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Does Anybody Care?
Contributed by Gerry Pratt on May 29, 2002 (message contributor)
Summary: Do we reallly live the love of Christ....or is everything an insurmountable or distastful problem which we don’t really want to become involved in?
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Luke 10:29-37 - 29But he, wanting to justify himself, said
to Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?” 30Then Jesus
answered and said: “A certain man went down from
Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell among thieves, who stripped
him of his clothing, wounded him, and departed, leaving
him half dead. 31“Now by chance a certain priest came
down that road. And when he saw him, he passed by on the
other side. 32“Likewise a Levite, when he arrived at the
place, came and looked, and passed by on the other side.
33“But a certain Samaritan, as he journeyed, came where
he was. And when he saw him, he had compassion. 34“So
he went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil
and wine; and he set him on his own animal, brought him
to an inn, and took care of him. 35“On the next day, when
he departed, he took out two denarii, gave them to the
innkeeper, and said to him, ‘Take care of him; and
whatever more you spend, when I come again, I will repay
you.’ 36“So which of these three do you think was
neighbor to him who fell among the thieves?” 37And he
said, “He who showed mercy on him.” Then Jesus said to
him, “Go and do likewise.”
We can, so easily, miss the point of this parable because we
think in the macro, not the micro.
A. We think on a too grand scale.
1. This guy’s head is bashed in...he’s
bleeding...lying on his side...next
to the road.
a. Have you ever seen anyone
like that?
1.) We say, “If I ever did I wouldn’t be
like those two hypocritical,
religious men!!”
2.) We all can...and do...
identify with the
Samaritan.
In truth, we are safe...we will probably never be put to the
test...as this Samaritan was.
A. We will probably never see such a critical need...
right in front of our faces.
We look at this parable, and then we search through life for
a corresponding need.
A. In the “real world”, we probably will never see a
corresponding need.
1. While we are gazing across the horizon of life,
this parable can and does unfold before our
eyes...but on a lesser scale.
a. Every day...every week...every month...
we are faced with the opportunity of
doing good for others...for treating others
with respect who may not, naturally have
our respect.
God puts people in our lives to test our proclaimed
“Christianity”.
A. People who may be repulsive...for one reason or
another.
1. To this Samaritan...this Jew was repulsive...he
was the symbol of all the Jews that looked
down their noses at people like him.......They
were not shy in speech or manners in
criticizing and condemning Samaritans.......
To the average Jew...Samaritans were dirty...
filthy...creatures. Jews treated their dogs
better than Samaritans.
a. You see, then, part of the point of this
parable...we help others...even if the
natural man in us wants to despise them.
God places people in our path who may not be socially
acceptable.
A. Are these people our neighbor?
1. Perhaps they are not mentally “all there”.
2. Perhaps they talk too much.
3. Maybe they are reclusive...they don’t talk at
all.
4. Perhaps they have dirty clothes.
5. Maybe they stink.
6. Perhaps they are of the “wrong color”...the
color that we have been brought up to hate.
We may not actually say it, but often we show by our
actions that we think as has been described in James
2:14-16.
James 2:14-16 - 14What does it profit, my brethren, if
someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can
faith save him? 15If a brother or sister is naked and
destitute of daily food, 16and one of you says to them,
“Depart in peace, be warmed and filled,” but you do not
give them the things which are needed for the body, what
does it profit?
Or we view these people whom God has caused to cross
our paths in the way described in James 2:1-9:
James 2:1-9 - 1My brethren, do not hold the faith of our
Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory, with partiality. 2For if
there should come into your assembly a man with gold
rings, in fine apparel, and there should also come in a poor
man in filthy clothes, 3and you pay attention to the one
wearing the fine clothes and say to him, “You sit here in a
good place,” and say to the poor man, “You stand there,”
or, “Sit here at my footstool,” 4have you not shown
partiality among yourselves, and become judges with evil
thoughts? 5Listen, my beloved brethren: Has God not
chosen the poor of this world to be rich in faith and heirs of
the kingdom which He promised to those who love Him?