Faith in Action series,
#1 The Good Samaritan
What does it cost to Love your Neighbor?
Luke 10:25-37
CHCC: May 2, 2010
INTRODUCTION:
Today we begin a new series called “Faith in Action --- Don’t just go to church- be the church!” For the next 4 weeks, both in services and in our Pueblo studies, we’re going to focus on what it means to reach out to our community … to be the eyes, ears, hands, feet, and voice of Jesus to the people around us. Today we’re going to talk about taking detours from our planned routine so we can notice and help others. With that in mind, take a look at this short video:
VIDEO for week 1: From Faith in Action materials (Zondervan & Outreach)
The story of the Good Samaritan is a story of someone who was willing to interrupt his schedule and go out of his way to help a stranger. It’s one of the best known stories in the world. But most people don’t know the context of the story. Luke 10:25-29 sets it up: On one occasion an expert in the law stood up to test Jesus. "Teacher," he asked, "what must I do to inherit eternal life?"
This expert in the Jewish Law was trying to put Jesus to the test. But Jesus was not the student. Jesus is the great TEACHER, so he turned the tables and asked his own test question: "What is written in the Law?" he replied. "How do you read it?"
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.'"
"You have answered correctly," Jesus replied. "Do this and you will live."
This religious leader may have been an expert in the law, but he knew he didn’t live up to the standards of the Law. So what was his response? Verse 29 tells what he said AND why he said it: But he wanted to justify himself, so he asked Jesus, "And who is my neighbor?"
The lawyer was trying to get himself off the hook by playing with semantics. It’s a natural enough reaction for any of us when we compare our own goodness with the perfection of God’s Law.
I heard a report about W. C. Fields. When he was on his death bed, a friend found him reading the Bible. The friend was surprised and asked why he was doing that. He answered, “I’m looking for loopholes.”
That’s kind of what this law expert was doing. He was trying to find a loophole I don’t think he genuinely WANTED an answer to the question “Who is my neighbor?” In fact, he probably thought it was a question that would stump Jesus.
But this religious expert had no idea who he was dealing with. Once again Jesus turned the tables on the lawyer. He changed the question from “Who is my neighbor?” to “Are YOU a good neighbor?” And he did this by telling a simple little story.
The story has just 4 characters:
1) The Jewish victim. You could say this victim was partly to blame for what befell him. He was traveling by himself on a notoriously dangerous road
The road is not very long - about 18-miles, stretching from Jericho to Jerusalem. (That’s about the distance from I-10 to I-35 if you go down Loop 1604.) You could walk it in a day … especially if you are going away from Jerusalem toward Jericho … because that would be a DOWNHILL walk. In those 18 miles, the road descends 3,600 feet.
This stretch of road was dangerous in the 1st century, and it has continued to be dangerous through the centuries. The Jericho road was called “The bloody way” by Jerome in the 5th century. In the 19th century it was necessary to pay money to the local Sheiks in order to travel upon it. And even in the 1930’s car-jacking was common on this stretch of road, and people were advised never to travel on it at night. (Wm Barclay, Daily Study Bible pp. 138-139)
2) Verse 30 says The Priest was traveling DOWN the Jericho road, … which would imply that his priestly functions were finished and he was leaving Jerusalem. I bring this up because some people theorize the Priest didn’t stop to help the man because if he accidentally touched a dead man he would have defiled himself for 7 days … and then he could not have performed his Temple duties in Jerusalem.
Most like he was hurrying home AFTER his duties in Jerusalem were finished. I say he was hurrying because ... unless they were in a hurry … people tried to avoid the Jericho road by going the long way around. The Priest was probably too preoccupied with his plans at home, to waste time helping stranger.
And maybe he saw the Levite out of the corner of his eye and assumed, “Well, he’ll probably stop, so I don’t need to. After all, I’m a PRIEST, and he’s nothing more than a temple servant. Helping a man by the side of the road is just the kind of lowly work for him … not for ME!”
3) If the Levite saw the priest walk on by, then he simply followed his leader’s example. In fact, the way Jesus told the story, both the Levite and the Priest purposefully walked to the opposite side of the road in order to avoid the wounded man.
Maybe they were afraid that the wounded man was actually a decoy, set up by other robbers hiding in the shadows. These man may have been operating under the axiom, “Better to be safe than sorry.” At any rate, he made sure he would not be close enough to see the victim’s plight or hear any possible plea for mercy.
4) Now we come to the hero: the Samaritan. All Jesus had to do was say the word “Samaritan” to cause his Jewish audience to cringe. The Samaritans were the despised half-breeds. They were seen as godless people with low morals. In fact, as far as the Jews were concerned, the Samaritans were the REASON the Jericho road was so dangerous.
If the Priest or Levite had seen this Samaritan on the road, they’d have stayed as far away as possible … both because they didn’t want to be “contaminated” and because they’d figure there was a good chance he was a thief and a robber himself.
Now that we’ve set up the scene and the characters, let’s look at what it COST this Samaritan to help the man by the side of the road.
1. Emotion Luke 10:30-33
Verse 33 says, But a Samaritan, as he traveled, came where the man was; and when he saw him, he took pity on him.
Evidently the Samaritan was the only one of the 3 men who had any pang of human sympathy for a suffering stranger. All 3 saw the man, but only the Samaritan had pity on him.
Martin Luther King Jr. once said this: The first question the priest and Levite asked was, “If I stop to help this man, what will happen to me?” But the good Samaritan reversed the question: “If I do NOT stop to help this man, what will happen to him?”
So the question for us to ask ourselves is this: Do I see the people around me with eyes of compassion? Do I FEEL for them … or am I too preoccupied with self to even notice the problems of my neighbors?
A few weeks back, I got out my mower for the first time this mowing season. I always postpone it as long as I can … and I knew I was going to have the same problem I have every season. Sure enough, I couldn’t get the mower to start! After my 100th pull on the rope, my neighbor across the street came over and offered me his mower. He brought it over … full of gas … and with one pull it started right up. Twenty minutes later my front yard was looking good. It was one of those days when people were outside, so I know that several of my neighbors saw my futile efforts … but one of them took pity on me … and I was grateful.
That was a simple thing, but it’s those little acts of kindness that make a good neighbor. He is a neighbor I know I could call on any time I need help … whether the problem is big or small.
Let’s ask God to open our hearts to feel compassion for others and to turn that compassion into action.
The story continues in verse 34: He went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he put the man on his own donkey, took him to an inn and took care of him.
Olive oil was often used as medicine to keep the cut skin supple. Wine contained alcohol to prevent infection. And the man likely made bandages from his own clothes in order to render first aid to this half-dead crime victim. And all of this personal care took TIME.
2. Time Luke 10:34
The Good Samaritan interrupted his schedule to help this stranger. Maybe it even made him late for whatever appointment he had scheduled.
A few years back, two Princeton University professors decided to conduct an experiment based on the Biblical Lesson of The Good Samaritan. They met individually with a group of students and gave each an assignment. The assignment was to prepare a short speech, and then walk to another building to give the talk.
Of course, on the way to the other building, each student would pass by a man who was slumped in an ally, bent over, moaning and groaning in pain.
The experiment had 3 variables:
• Each student filled out a survey that asked why they had chosen to study theology. Did they see it as a way to increase personal fulfillment or as a way to serve others?
• Then they were given one of two topics. Some students were asked to prepare a talk about the relevance of the professional clergy --- while others were asked to speak about the Parable of the Good Samaritan.
• The last variable was what the professor said to the student just before they walked to the other building. The professor would tell some students, “You have plenty of time before they’re ready for you, but you might as well head over that way now.” For others the professor would look at his watch and exclaim, “Oh! You’re late. They were expecting you a few minutes ago. You’d better get moving.”
How do you think the experiment turned out?
Most people assume the students who were studying theology so they could help others, would be more likely to stop and help the groaning man. But that wasn’t the case. And you’d think students would be more likely to help the man by the wayside if they had just read the Parable of the Good Samaritan. But that’s not how the study turned out.
The first 2 variables didn’t have any correlation to whether the students would stop and help the man or not. In fact, the professors noted, “Indeed, on several occasions, a seminary students going to give his talk on the Parable of the Good Samaritan literally stepped over the victim as he hurried on his way.”
It turned out that the only variable that really mattered was whether the student was in a hurry or not. Of the students who were told, “You have plenty of time,” 63% stopped to render help to the man in the alley.
Of the students who were told, “Oh! You’re late!” only 10% took time to help the suffering man! The words “Oh! You’re late!” had the power to turn a normally compassionate person into someone who just didn’t care.
Of all the people in the world, we Americans seem to be the most enslaved by our busy schedules and bulging to-do lists. We go scurrying through life with blinders on, while the needy around us just melt into the background. Like the Priest and Levite, our mind is consumed by our schedule and our next appointment.
I suspect the Samaritan was just as busy as the other two, but he equipped himself with an interrupt button. For the Samaritan, a Detour of Compassion was always part of his plan. He had removed the blinders that kept him from seeing the needs around him. The Samaritan was a true neighbor.
3. Money Luke 10:35
But that’s not the end of the story. Jesus added, The next day he took out two silver coins 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.' Luke 10:35
Margaret Thatcher made this observation: “No one would have remembered the Good Samaritan if he’d only had good intentions. He had money as well.”
Eventually, loving your neighbor will probably cost you some MONEY. In fact, if you want to live life as a Good Samaritan, it’s probably a good idea to make Compassion Money part of your budget.
This is something the Jewish people practiced. The Jews set aside three kinds of tithes. Their first tithe was given to the Temple for the support of the Levites. The second tithe went to the poor and needy. And the third tithe was used for religious pilgrimages and feasts … and for their own spiritual development (purchasing books, etc).
It sounds like a good plan to me. Consider setting aside a part of your budget so you will have money on hand when you see a need. Maybe you can help pay rent, electric bills, tuition, car payments, or auto repairs … for a “neighbor” who is out of work and out of money. Maybe you can send money to a missionary who has a special need. Maybe you can give a gift that will lift someone’s spirits. Besides saving for our own “rainy day,” we can set aside some savings to help a neighbor when they have a “rainy day.”
CONCLUSION:
The law expert asked Jesus “Who is my neighbor?” and Jesus turned the question around ans asked, “What kind of neighbor are YOU?”
Jesus asked, "Which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?" The expert in the law replied, "The one who had mercy on him." Luke 10:36-37
Notice the lawyer couldn’t bring himself to utter the word “Samaritan.” Though we often say “good Samaritan,” no one in that day ever put those two words together! But I suspect that is precisely why Jesus chose a Samaritan as the hero of the story.
And Jesus ended this encounter by telling the legal expert: "Go then, and do likewise."
The Good Samaritan disadvantaged himself to advantage someone else. As Christ’s followers, we have the privilege to disadvantage ourselves to advantage others.
This week, I challenge you to get off your normal beaten path of life. Be willing to expend emotion, time, and even money when you see someone in need. Be willing to take that “detour” and give help where it’s needed.
It doesn’t have to be anything big.
• Visit someone in the hospital.
• Take food to someone with sickness in the family.
• Volunteer to baby-sit for parents of small children.
• Write a letter to a soldier who’s been deployed.
• Send a check to a missionary.
Decide that you will open your eyes to see the divine detours in your daily walk. Take action. Love your neighbor.
