Greetings:
Have you ever been traveling along in your car, just driving, thinking and daydreaming , then you woke up and didn’t even remember the trip.
That you were so captivated and involved in your thoughts that all of a sudden you arrive at your destination , and instead of 20, 30 or 40 minutes it seemed like it was only 10 minutes?
Well today’s message is going to be just like that , instead of 30-40 minutes it will feel like it was 10 , and when we get to our destination you won’t even remember the trip or know how we even got there.
I want to open up this morning and tell you something you probably already know. We now live in a very unkind , unforgiving and brutal world.
The remainder of the globe is being run over by evil, Isis in the middle east , Communist Russia in the Ukraine , and drug lords taking over in Mexico ,. The safe havens are shrinking and evilness is spreading like the Ebola virus and is poised to take over this great country of ours.
There used to be a time when we would find someone in distress, down on their luck , broken down on the side of the road and several people would pull over to help . The days of people helping people have all but vanish.
While we all know these things , most of us still cling onto a sliver of hope that most people are intrinsically good. That if we found ourselves in dire need that someone, anyone out there would come to our aide .
Today we are in the Gospel of Luke and the parable of the Good Samaritan.
Now the background on this parable is there was a lawyer who asked Jesus how can He inherit the Kingdom and if you remember what Jesus did instead of offering an answer, as He often does , He responds with another question ,
Jesus’ asks Him well what does the law say?
Luke 10:27 “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.”
Luke 10: 28And He said to him, “You have answered correctly; DO THIS AND YOU WILL LIVE.” 29But wishing to justify himself, he said to Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?”
So now Jesus goes right into the parable of the Good Samaritan. but I caution all to watch out for the low hanging fruit.
Luke 10:30Jesus replied and said, “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell among robbers, and they stripped him and beat him, and went away leaving him half dead.
The road to Jericho was the way that Jews would take to avoid Samaritans. Jericho was a rendezvous place where the Jews would go to bathe in the Jordan but even today it is still infested with thieves and robbers.
Luke 10:31“And by chance a priest was going down on that road, and when he saw him, he passed by on the other side. 32“Likewise a Levite also, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side.
Luke 10:33“But a Samaritan, who was on a journey, came upon him; and when he saw him, he felt compassion, 34and came to him and bandaged up his wounds, pouring oil and wine on them; and he put him on his own beast, and brought him to an inn and took care of him. 35“On the next day he took out two denarii and gave them to the innkeeper and said, ‘Take care of him; and whatever more you spend, when I return I will repay you.’ 36“Which of these three do you think proved to be a neighbor to the man who fell into the robbers’ hands?” 37And he said, “The one who showed mercy toward him.” Then Jesus said to him, “Go and do the same.”
There you have it , Love your neighbor as yourself and Love your God with all your heart , with all your soul , with all your strength , with and all your mind .
You have all reached your destination; So I just have one question I want to ask , where you are? You went from Jerusalem down to Jericho, on to the side of the road , picked up and brought to a inn, so where are you ?
Matthew 13: 11Jesus answered them, “To you it has been granted to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been granted.
Remember this is a parable and His disciples asked him why do you speak in parables.
So after the Parable of the Good Samaritan do you know where you are ? There is a mystery of the Kingdom that I will share with you . You have arrived at the foot of the cross, you are now a witness to the crucifixion, and as I told you, you won’t even know how you got there.
Luke 10:30Jesus replied and said, “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell among robbers, and they stripped him and beat him, and went away leaving him half dead.
The beaten man is the Lord Jesus Christ , whipped 39 times, beaten , stripped , who at Calvary fell between robbers and was left to die .
Luke 10:31“And by chance a priest was going down on that road, and when he saw him, he passed by on the other side. 32“Likewise a Levite also, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side
The religious, the Pharisee’s the Sadducees all who rejected Christ the ones who ignored the Prophets . You know who gives the church a bad name , a black eye . I’ll give ya a clue , it isn’t Muslims, it isn’t Jehovah witnesses’ It’s Believers or what I like to call “Make believers”
Luke 10:34and came to him and bandaged up his wounds, pouring oil and wine on them; and he put him on his own beast, and brought him to an inn and took care of him.
Now we are going to deeeep place, A place where few preachers ever dare to go, and the ones who go there don’t stay very long .
This is the picture of taking Jesus down from the cross.
Very few people have a problem accepting that their sin put Jesus up on the cross. And most people can believe that God raise Him from the dead.
But in between there Sandwiched between the Cross and the tomb is a unforgettable event , a surreal moment that will stick with you for life.
Two friends Joseph of Arimathea and Nichodemus went to Pilate to get permission to take our Lords body down before the Sabbath.
Jesus Died at 3pm and the Sabbath begins at Sunset , so time is running out .
Arriving at the cross with the orders signed by Pilot, the Roman soldiers lower the cross and walk away.
These two men Joseph and Nicodemus are left with the task of freeing the Lord from the cross. 1st the nails , reversing what the solders have done is no easy job . pulling the out of His right hand , then His left , than His feet .
The blood, the blood is everywhere, its pouring out of all His wounds, every cut,
The burial wrappings ,oh their no match for this, the injuries so sever , these two men must bandage Him up before they can prepare His body.
Finally the tomb, and look what the parable says, they put him on the beast.
The tomb was nearby a short distance , it is the height of the day . JERUSALEM is full , and thousands are witnessing as they bring His body to the tomb.
You may ask why such a parable? Remember this begun because the lawyer wanted to know how to inherit the kingdom of God. And it is a parable of love. For God so loved the world.
All roads of salvation lead through the cross, and the only way to inherit the Kingdom Of God is to accept Jesus’ sacrifice as our own.
Let’s finish this up with verse 35
Luke 10:35“On the next day he took out two denarii and gave them to the innkeeper and said, ‘Take care of him; and whatever more you spend, when I return I will repay you.
The price has been paid and here it is, the promise of His return. Jesus is on His way back, everything is in motion. Are you ready?
