ENGAGE:
Open with greeting the members. Would you fight to live? Would you fight to save another person’s life? Would you be a good Samaritan no matter the outcome?
Opening Question and Statement:
On or around July 25, 2021, A group of people spoke out about saving an unconscious man slumped over the wheel of his pickup truck on a busy Georgia interstate. Several people began pummeling the vehicle’s windows with whatever they could grab, including a sledgehammer, a stroller, and a tire jack in an attempt to reach the driver inside. Video shows the truck drifting down the highway in Atlanta as strangers ran alongside the vehicle, they were trying to get the motorist’s attention before finally breaking his rear window. Their actions saved a man that was having a medical episode, probably diabetes. These people were called “good Samaritans.” Or what about to guys that made a wrong turn and heard a gunshot? They realize the gunshot came from a cop car. These two men spring into action, and they assist the cop that has already shot. They help apprehend the prisoner and seek medical help for the officer. They, too, were called good Samaritans. Tension: Consider standing in line, and you see someone standing in line to get food or a tank of gas, but they don’t have the money to provide for their needs. Would you be a good neighbor and help them? Would you use your resources to provide where your neighbor lacks? Thesis: Despite the idea of what a person does to avoid helping others, do you see Jesus through all scripture and today act as a good Samaritan? Does He call us to be good Samaritans?
Opening Prayer:
Lord, I humbly come before you today and ask for strength to preach the good news. That your word would go forth and not fall on deaf ears but on the ears of doers. Give us, dear Lord, a pure heart and a wise mind that we may carry out our work according to Your will and Your will alone. Let us accept joyfully every task you set before us. Let us seek to serve the poor, the hungry, and those who are sad. Above all, remind us constantly that we have nothing except what you have already given us. Help us to know that we can do nothing except what you enable us to do. In your matchless name, we pray. Amen.
Introduction:
We will be in a familiar passage. A passage that explains to us how we should treat our neighbors. The Gospel of Luke is in the form of a letter to a man named Theophilus. Luke wrote after having carefully investigated all the facts about Christ (1:1-4). Luke documents Christ's life from before his birth through his ministry, death, and resurrection. Jesus carried out his ministry in the power of the Holy Spirit, announcing the good news of salvation. He showed numerous times his compassion for the poor and the outcast. He fulfilled the prophecy and carried out his purpose: to seek and save the lost. Luke gives the fullest account of Christ's birth, and only Luke records the parables of the Good Samaritan and the Prodigal Son. Luke, a physician and a colleague of Paul, probably wrote this account in the early 60s a.d. He also wrote Acts. The Gospel of Luke presents Jesus as the Messiah and Lord whose life, death, and resurrection make salvation available to all people everywhere.
I hope by the power of the Holy Spirit; we can address the following:
Understand the meaning of being a good Samaritan
Explain the Good Samaritan Parable and supporting scriptures and other text.
The Character of a Christian.
Why we as Christians should want to have a good Samaritan attitude
Because we have Christ, we should want to do good for others
Because Christ himself shows us with his life that he is the Good Samaritan
Making the connection between the Old Testament New Testament and how it applies today.
SCRIPTURE: Let us dive into the word! Please open your Bibles to Luke 10:25-37. (Page #) I will be reading from the ESV.
25 And behold, a lawyer stood up to put him to the test, saying, “Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?” 26 He said to him, “What is written in the Law? How do you read it?” 27 And he answered, “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.” 28 And he said to him, “You have answered correctly; do this, and you will live.”
29 But he, desiring to justify himself, said to Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?” 30 Jesus replied, “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and he fell among robbers, who stripped him and beat him and departed, leaving him half dead. 31 Now by chance a priest was going down that road, and when he saw him, he passed by on the other side. 32 So likewise a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. 33 But a Samaritan, as he journeyed, came to where he was, and when he saw him, he had compassion. 34 He went to him and bound up his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he set him on his own animal and brought him to an inn and took care of him. 35 And the next day he took out two denarii and gave them to the innkeeper, saying, ‘Take care of him, and whatever more you spend, I will repay you when I come back.’ 36 Which of these three, do you think, proved to be a neighbor to the man who fell among the robbers?” 37 He said, “The one who showed him mercy.” And Jesus said to him, “You go, and do likewise.”
The Word of the Lord – Thanks be to God, Amen!
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HISTORY & TENSION:
The first thing I want to discuss is Why do the Jews dislike the Samaritans? Josephus was one of the first century Jewish historians who provided a contemporary glimpse of the Samaritans in the New Testament that reflects animosity or at best condescension of the Jews toward the Samaritans. For Josephus to explain this background of dislike to the Samaritans relates back to the Biblical account on 2nd Kings 17 which claims that the inhabitants of Samaria were foreigners forcibly transported by the Assyrians. You can also read Ezra 4 as well. Hatred also arose between the Jews and the Samaritans for the following reason. It was the custom of the Galileans at the time of the festival to pass through the Samaritan territory on their way to the Holy City. Because of this, fights broke out between the two groups. The Samaritans were brutal toward the Jews. The tension between these two groups were not political, or racial but indeed religious. Because the Jews were strict on the Law, they were not allowed to touch anything dead for it would make them unclean. This would force them to take part in ritual cleansing and exile before they could come back around if you will. I want to give you the meaning of a few words and positions to help us better understand the context of this passage. The Lawyer (nimikos) is a person who is "learned in the law." They among the Jews, was one versed in the laws of Moses. The work of the "lawyers," frequently spoken of as "scribes, was threefold:
(1) to study and interpret the law.
(2) to instruct the Hebrew youth in the law.
(3) to decide questions of the law. The first two they did as scholars and teachers, the last as advisers in some court.
But since the law must have universal application, the views of the individual scribe could not be taken as a standard; hence, the several disciples of the law must frequently meet for discussion, and the opinion of the majority then prevailed. To these meetings the youth interested in the study would be invited, that they might memorize the formulas agreed upon and might clear up the points upon which they were uncertain by asking questions of the recognized doctors (Lu 2:46).
So, these were smart people if you will. They knew how to use words and construct sentences that could trip up the common folk. But not Jesus. The Lawyer asked Jesus a reasonable question, “what shall I do to inherit eternal life?” Jesus, being the God Man flipped the question asking the lawyer, “What is written in the Law? How do you read it?” Jesus basically told the lawyer, “I don’t know, you are the lawyer, shouldn’t you know that?” “Can you tell us what it says?” Jesus knew the intention of this lawyer and wanted to call him out. Jesus wanted to show the lawyer that his usage of the law was out of practice. God had not called us to be exclusive in providing for our neighbors. Stay with me, I am going somewhere.
Then we have the Priest (hiereus). Priests served in the temple; their highest duty was to offer sacrifices. They were the only ones allowed to offer atonement through scarifies for the Jewish people. The priest passed the half-dead man because he was more worried about his purity, his status quo or appearance. He wanted nothing to do with this person in need so he passes on the other side so he can say, “I did not see that man.” What I am saying is, the priest had no excuse not to help man in need. The priest’s purity and pride should have been put aside to lend a helping hand. How many times do we turn our heads at those in need? I know I have before, and I have no excuse not to help my neighbor.
Then we have the Levite (leuites), who assisted in the maintenance of the temple services and order. We must give the Levite some credit, right? At least the Levite went and looked upon the man in need. Maybe because his default nature is to assist. We do not know why both the and the Levite did not help. I give them the benefit of doubt and say they might have feared being robbed as well. In either case, Jesus’ point is that they were heartless in their behavior toward their neighbor.
Now, I want to look at two words, compassion and mercy. Compassion (splanchnizo) is simply to have pity on, to love, to be merciful. As we look at the word Mercy, the Greek word is (ELEOS). I find it very ironic that at the end of Jesus’ questions, the lawyer says, “the one who has shown MERCY.” The one who has shown ELEOS. Mercy in the English dictionary is (the outward manifestation of pity. – Repeat 2x). I feel for you, therefore, I am going to do it for you. Mercy. Ephesians 2:4 says: But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, Let me read that again, But God, being rich in ELEOS, because of the great love (AGAPE) with which he loved us. Let me read it one more time. But, being rich in his outward manifestation of pity because of the great love with which he loved us. Did you see the connection? So given the history between the Jews and the Samaritans, we understand why they did not get along, yet Jesus uses a Samaritan to get his point across. This lawyer is asking who is his neighbor, and Jesus says it does not matter of what ethnos this person might be, he is still your neighbor. Therefore, brothers and sisters, I tell you today, it does not matter of what ethnic group someone you may cross paths with, they are my neighbor. Our neighbor.
Who is our neighbor? Whoever is in need. God calls us to Love our neighbor as ourselves. Who is our neighbor? The man who is in need.
TRUTH:
Let’s be honest with ourselves, how many of us have looked straight ahead so that we don’t make eye contact with the beggar under the bridge? Yea, I am a horrible neighbor because I am the one who looks ahead. I am acting just like the priest who walked on the other side of the road. Yet I am in Church on Sundays listening to sound preaching for a decent pastor, mind you, but I am not being a good neighbor. Check this, the Jews were a people of covenant, but they became a people of legalism. The truth of the matter is simple. I could very well be that beggar under the bridge. We tend to look on from helping others. Look, it may not be an intentional act. Because of our sin, we may do this naturally. So, I ask that we be intentional at being good neighbors. That was the point of the parable of the Good Samaritan. Christ calls us to be like him. A few weeks ago, I was standing outside of Nicholls Police Department on the phone. I was doing my job, don’t scold me! I notice a member of this congregation pulls up to the stop sign in a minivan. Mind you, a minivan DOES NOT fit this person’s character or style. We talked for a brief time. They told me that they help drive a long-time friend to their doctor and therapist appointments. This friend of this member of this congregation has a neurological disease that has affected her entire neuro-muscular skeletal system. These two people do not live in the same neighborhood, yet one of our family members carves time out of their schedule to be a good neighbor. They show ELEOS to a friend and a neighbor in need. This is one of the stories that inspired me to preach on this text. My podcast series with Rev. Dr. Gerrit Dawson also took part in shaping this sermon.
THE CHARACTER OF A CHRISTIAN:
The character of a Christian is embedded in the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. When the son of man walked the earth, he taught us how to apply the law of love. How to apply compassion on our brethren. We want to do good for others because of the power of the Holy Spirit. We want to do Good because Christ has done good for us. We were called by God to be good neighbors. To love one another. We were called to love because Christ first loved us. Christ himself acted as a Good Samaritan by giving up his heavenly position to be the sacrifice needed to redeem our souls. In the first Adam, we were robbed. Because we were robbed due to Adam’s actions, we were left for dead. We were left to die in our own transgressions. But in Abraham, we received a promise. Through that promise, we received hope. And in that hope, we received Jesus Christ and his redeeming blood. We are covered in his blood, and he covered himself in the sins of the world so that we can be saved.
THE CONNECTION:
I want to attempt to make a connection to show you that Jesus is the ultimate Good Samaritan. We know that Jesus was Jewish. We know that he is of the chosen people. So, by saying Jesus is the Ultimate Good Samaritan, what I am saying is the Samaritan in the parable showed Christ-like characteristics. The Samaritan knew how to apply the law better than the Jewish lawyer. Throughout the Scriptures, we see the actions of Jesus to be greater than the Good Samaritan. 1. John 3:16 says: By this, we know love, that he laid down his life for us, and we ought to lay down our lives for the brothers. John 3:16, a well-known passage, states: Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends. 1 Peter 3:18 says: For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive in the spirit. Let us really look at the actions of Jesus. When Zacchaeus, a man of short stature and a tax collector, climbed the tree to get a glimpse of this Jesus, he was looking for hope. Jesus looked up to Zacchaeus and called him down from that tree, went to his house, ate with him, and preached the good news to him, Jesus was a GOOD NEIGHBOR to Zacchaeus. Unlike the Pharisee in Luke 18:11. We know that one. “The Pharisee stood by himself and prayed: ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other people—robbers, evildoers, adulterers—or even like this tax collector.” Jesus did the opposite and was a neighbor to the tax collectors. We again see Jesus as a Good Samaritan or a Good Neighbor in Mark 1:40-45 when he heals the leper. If you know the story, if you had leprosy, you were unclean and cast out from the mercy of God, according to the Jews. Then we have Jesus being a Good Samaritan to the women who committed adultery and were about to be stoned to death. Jesus saves her by stating, “he who has not sinned, cast the first stone,” and then he tells her that he does not condemn her and go and sin no more. What Jesus did for the adulterous woman was give her a new life. He was a GOOD NEIGHBOR to her. There are just a few examples in the New Testament where we see Jesus as our Greatest Neighbor. Now let's step into the Old Testament. I am going to read Isaiah 53:3-5. This passage alone solidifies Jesus as the Ultimate Good Samaritan and our Greatest Neighbor. He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief; and as one from whom men hide their faces, he was despised, and we esteemed him not. 4 Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted. 5 But he was pierced for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his wounds, we are healed. It was foretold in Isaiah that we would have a Good Neighbor in Christ. I don’t leave us there. I want to show you another connection of what a good neighbor looks like. We all know the story of Rahab the Harlot. A Canaanite woman living in Jericho, Rahab is a prostitute who is also a biblical hero. In Joshua chapter 2, we learn that two spies were sent to survey the land. These two spies ended up in the house of this prostitute, where she hid them from the King of Jericho. Rahab was being a good neighbor to these spies. In return, God was a GOOD Neighbor to her and saved her family. In that, Rahab became a part of the lineage of Jesus Christ.
INSPIRATION/REFLECTION:
H. Jesus uses a parable to show the lawyer and his followers that it does not matter what situation we may find ourselves in; our neighbor is everyone we encounter. Here in America, we boil down a neighbor as the person or family that lives on each side of us and in front of us. Our neighbor is those in need.
E. How does the parable of the Good Samaritan apply to our lives today? We see that the Priest and Levite choose Purity over Pity. But notice that the book of Luke highlights parables that Jews would consider OUTCAST. Luke gives us the story of the 10 Lepers, the story of the Prodigal Son, the story of the Prostitute, and the of course, the story of the Tax Collector. Luke details in these stories the Love Jesus had for these outcasts, or misfits if you will. Luke shows that Jesus did not come for the Highly Religious.
A. There are three things we can learn from the Samaritan and apply to our life. 1. Be a perceptive neighbor. Be able to identify the needs of others without them having to mention those needs. 2. Be a compassionate Neighbor. Be willing to put yourself in the shoes of others. How would I want someone to treat me if I were in that situation? We can be detached from what people are going through. 3. Be a selfless neighbor. Be willing to be inconvenienced. Be willing to invest the time to attend to the needs of others. Be willing to invest your own resources. Be willing to suffer with the person in need.
R. We can respond by opening our hearts to help others. Respond to God's calling for us. We should try to be like Jesus and love one another.
Hermeneutical Bridge and Closing Thought:
There will be times when we cannot help our neighbor. There will be times when being a good neighbor is not feasible for us finically, physically, or mentally. But we can be intentional about sharing the good news with everyone we encounter. Still, be a good neighbor by telling others about the goodness of Jesus Christ our Lord.
Closing Prayer:
Oh, Lord my God. Thank you for giving me a voice to preach the Gospel. Lord, make us more like the good Samaritan. Give us, dear Lord, a pure heart and wise mind, that I may carry out my work according to your will. Save me from all false desires, from pride, greed, envy, and anger, and let me accept joyfully every task you set before me. Let us seek to serve the poor, the sad, and those who are in need. Help us to discern honestly with our own hearts if we are being good neighbors. Lord, give us the strength to be Good Neighbors even when it is inconvenient for us. Lord, help to remember the prayer your son taught us (Lord’s prayer).
Thank you for allowing me to lead you all in worship and speak God’s word to you Today.
Charge and Blessing:
As you leave out from here, go out with a heart of compassion. Have ELEOS for those in need. Remember to love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind; and love your neighbor as yourself. (Matt. 22:37-40)
