Looking For The Escape Clause?...the Good Samaritan

LOOKING FOR THE ESCAPE CLAUSE?...The Good Samaritan

Luke 10:25-37

INTRODUCTION

A. HUMOR: 3 LAWYER JOKES

1. JOKE 1: A lawyer died and went to Heaven. “There must be some mistake,” the lawyer argued. “I’m too young to die. I’m only 55.” “Fifty-five?” said Saint Peter. “No, according to our calculations, you’re 82.” “How’d you get that?” the lawyer asked. St. Peter replied: “We added up your time sheets you charged your customers!”

2. JOKE 2: A man phoned a lawyer and asked, “How much would you charge for just answering 3 simple questions?” The lawyer replied, “A $1,000.” “A $1,000!” exclaims the man. “That’s very expensive, isn’t it?” “It certainly is,” says the lawyer. “Now, what’s your third question?”

3. JOKE 3: As the lawyer awoke from surgery, he asked, “Why are all the blinds drawn?” The nurse answered, “There’s a fire across the street, and we didn’t want you to think you had died.”

B. TEXT

25 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’; and, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’” 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.”

C. WHO ASKED THE QUESTION

1. If the Bible said that a man on the street asked this question, we’d be more likely to believe it was a genuine question. But it’s not; it’s a lawyer. And lawyers back then and today, are taught to never ask a question for which they don’t already have an answer.

2. So the lawyer says: “Okay, so I must love God and my neighbor, but I want to know: exactly who IS and who’s NOT my neighbor?”

3. He’s trying to narrow down who he’s responsible for. In his culture, the only person considered a “neighbor” would be another Jew who kept the law in the precise manner that he did, and no one else.

4. Lawyers are always looking for loopholes around the law. People often hire lawyers – not to KEEP the law, but to EVADE the law. That’s why Jeff Bezos, Elon Musk & Warren Buffett paid almost no taxes last year! But Jesus wasn’t just talking to lawyers when He told this parable -- but to ALL OF US!

5. We’re all looking for the easiest way. We want to believe that we’re obeying God. Anything that puts us out of our normal routine is unwelcome & not wanted. We like staying in our comfort zones! The Lord Jesus knew this, so He blasted our concepts of who we’re responsible for, so that we could reach all kinds of people.

6. The title of this message is “Looking for the Escape Clause.” An escape clause is a statement in a contract that allows a person to get out of keeping a contract in a particular situation. People like spiritual loopholes so they can remain in control of their lives, instead of Jesus being in control.

7. So let’s look at what Jesus meant when He commanded us to ‘love our neighbor as ourselves.’

I.WE’LL ALL ENCOUNTER NEEDY PEOPLE

A. THE WORLD IS FULL OF HURTING PEOPLE

1. Jesus’ parable of the 3 people who passed by the injured