Like A Good Neighbor Series

Like A Good Neighbor  

Luke 10:25-37

Introduction

In a 2011 commercial, a wife found her husband on the phone at 3 am. When she asked who he was talking to, he said, “Jake from State Farm.” She sarcastically grabbed the phone and asked, “What are you wearing, Jake from State Farm?” At which time, real-life State Farm agent Jake Stone said, “Uh… Khakis”. Since 2020, Jake is now played by actor Kevin Miles. The recognizable commercials feature the slogan “Like a Good Neighbor, State Farm is there.” State Farm has used that slogan since 1971. It was part of a jingle written for the company by Barry Manilow. Ok, now that you are ready for trivia night with all that pop culture info… “Like a Good Neighbor” fits in very well with our text for today. What does it mean to be a good neighbor?

Our text begins with a question that was meant to test Jesus, as the Jewish leaders were constantly trying to find some way to discredit him. Also layered in this question is a desire the lawyer had to “justify himself.” This is not a genuine question but one with hidden motives - except Jesus can see them! (Luke 10:25-37)

Luke 10:25-37, NIV

On one occasion, an expert in the law stood up to test Jesus. “Teacher,” he asked, “what must I do to inherit eternal life?”

26 “What is written in the Law?” he replied. “How do you read it?”

27 He answered, “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind’[a]; and, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’[b]”

28 “You have answered correctly,” Jesus replied. “Do this and you will live.”

29 But he wanted to justify himself, so he asked Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?”

30 In reply Jesus said: “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, when he was attacked by robbers. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him and went away, leaving him half dead. 

31 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. 

34 He went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he put the man on his own donkey, brought him to an inn and took care of him. 

35 The next day he took out two denarii 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.’

36 “Which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?”

37 The expert in the law replied, “The one who had mercy on him.” Jesus told him, “Go and do likewise.”

One writer said the parable of the Good Samaritan “is one of the most gripping that Jesus ever told…. it has won its way into the heart of humanity as none other…” (Chappell). Though this is a simple story, it has many layers. 

What is Jesus teaching us about being a good neighbor? The Samaritan is not called “good”! Nobody in Jesus’s entourage would call him that! We label him as ‘good’ because of his actions. When Jesus said a Samaritan was coming along, it was the natural inclination to think that he was a crummy person no one would want to be around.

What does Jesus teach us about being a good neighbor in this parable?

1. Being a Good Neighbor: Love Others Beyond Our Prejudices

A Samaritan reaches over cultural boundaries to help a Jew. The road from Jerusalem to Jericho was known to be a dangerous road. This man was wounded physically - attacked, stripped, beaten, left half dead. Craddock: “The story offers an example of acting in love which is without preference or partiality and which expects nothing in return.”

Daryl Bock informs, "An ancient Jewish book of wisdom, Sirach 12:1 - 4, tells its readers to not help a sinner. Thus, the lawyer’s question is really an attempt to create a distinction, arguing that some people are neighbors and others are not and that one’s responsibility is only to love God’s people. The suggestion that some people are “non-neighbors” is what Jesus responds to in his story.

-There are no “non-neighbors”. 

-This includes those we might categorize as “enemies”

-We should love/help even those who may not treat us well.

2. Being a Good Neighbor: Rejects Indifference and Excuses

The priest may have been on his way home from service in the temple. We are not given an explanation for his passing by.

The Levites were not as high ranking as priests, but they were privileged. It seems he actually went up close to the man to see him, then passed by.