Fan or Follower
Luke 10:25-37
February 5, 2023
There’s a quote attributed to the Dalai Lama:
“Learn the rules so you know how to break them properly.”
Many of us would say AMEN to that. We don’t all like rules. There’s lots of articles on the internet which teach you how to learn the rules so that you know how to break them.
Then we have that saying, “rules were made to be broken.” As a parent, I thought my rules were the law. They were legally binding for my kids. Do this . . . or else. It didn’t always work out that way. I was a little naive. And after awhile, you realize your rules or laws need to be modified.
What was once a rule for your child when they were 3, no longer applies when they’re 8, and changes again when they’re 16. And they change again when they’re married, and so on. And how many of you grandparents; aunts and uncles have allowed the kids to do what would have been unacceptable years ago?
And, if we’re not careful, we can use rules to help us avoid doing the right thing. We saw this quite a bit in the Bible. The Pharisees often caught the attention of Jesus for the ways they mismanaged and changed the ways they followed the rules or didn’t follow the rules or Jewish laws. These laws were passed on from the O.T.
They often followed these laws in a way which allowed them to circumvent the law or as a way not to help someone who was in need. For example, they said it was wrong to heal someone on the Sabbath because that was work, but they would help their livestock get out of a ditch when it was stuck. Stuff like that which really makes no sense.
We’re in a series of messages which are asking us about our relationship and willingness to follow Jesus. I’m asking us . . . . ARE YOU A FAN or FOLLOWER? And along with that . . . to define the relationship you have with Him. We’re in our final 2 weeks of the series.
So, let me ask you this before we jump into a well known story from the Bible. Let’s say you’re working in an office and people need to fill out forms to get the help they need. According to the rules at your office, or maybe even state laws . . . certain forms must be filled out. The person who has a need comes in, having filled out all of the forms, but they’ve missed some stuff.
Now, technically, they are not eligible to receive what they need / or the benefits. So, do you ignore the rules and help them . . . or do you simply follow th rules and deny them assistance?
On the surface, it seems pretty clear cut, but it’s not always that way. You may be a rule breaker and your coworker is a rule follower.
So, with that in mind, let’s look at Luke 10:25-37, it’s one of Jesus’s most famous parables, the parable of the Good Samaritan - - - -
25 And behold, a lawyer stood up to put Jesus to the test, saying, “Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?”
26 Jesus 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 Jesus 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.” - Luke 15:25-37
OK . . . so here’s the story in a nutshell. There’s a Jewish priest traveling down a road and he comes across a guy who’s been beaten and bloodied. He sees him, then goes to the other side of the street and continues on his journey.
The next guy to come down the road is a Jewish religious leader, not a priest, but an important person in the temple. He does the same thing. He crosses over to the other side of the street.
Now, down the road comes a Samaritan. Now, a Samaritan was someone who lived in the norther part of Israel. They were considered half breed Jews. Many had intermarried and seemed to worship idols as well as God. So, the southern Jews didn’t believe they had the same type of faith. They weren’t as fervent and passionate about God.
But Jesus said, this poor example of a Jew is actually the one who helped the wounded man. Jesus does this to throw the law and rules back in the face of the Jewish elitist leaders.
You see, Jewish law stated that if you touched someone who had a wound, someone who was bleeding . . . you would be considered ceremonially unclean. The priest and Levite believed they were needed and were more important than helping this bruised person. So, they skipped helping him.
In essence, they used the law to their advantage, so they didn’t have to help the other person who was hurt. While the lowly Samaritan, wasn’t bothered by the law of being unclean, but believed it was better to help someone.
So, that’s what Jesus is trying to get across in this parable. So, the question the lawyer asked, ‘who is my neighbor?’ is answered by Jesus . . . who’s your neighbor? Everyone is your neighbor.
So, here’s where I want to go with this. And sometimes I think it helps us distinguish fan from follower.
Please understand: God’s Word provides both guidance and commandments. And those commandments, those laws, are here to protect us. And, if we’re honest, none of us can follow those laws perfectly.
Every one of us has fallen short, in one way or another, and honestly, in many ways. But when we overemphasize following the rules, we can get people thinking we’ve got it all figured out. People may think they shouldn’t share their struggles with us, because we’re perfect. We’ve got life all figured out.
Sometimes, Christians can be a lot more like the Pharisees and religious leaders than our Messiah, and they end up using the rules to rationalize how they treat others in the church. Sometimes, I think this happens unintentionally. They’ve followed the rules for so long, they’ve kind of forgotten what grace is.
Others, yup, they’re always scheming up something. You know when they want to talk to you, there’s something up their sleeve. That’s why the quote, this one from Gandhi rings true, yet is hard to hear . . .
I like your Christ. I do not like your Christians. Your Christians are so unlike your Christ.
OUCH! That bites! That hurts! I’ve experienced it. Many of us have and if you have, I’m so sorry about that. But, on the other hand, I’m glad you’re still here and haven’t jumped ship on Christ. He’s perfect, we’re imperfect. That will always be true. So hold onto God’s grace and love . . . always.
Of course, rules can be cumbersome. We see them at schools, work places, stores, with doctors, and pretty much everywhere we go. And sometimes we get so wrapped up in following the rules or laws, that we miss out on the real reason they came about.
Back to the parable. It’s like the religious leaders shrugged their shoulders and made no bones about what they were doing and why. You know, it’s interesting, if you stay in the same group of people who are all like minded - - - they’ll always be agreeing with you. This is why I believe it’s really important to interact or read something different from who you are. It challenges you so that you don’t remain a fan.
Remember, fans are simply enthusiastic fans, admirers. But can be the first to be critical of their own teammates. We were reminded of that this past Sunday when in the NFL playoffs, a guy for Cincinatti made a bonehead play in the final seconds, which allowed Kansas City a chance to kick the game winning field goal.
He hit the QB when he was obviously out of bounds and that helped Kansas City move closer and they made the field goal. One of his teammates was heard yelling about his frustration with the bonehead move.
Fans do that as well. They criticize, even those who put the rules aside to help someone or give to a situation. We can easily get stuck in that type of thinking and demonstrate that to the world.
On the flip side - - - the player, Joseph Ossai, was on the sideline, head in his hands, crying. Many players did come up to him and consoled him. Even after the game, when he had to face the press, one of his teammates stood with him, and told reporters, ‘no stupid questions.’ Basically, he was saying, yup, my brother did wrong, the whole world knows he messed up, but he’s my brother and I love him and I’m going to stand with him and he will know and experience the love of a brother.
That’s a follower at work. Someone who is committed. Someone who is passionate about Jesus. Someone who is willing to put aside their frustration, sadness, disappointment, and even their anger . . . in order to console, maybe even mentor the person who is in need.
That’s what the church is called to do. That’s what the Samaritan did. That lowly person who didn’t care if he got blood on his hands, who didn’t care if he was inconvenienced, who didn’t care that it would cost him some money. It cost him at least 2 days wages and most likely more.
A follower is committed to Jesus, not to the world, not to man-made laws.
Rules also don’t lead us to Jesus. When we exhibit grace and mercy, compassion and love, those become the most powerful demonstrations of Christ’s love. In some ways, those are our weapons. You know, that old expression, ‘kill them with kindness.’
That’s not always easy when we sense the rules and others are against us. But that’s part of the call of Christ. To show the world the grace and mercy of Jesus, because He’s given that same grace to me.
That grace is also found in freeing us from thinking if we don’t do this and we don’t do that, we’re really not saved by His grace. We have to read more and pray more and give more and do more. Now, all of those are great to do.
I would advocate for every one of us to read the Bible and pray and give your offerings and serve. Those are important because you’re impacting others, and you’re allowing others to impact you.
But we know and trust that we find Jesus and fine salvation through the grace of God. It’s not be anything we can do. It’s what Paul said so wonderfully in Ephesians 2:8-10 --
8 For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, 9 not a result of works, so that no one may boast. 10 For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.
We are saved by grace! How sweet that is. How freeing that is too. And so Jesus calls to those who have had the guilt and fear of religious rules wear them down and He offers Himself to us when He calls to us - - -
28 Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. - Matthew 11
Maybe you grew up in a home where you were taught all about Jesus. You went to church on the weekend and church camp in the summer. And you learned to fear Jesus … so you kept as many rules as you could, hoping you wouldn’t be sent to hell.
And when you would sin you would feel guilt wondering if you would be good enough. And you were taught to observe different religious traditions and rule keeping. But someone how you never really fell in love with Jesus. You became a fan. Because when you come into a situation in which rules take precedence over love and grace, it’s hard to fall in love.
Sometimes those rules can stymie our walk towards Christ. We want it, but we don’t know how, because we can’t let go of all the rules we’ve been following.
Let me put it this way . . . when Debbie and I married, I knew what I was proclaiming.
You might even say they were rules and laws. Out of love, - - -
I would be faithful
I would take care of her,
I would provide for her,
I was committed to her,
I would seek no other woman,
I would love her . . . for better for worse . . . forever.
Yet, if I saw our relationship as a bunch rules I had to keep, I wouldn’t be very happy. But because I love my wife I find joy in trying to be the best husband I can be. I would do anything for her. So, doing the dishes, cooking and putting the lid down on the toilet are sacrifices I’m willing to make.
In the end, the grace and the love of God frees us and inspires us to live for Him.
Augustine said, “Love God and do as you please.”
He could say that because he knew that when you love God, you will want to please God. But your priority, your emphasis, your focus has to be on loving God. If I truly love God and want to please Him, I will also love others well. It has to be about a relationship with Jesus, otherwise it won’t work.
Finally, let me add that when Debbie and I were raising our boys, if they were to define Christianity as keeping a moral code instead of defining Christianity as being a follower of Jesus Christ, then they will walk away from both.
We want them in a sense to know the rules of the faith, but more than that, we want them to know the love of Christ. And to demonstrate that love back to the world. If they define their relationship with Jesus as adhering to a set of moral codes, they will walk away from Christ. Following Christ is about a relationship which is filled with power and love and grace.
It’s following Jesus the Lord and Savior. He is the only Lord, the Messiah, and I can not draw close to a bunch of rules, but I can draw close to the One who laid down His life so that I could have life. I can follow the One who offers me grace and mercy.
Grace - I receive what I don’t deserve.
Mercy - I don’t receive what I deserve.
That’s what I receive from Jesus. So, when that lawyer asked Jesus what shall I do to inherit eternal life? He was looking for a “TO-DO” list. Instead Jesus turned it back to him, and he answered - - - -
27 “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.” - Luke 10
Jesus said, do this and you will live. That’s not what he wanted to hear.
Yet, this is exactly what he and you and I need to hear.
Love the Lord your God! Love Him with your entire being, which I believe are the 4 essences of our being - - - your heart, your soul, your mind and your body. Love God, not because you must, but because He first loved you and has saved you.
That’s being a follower. A follower can think of nothing more than bringing joy to the Father, so that the Father is bragging about His child.
I don’t know your entire story, we would love to have you at FBC. I don’t know if there is a Christian who bullied you, someone who misrepresented Jesus Christ, someone who hurt you and distorted the nature of Christ.
I don’t know if it was a church that taught you a lot of traditions and rules and regulations, but you never really got around to studying the Gospel of Jesus or the Scripture.
I don’t know if maybe you grew up in some kind of religious affiliation where nobody seemed to make a big deal out of grace but sure made you felt really guilty every weekend.
If that’s where you’ve been, let me tell you, we would love to have you come and experience the freedom that is found in knowing and following Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior.
