Being a Good Neighbor
Luke 10:25-37
This morning we will be looking at the practice of being good neighbors. Our text comes from Luke chapter 10, versus 25 to 37, (read).
Jesus is the master storyteller. And this morning we will learn the truth he wanted to communicate through this parable of the good Samaritan. We will be looking at the purpose of the parable, the people in the parable, the power from the parable, and finally the proof from the parable.
First, the purpose of the parable. Versus 25 to 29.
Parables usually have one purpose per audience. For instance, The Hare and The Tortoise is a good illustration of a different purpose for a different audience.
When the parable is told to a prideful person, the purpose would be to discourage overconfidence. When the parable is told to a discouraged person, the purpose would be to encourage perseverance. Same story; different lesson for each audience.
So the purpose for the audience is important to understanding a parable accurately and fully. The first question we will answer is, “What is the purpose for which Jesus told the parables in Luke 10? Let’s look together at versus 25 to 29.
There was a lawyer who wanted to test Jesus. And a lawyer at that time could be translated as a teacher of the law. One who instituted The law of Moses and the law of the Jews in their society.
He asked Jesus, "what shall I do to inherit eternal life?" And Jesus responded with a question, "what is written in the law? How do you read it?"
The lawyer replied by summarizing the 10 Commandments with two familiar old testament teachings, Deuteronomy 6:5 and Leviticus 19:18. Deuteronomy 6:5 reads “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might.” And Leviticus 19:18 reads “...but you shall love your neighbor as yourself.”
And Jesus replied, you’ve got it; go do it. Jesus understood the difference between knowing and doing. And the lawyer knew that he knew the law, but knew that he didn’t do the law. So he tried justified himself by asking the question, “who is my neighbor?”
This lawyer was self-righteous. Instead of admitting his inability to live out the law, he asked a question hoping to come up with an excuse for failing to live out the law.
Jesus, instead of confronting him directly, tells the story of the good Samaritan. So the story was to challenge the self-righteousness of the lawyer. While many have used the story of the good Samaritan to encourage compassion and kindness, the original purpose for which Jesus told this parable was to challenge self-righteousness.
The Bible tells us that eternal life is inherited through God's righteousness by those who believe in Jesus and his death on the cross as payment for our sins. Eternal life is not inherited through self-righteousness by obeying God’s law because no one can obey God’s law perfectly.
First, the purpose of the parable is to challenge self-righteousness. Second, let’s look at the people in the parable. Jesus used these people in the parable to define what it means to love your neighbor or to be good neighbor.
First there were the robbers. Their actions could be summarized as, what is yours is mine, and if I want it, I will take it. The victim of robbery and beating could be summarized as, what was mine is now yours. I once had it but now I’ve lost it. The priest and the levite who could’ve helped but didn’t. Their actions could be summarized with, What is mine is mine, and if you need it you can’t have it. The Samaritan who did help could be summarized as, What is mine is mine, but if you need it I will share it.
The priest, the Levite and the Samaritan did have much in common.The priest, the Levite and the Samaritan all saw the need of the victim. This is the foundation for being a good neighbor. We first have to see the need.
If you want to be a good neighbor, start with what need do you see? Do you see someone needing the good news of Jesus Christ? Do you see a need in your neighborhood or your workplace? Do you see a need in the news?
Here’s what else they had in common. They were all within reach of helping. We can only be good neighbor to those we are able to reach. Reach with our skills, our finances, our efforts, our time. We need not feel guilty for not being a neighbor to those we cannot reach. We should start with the neighbors nearby.
Here’s another thing they had in common. They all had the resources to help in someway; maybe not to the same degree.
I AM ONLY ONE (by Edward Everett Hale)
I am only, one, but I am one.
I can’t do everything, but I can do something.
And what I can do, I ought to do.
And what I ought to do, by the grace of God, I shall do.
The Priest and Levite were well compensated for their services in their society. And we knew the Samaritan had means because he shared his means to help the victim. Margaret Thatcher pointed out, “No one would remember the Good Samaritan if he’d only had good intentions. He had money as well.”
Here was the big difference between the priest and the Levite and the Samaritan. The Samaritan showed mercy. They all saw the need. They all were within reach. They all had some resources to share.
First, the purpose of the parable is to challenge self-righteousness. Second, the people in the parable helped defined a good neighbor. Third, let’s look at the power from the parable. The power enables us to fulfill the charge.
After agreeing that the one who shown mercy was the neighbor, Jesus said, “you go and do likewise.” It is as if Jesus was satisfied with the answer and that he has shown the lawyer the power to do what he knows to do.
Someone has said, “There are two motivations for loving our neighbors. The first is the law that says you shall love your neighbor as yourself. The second is love which says you can love to the degree you have been loved.”
The priest and the Levite in the parable represented the Law. They knew the Law, but did not practice love of their neighbor. In Romans 8:1-8, the apostle Paul reminds us that because of our sinful nature, the Law is powerless to help us obey God.
The lawyer knew that he cannot be a good neighbor if he were just following the law. But he could not identify with the Samaritan because the lawyer was a Jew. Historically, Jews and Samaritans were enemies. Therefore, the only character in the parable he could identify with is the victim who was loved.
The Bible tells us that we love because God first loved us. Being loved undeservedly, unconditionally and generously gives us the power to love others undeservedly, unconditionally and generously. Jesus illustrated God’s love in the love of the Samaritan.
First, the purpose of the parable is to challenge self-righteousness. Second, the people in the parable helped defined a good neighbor. Third, the power from the parable enables us to love our neighbor. Fourth, let’s look at the proof of the parable. What is this proof? The proof of our love for God is loving our neighbors.
Jesus challenges the lawyer’s love for his neighbor because the lawyer was self- righteous in that respect. He was so self-righteous that he did not even consider defending his Love for God. After all he was a servant of God‘s law and presumed his love for God.
But when Jesus challenged the Lawyer in his love for neighbor, Jesus also challenged his love for God. Because a proof of our love for God is loving our neighbors. First John 4:20–21 reads, “If anyone says, “I love God,” and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen cannot love God whom he has not seen. 21 And this commandment we have from him: whoever loves God must also love his brother.”
Being a good neighbor is not only a strategy for growing young churches but it is proof of the churches’ love for God. Let me close with a quote and a song that can help us live what we’ve learned today. Lauren Larkin wrote:
Often times when we think and talk about loving our neighbor as ourselves, the conversation will veer in the direction of radical acts to serve people who are hungry and homeless, the community around us, or the greater needs of those who are suffering world wide. I will be clear, there is absolutely nothing wrong with this discussion or with these acts…. But this conversation is only one part of the conversation in the multifaceted conversation about loving your neighbor as yourself. If we limit the conversation to these grand acts then most of us will throw up our hands in despair:
And here’s the song, titled “Dream Small” by Josh Wilson
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ow5H2-PHbqk
