Beyond Excuses: The Good Samaritan Series

Seinfeld was a popular sit com featuring the humor of comedian Jerry Seinfeld. In an episode called “The Fire,” Jerry's friend, George attends a child's birthday party at the request of his girlfriend, Robin. Take a look (show video: George and the Fire, Seinfeld, Season 5, Episode 20).

George, standing alone, says, "What's that smell? Is that smoke?" As he walks into the kitchen, he is startled. "Everybody! I think I smell some smoke back here! Fire! Get out of here!"

George runs out of the kitchen in a panic, knocking over the clown, an old lady with a walker, and a couple of kids. “Get out of my way!” he yells, as he opens the front door of the apartment and runs away.

In the very next scene, George is outside getting oxygen from a group of paramedics. “It was an inferno in there!” he tells them.

Suddenly the clown runs over to George and says, “There he is! That's him!” Several angry children and Robin's mother gather round. “That's the coward that left us to die!” cries Robin's mother.

George tries to explain his actions: “I was trying to lead the way. We needed a leader, someone to lead the way to safety.”

Robin objects: “But you yelled, 'Get out of my way!'’”

“Because as the leader,” George continues, “if I die, then all hope is lost. Who would lead? The clown? Instead of castigating me, you should be thanking me. What kind of topsy-turvy world do we live in where heroes are cast as villains, and brave men as cowards?”

“But I saw you push the women and children out of the way in a mad panic,” someone yells. “I saw you knock them down. And when you ran out, you left everyone behind.

“Seemingly,” George refutes. “To the untrained eye, I can fully understand how you got that impression. What looked like pushy, what looked like knocking down, was a safety precaution. In a fire, you stay close to the ground. Am I right? And when I ran out that door, I was not leaving anyone behind. I risked my life making sure that exit was clear. Any other questions?”

In the final scene of the clip, George is in a restaurant with Jerry. “She doesn't want to see me anymore,” George says, referring to Robin.

“Did you knock her over too, or just the kids?”

“No, her too. And her mother.”

“So you feel 'women and children first' in this day and age is somewhat of an antiquated notion?” Jerry says.

“To some degree, yeah.”

“So basically, it's every man, woman, child, and invalid for themselves?”

“In a manner of speaking,” George replies. “She should be commending me for treating everyone like equals.”

“Perhaps when she's released from the burn center, she'll see things differently,” Jerry says (Seinfeld, Season 5, Episode 20, NBC, 2005, directed by Tom Cherones; www.PreachingToday.com).

The more George tried to justify himself, the more ridiculous he sounded. That’s why we laugh.

So it is when we try to justify ourselves or make excuses for less than perfect behavior. We put ourselves into a self-imposed trap from which we cannot escape.

So how do you avoid the trap of self-justification? How do you keep from putting yourself into the ridiculous position of having to defend yourself? Well, if you have your Bibles, I invite you to turn with me to Luke 10, Luke 10, where Jesus addresses a lawyer who tried to justify himself.

Luke 10:25 And behold, a lawyer stood up to put him to the test, saying, “Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?” (ESV)

This lawyer is an expert in the Mosaic Law, thinking he knows more than this simple rabbi from Nazareth. So he is going to put Jesus to the test, not only to find out what Jesus knows, but to try and trap Jesus in a debate with him.

His question, in itself, is an oxymoron: “What must I DO to inherit eternal life?” You don’t DO anything to “earn” an inheritance, because an inheritance is not “earned.” It is received as a free gift from the one who passes it on. Even so, Jesus plays along with this young lawyer, trapping him with his own words.

Luke 10:26-28 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” (ESV).

Instead of correcting the lawyer’s misunderstanding of inheritance, Jesus answers the lawyer’s question with a question: You’re the expert in the Law, what does the Law tell you? To which the lawyer answers correctly, summarizing the law with two commands: love God and love your neighbor. Jesus simply replies, “Do this and you will live.”