anyone else…” Judges 18:28
Returning to our story – this was an expression of mercy (v. 37). Mercy is the outward manifestation of compassion; it assumes need on the part of him who receives it and resources adequate to meet the need on the part of him who shows it.
“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. Another gentleman, seeing the boy’s 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, I’m only one of His followers,’ replied his new-found friend” (Our Daily Bread).
The answer to the first question is NOTHING!! Stop believing you can do something to merit it! Eternal life is not the result of our good works, not even being a good neighbor, but the result of God’s grace manifested through Jesus Christ (Eph. 2:8-9). It is an inheritance. It is a gift. It is not something you earn or do. Eternal life is the fruit of establishing a loving relationship with the one and only living God. Once that relationship is established He fills our lives with His love and He enables us to not only love Him fully, but to love our neighbors as ourselves! The one wounded in life is us. The One who comes to our aid is the Lord Jesus!
“But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved.” Eph 2:4-5