2nd Commandment

Journey to Jerusalem  •  Sermon  •  Submitted   •  Presented   •  40:58
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Earlier in this service we were reminded of our brothers and sisters who are persecuted around the world. When we hear of their persecution, it becomes easier to see events in our lives and begin to think that we may be headed in the same direction.
How do we live when others do not respect us?
About a month ago we saw in Luke 9 how the disciples wrongly reacted to those who disagreed with them. Specifically, James and John wanted to destroy the Samaritans.
In our text today, Jesus turns the tables and makes one of these Samaritans the hero of the story. A week ago the Chosen TV series released the first episode of season 2 that was set in the region of Samaria and exposes some of the tensions between Jews and Samaritans.
The episode begins with James and John plowing ground to plant a garden, then later we see this exchange.
Play – video clip.
“We are here to plant seeds, not burn bridges.”
Now we jump to 2021 where we are divided with others over politics, opinions about masks or vaccines, immigration policies, economic stimuli, voter ID and guns. Do I become complicit in racism if I watch baseball, fly on Delta, drink Coca-cola? Am I denying biologic sex if I snack on Nestles or M&Ms?
Which lives matter most this week? Black, Blue, Asian, Women, Immigrant?
In Jesus’ day and in our day, the question is, “To whom should I be kind?”
Transition: In today’s text, a self-righteous know-it-all gets hung by his own rope when he tries to tie a noose in…

A Poorly Conceived Trap (vv.25-28)

Courtroom drama is a popular genre if you find yourself flipping channels on a weekday afternoon. Perry Mason, Matlock, and Judge Wapner have given way to a plethora of options.
I’ve heard that in law school, students are taught in a trial to never ask a question if they don’t know the answer. And I find it interesting that in many of the 30-minute shows, the judge starts by stating “I’ve read your complaint and is it your testimony that…”
In these situations, just like the beginning of v.25, the person asking the question thinks he already knows the answer and is asking a “question” just to elicit a reply.

A false premise (vv.25,29)

1. Notice how this verse begins. Behold (ESV/KJV) or On one occasion (NIV), not translated (NASB).
· There is a word here in the language that Luke wrote that means “watch this!” or “check this out!” or “look!”
2. The first sentence of each paragraph reveals for us the attitude that Luke wants us to observe.
a. “to put him to the test” (v.25)
b. “desiring to justify himself” (v.29)
3. Questions are not wrong in themselves. Question/Answer was part of the dialogue Jesus engaged in the Temple when he was 12.

Jesus plays along with the charade (v.26)

1. Notice Jesus asks 2 questions. 1 is factual and the other is opinion.
2. We run into problems when we begin to think that our opinions are the same as the facts.

The Law is summarized by the Jurist (v.27)

· In Matthew and Mark, Jesus provides this summary, but here it is the lawyer who summarizes the Law into these 2 commands.

The Law is applied by Jesus (v.28)

1. Do this and you will live is both a promise and an indictment.
2. In Leviticus 26 the law is summarized with obedience leading to blessing and disobedience leading to curses.
3. The entire following book, Numbers, is a record of what the curses that fall when obedience is not perfect.
4. In Deuteronomy 28 the law is read a 2nd time before entering the land of Canaan with the same reminder of obedience means blessing, disobedience means curse.
5. The next book, Joshua, shows their obedience was incomplete.
6. The following book, Judges, Illustrated the downward spiral of disobedience.

An Exceptional Excuse (v.29)

1. Jesus knows do this is an impossible standard.
2. The lawyer fully understands that he and his people for hundreds of years have not been able to do this, so he looks for an excuse.
Transition: In verse 29, the lawyer pitches a softball that Jesus hits out of the park for a grand slam.

A Wisely Worded Reply (vv.30-35)

At the risk of turning a finely told story into a list of propositions, I’d like to draw out 3 words from this story that may challenge each of us.

An Extraordinary Demonstration

1. Jesus takes the lofty command of Luke 6 and restates it as a story.
Luke 6:27–28 ESV:2016
27 “But I say to you who hear, Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, 28 bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you.
2. Notice that this story doesn’t solve all the world’s problems. The robbers are never brought to justice. The profit motive of the innkeeper is never discussed. Those who saw but avoided are never confronted. The recklessness of traveling alone in a place known for violence is overlooked.
3. We will do well in the next few minutes to put aside all the “what abouts?” and allow the Holy Spirit to speak to our hearts.

Not in your church clothes (vv.31-32)

1. Neither the Priest nor the Levite are given a name, so we should not think of them as individuals, but as representatives of the religious practices of the Jews.
2. They were going down, which refers to the elevation drop from Jerusalem to Jericho. If they had already been at Jerusalem it is save to set them as still being in a state of ceremonial cleanliness from Temple activities.
I am not trying to shame anybody. I fully know that man looks on the outward appearance, but God looks on the heart. But when I was a child, my friends and I tended to have different clothes for different purposes. I had church clothes, school clothes, play clothes (which were school clothes that got stained or torn), and sleep clothes (or pajamas).
Frequently after church my friends Gary and Jimmy would be having so much fun that we didn’t want to separate and so we would ask one of our parents if the other boy (s) could spend the afternoon.
As 10-12 year olds, we never planned this before church, so the first task when we got home from church was to find some play clothes that would fit the guest boy, because there was no fun we could possibly have that would be worth the punishment we would receive if we tore our church clothes.
3. To this day, I will change into a T-shirt before lighting the grill; change into jeans or shorts before digging in the garden, or at least remove my coat or tie before a Sunday afternoon nap.
4. I don’t want to read too much of a negative spin on the Priest and Levite. They may have been offended by the condition of the man, but I believe it is more likely that they just considered rendering aid to be too much of a bother.

A Samaritan had compassion (v.33)

1. The last time Luke mentions Samaria, Jesus is trying to settle down James and John who are upset and ready to call down fire from God on all of them.
2. The interaction with Jesus started in v. 25 with what shall I do?
3. Here the motivation changes from doing to feeling. There was a stirring in the pit of his stomach that he should do something.
4. Recognizing that feeling, he listened to his gut and did something.
a. He approached him – all the division and racism and class warfare that is defining a generation will never resolve until we get close to others!
b. He covered him – the victim had been stripped in v.30 so the first thing the Samaritan responder does is return his dignity by covering his wounds.
c. He applied oil – this word is literally olive oil. He wasn’t traveling in a fully-stocked ambulance, but he had something in his bag that could soothe the wounds and reduce friction from the bandages.
d. He poured wine – for those who want to think of pouring wine as an anesthetic to dull the pain, actually the verb is to pour on, so rather than dulling pain with a drink of alcohol, this would have stung as the antiseptic nature of the alcohol washed the wounds.
We tend to think of kindness or compassion as doing things that feel good. Sometimes genuinely helping adds temporary discomfort. To the snake bite cuts must be made to extract the venom. To the person in anaphylasis, the airway may need to be opened. To a bleeding wound, hard pressure may need to be applied.
5. All four of these responses were driven by a gut-feeling of compassion.

He was brought to an Inn (v.34-35)

1. Our idea of a hotel/motel manager may need some revision.
2. Both the place and the person in these verses are a compound of 2 words meaning to receive and all.
I had never heard of Grit TV until moving to CWF. I found out that baseball, rodeo and Grit is about all that my friend Ray cares about Television. So I checked out Grit TV and was drawn in to the series Laramie. If you’ve ever seen the show, you’ll recall that the Sherman Ranch doubles as a Stagecoach relay station.
This relay station is more like the Inn that one would find in the time of Christ.
It may be more like a Truck Stop or a Rest stop than our idea of a motel or destination resort. The top end of a first century Inn would have been more like a Bed-N-Breakfast than a Hilton or Holiday Inn.
3. The literal translation of the compound word in these verses is that the Samaritan took the Jewish victim to an “all-received” and the man who is compensated is an “all-receiver”.
4. The hospitality of receiving strangers was a highly valued virtue of Judaism. The “all-receiver” of Jesus’ Day would set the scene for the requirement of church Elders that they be hospitable in 1 Timothy and Titus. The later word for hospitable is also a compound word, literally a “lover of strangers”. And less we think it is a rare virtue limited to leaders, 1 Peter 4:9 uses it as a challenge for all God’s people.
Transition: From this demonstration of compassion and description of all-welcoming, Jesus tightens the noose that the lawyer tied by asking, Which traveler was a neighbor?

From Theory to Reality (vv.36-37)

The lawyer rightly connect compassion to mercy

1. From a theoretic question to real emotion the impact of this situation comes close and individual.
2. I told you that the word compassion was descriptive of feeling in the pit of the stomach. Mercy is also a feeling more than a fact.
3. The Theological Dictionary of the New Testament describes this word mercy as “we must remember that in Greek thought ἔλεος is an emotion rather than a moral relationship to others, so that in Judicial practice ἔλεος entails partiality.”[i]
4. Although mercy and compassion are feelings, in v.37 Jesus reconnect action with emotion. If you have this feeling, then do this action!
Transition: Do we have enough compassion that our interactions with others would truly be describe as merciful?

Conclusion:

Is mercy a virtue that we tightly ration or distribute freely?
How many of you remember this time a year ago when Bathroom Tissue and Disinfecting wipes couldn’t be found in stores?
People irrationally concluded that there was a restricted supply and there would not be enough for everyone, so they began to hoard.
On the other hand, how many of you raise tomatoes, cucumbers, or zucchini in your garden?
I have a dear friend who tongue-in-cheek posted a warning to all her friends on Facebook, Angelyn posted “Warning to all my local friends. I’m going to try planting zucchini this year.”
As we live in a world that is angry, suspicious, defensive, and divided, my prayer is that each of us would hear the words of Jesus this morning. When it comes to showing mercy, “You go, and do likewise.”
Song of Response #390 (v.3,4,6).. “May the Mind of Christ
Benediction: Psalm 90:17 (ESV:2016) —17 Let the favor of the Lord our God be upon us, and establish the work of our hands upon us; yes, establish the work of our hands!
[i] Rudolf Bultmann, “Ἔλεος, Ἐλεέω, Ἐλεήμων, Ἐλεημοσύνη, Ἀνέλεος, Ἀνελεήμων,” ed. Gerhard Kittel, Geoffrey W. Bromiley, and Gerhard Friedrich, Theological Dictionary of the New Testament (Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 1964–), 478.
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