GO AND DO LIKEWISE
Luke 10:25-37
We live in a world of visual images and sound bites. It is hard for most people today to imagine the whole family sitting around a radio and listening to the president speak each week for 30 minutes as was very common in the 1930’s-40’s. In our Media generation, images and messages change every few seconds.
Images and words have always been important in communication. In medieval Europe the stories of faith were depicted through the images in stained glass windows of the cathedrals. Christian art over the years has attempted to capture the visual message of the Bible. With the popularity of the Internet and smart phones the printed word is being used less and less.
Television has trained us over the past five decades to be visual creatures and you can buy audio versions of many books today so you don’t even have to read. We are relying less and less on the printed word and more and more on images - both visual and auditory - to tell the story.
We may have trouble keeping up with the new ways of communicating as it comes to us in brief sound bites, but when you think about it, the two most important messages of the Scriptures are articulated in just a few seconds . “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 .” The second succinct message says, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” Those are powerful sound bites that have eternal consequences.
Jesus captivated audiences with his storytelling. That is the case today in our text from Luke. In a short story Jesus challenges us to minister beyond the walls of the church building. I want to challenge each member to be thinking about the ways you would like to minister to and serve the needs of this community as well as the world at large. Sometimes we are challenged to think outside the box. I’m challenging us to think outside the walls of this church.
Our text this morning is one of the best known stories of Jesus. It is not only an extremely illustrative story but it also demonstrates the heart of spirituality. And I recognize that word gets bantered around a lot these days, so let’s briefly define spirituality. The word “spiritual” [Greek = pneumatikos] is used to describe gifts, the law, the resurrection body, understanding, and the believing community, as well as a person. But Jesus takes this technical definition and reduces it to simplistic ministry with a powerful story.
The background contrast here is having the humility and spirit of a little child as opposed to the lofty knowledge of scribes and lawyers. Jesus now has an opportunity to demonstrate the lesson.
He not only tells a story which shows the lack of understanding on the part of those reputed to be wise, but he also tells the story to one who is supposed to be very wise. The hero in the story is, of course, one of the unlearned and even despised .
Whether your translation says lawyer, expert in the law or religious scholar one quickly knows that Jesus is dealing with a heavyweight here. It is important to realize that this man wants to be recognized for his educational credentials.
Jesus quickly challenged his questioner as to what the law said and this expert immediately cited the Shema that said, “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”. To press the point further the lawyer then asks Jesus to define the word ‘neighbor.’ Many people today get involved in playing the game of semantics or word nuances when it comes to religious discussion so this is an old tactic. To counter this Jesus gives a vivid lesson that distinguishes between knowing and doing.
This is one of those stories that we probably need to read every 30 days because the principle is so foundational to ministry and how we regard others. And mind you this is not about merit or works salvation. It seems the lawyer was trying to separate the intellectual from the spiritual and Christians often make the same classifications today. But Jesus reminds us that we are spiritual all the time. A Christian can worship and praise God on Sunday and curse a fellow worker on Monday but he is still a spiritual being. Jesus underscores the totality of our spiritual being in heart, soul, strength and mind.
This lesson is saturated with the same context of love as described by the apostle John, “If you love me, you will obey what I command ”. If we love God, if we love Christ, and if we love the church we will show it in our devotion to God, our Christ-like actions toward others and in fellowship and hospitality with our fellow Christians.
Jesus assured the lawyer that he had given the right answer but it was a contrast of the practical versus the intellectual. Jesus reminds us that it is not about intellectualism or rules or law but in our hearts and in what we do.
Then notice that the expert in the law wanted to justify himself. Rather than being the story of Jesus, too many Christians today want to justify themselves. When we demand that our issues be justified we are in effect stifling the ministry and work of the church. The worst thing we can do with any parable, especially this one, is turn it into an allegory and make everything stand for something.
• The victim becomes the lost sinner who is half dead (alive physically, dead spiritually), helplessly left on the road of life.
• The priest and Levite represent the Law and the sacrifices, neither of which can save the sinner.
• The Samaritan is Jesus Christ who saves the man, pays the bill, and promises to come again.
• The inn stands for the local church where believers are cared for, and the “two silver coins” are the acts of say baptism and the Lord’s Supper.
If you take this approach to Scripture, you can make the Bible say almost anything you please, and you are sure to miss the messages God wants you to get.
So let’s read the story as the Master Teacher tells it, “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, when he fell into the hands of robbers. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him and went away, leaving him half dead. A priest happened to be going down the same road, and when he saw the man, he passed by on the other side. So too, a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. But a Samaritan, as he traveled, came where the man was; and when he saw him, he took pity on him. 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. 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. Which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers? ”
The ancient road from Jerusalem to Jericho was about twenty miles long, and it dropped over three thousand feet in elevation. The rocky and mountainous terrain made it a perfect place for robbers to hide, waiting on unsuspecting travelers. Every person who heard this story could immediately relate because they knew the notorious reputation of this stretch of road.
After the robbers beat and left the man to die, both a priest and a Levite separately went down the same road and saw the man, but both passed by on the other side. Priests were regarded as the most holy men among the Jews, because they offered the sacrifices at the temple and constantly avoided ritual impurity. Levites were next in holiness to priests, since they also served at the temple. Jesus makes it clear that the most highly regarded may not be those who understand most clearly the will of God. In fact, those who are wise and learned often cannot understand the most important aspects of the kingdom of God.
An important aspect of this story is the direction of travel. Both of these men in our vernacular today were going home from church. Were they in such a hurry to get back to their families and the lush surroundings of Jericho that they just didn’t care? Did they just let church matters overwhelm to the point that they forgot the core concerns of God? Common compassion would compel most folk to render aid to this wounded man but both of these men walk by on the other side of the road and keep traveling toward home. And as for Jewish custom it would have been unconscionable to leave a fellow Jew in such a condition.
So Jesus introduces a third character. You can almost see the wheels turning in the minds of his audience; yea, those ‘holier than thou’ temple workers are so wrapped up in themselves and their positions that they neglect to provide basic concern and care and it will take an ordinary Jew to show true compassion and ethics.
But then Jesus delivers the curve ball right over the plate. The character is not Jewish but one of those outcast Samaritans – a dog in the eyes of a Jew. It was not a Jew helping a Samaritan but a Samaritan helping a Jew who had been ignored by his fellow Jews! If the lowliest in the eyes of the Jews can be a neighbor and a priest in service to God how do you think the priest and Levite felt?
Genuine concern and compassion by this Samaritan overshadows the neglect of God’s men. Wow! How many times have you and I been so wrapped up in truth as we understand it and church activities that we have failed to care for our neighbors and show them the heart of Jesus?
The text says that this lowly Samaritan had pity on a Jew who had suffered attack. In the original language for the Hebrews this word was understood as the innermost feelings of a person or the seat of the tenderest of affections, esp. kindness, benevolence, compassion.
We’re not told that this man was a paramedic or doctor and I doubt if a 1st century donkey came equipped with a first aid kit, so my guess is he either took the shirt off of his back to make bandages or torn up a shirt he had in his possession. He uses oil and wine which were common for medicinal purposes, binds up the wounds and then places the man on his own donkey, taking him to an inn, caring for him there, then giving two silver coins . . . to the innkeeper, and even promising to reimburse the innkeeper for any extra expense. The astute reader recognizes that this Samaritan is acting just as Jesus has acted: he has compassion, he touches the “unclean,” he heals (to the extent he can), and he uses his time and possessions for the benefit of the needy. He sacrifices personal convenience for the personal care of someone of another race.
After spending the night at the inn the Samaritan leaves but not before giving the innkeeper two silver coins. Commentators, as well as archeologists have concluded that those two coins were the equivalent of two months lodging expenses. When was the last time you gave two days of your salary to a total stranger?
The lawyer was stumped by this challenging story and could give no other honest reply except to say, than the one given . Jesus acknowledged his correct answer and simply challenged him to “Go and do likewise.”
That challenge is just as valid in the 21st century as it was in the 1st. As we ponder and apply that story for us today I want us to consider four questions. First, is our work in ministry meaningful? I hope the first two men in the story had some guilt and remorse over failing to serve in the way Jesus would have served.
And I suspect the next night the Samaritan pillowed his head and thought “I teamed up with God and made a difference in the life of a man in need.”
Each of us is gifted differently and even has our own personal preferences for what and how we do things so it is important that we find meaningful ways to serve and minister in the West Fork community.
Secondly, does ministry energize or drain you? Serving can be physically exhausting but emotionally satisfying. If you feel drained and have a sense of dread to what you are doing to serve others then most likely you serving in the wrong area. People can be classified as extroverts or introverts. What introverts find draining extroverts find exhilarating and vice-versa. Find an area of ministry that is personally comfortable and satisfying and then serve well.
Third, does a comfortable relational dynamic exist between the people you serve with? If you have a ‘green-thumb’ and like to be outdoors then putting you with a group who likes to cook or quilt or having the group stuff envelopes for mass mailing is a poor fit. We usually work best with those with whom we have common interests and relationships.
Fourth, what are your priorities and time restraints? Ministry and service to others requires us to honestly assess our commitment level and then how much time we will devote to serving others. No matter how much you might enjoy a given ministry opportunity, if it doesn’t fit realistically into your schedule, you’ll never be able to engage in it consistently .
In your daily travels who do you more nearly represent – the priest, the Levite or the Samaritan? Do you go out of your way to stay as far away from ministry as possible? Or do you come close and observe but then travel on down the road?
Each day do you look for ways to do random acts of kindness that glorify God and bring Christian credibility to this congregation of God’s people? The story of the Good Samaritan offers two options – we can “pass by on the other side” or we can “go and do likewise.” Who will you pattern your actions and attitudes after? Will people see us as haughty religious folk or will they see us along a treacherous road taking care of the needs of others?
Who is your neighbor and how are you ministering to their needs? Christianity is not a process – it is a lifestyle ! People who have been beat up by a cruel world around them and who are in need of spiritual care could care less about some of our religious positions, debates, and arguments. In fact because of those attitudes and positions they would rather us walk by on the other side.
While they suffer they just hope that someone with a servant-spirit will bandage their wounds and care for them. Are you that person this morning? Do the people who are your neighbors see the heart and the hands of Jesus through you?
As we look at ourselves today as the collective body – the church of Christ – in West Fork, AR, do we understand the biblical mandate for ministry and are we fervently and consistently praying that God will bring a balance to the gifts He has given to each of us to create a whole and healthy body?
Some questions as we close; whom is God bringing to us? Where is God’s Spirit leading us? What unique contributions exist in this church that are not being used? What are the most practical ways we should be ministering to this community right now?
It has been my experience that no matter what gifts or ministries exists in a congregation there has always been people in the church or the community who desperately need to be served in just that way.
Who is your neighbor and how can you best serve them? You can’t help every person in need, but you can reach out to someone. This world is full of neighbors that need the Love of God that he has put in your heart. Just feeling bad about it won’t help. Just wishing someone would do something about it won’t help either. John wrote, “Dearly beloved, let us not love in word and tongue, but in deed and in truth. ” Loving God is proved by loving others, and don’t miss Jesus biggest point: inheriting eternal life depends upon it. Do this and you will live.
If you need to respond to the invitation of Jesus this morning we ask you to reflect on what you need to do right now as we stand and sing an invitation song.
Resources used:
Scott Carmer, sermon – 7-15-07 – www.sermon central.com
Mark 12:30-31
Richards, Lawrence O, The Teacher's Commentary. Wheaton, IL, Victor Books, 1987, S. 672
Black, Mark, The College Press NIV Commentary - Luke, Joplin, MO, 1998, page 142ff
Deuteronomy 6:5
John 14:15
Wiersbe, Warren W, The Bible Exposition Commentary, Wheaton, IL, Victor Books, c1989, S. Luke 10:25
Luke 10:30-36 NIV
Strong, James, The Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible, electronic ed. Ontario, Woodside Bible Fellowship, 1996, S. G4698
Ash, Tony, The Living Word Commentary – Luke Part 2, Austin, Sweet Publishing Company, 1973, p. 21
Hybels, Bill, The Volunteer Revolution, Grand Rapids, MI, Zondervan, 2004, pp 74-75
Hackney, Jim, “Thinking Outside the Walls” sermon, Heritage Church of Christ, March 18, 2006
1 John 3:18
