“Parable of the Good Samaritan”
Introduction:
At approximately 3:20 on the morning of March 13, 1964, twenty-eight-year-old …(Kitty) Genovese was returning to her home in a nice middle-class area of Queens, NY…. She parked her ….(car) in a nearby parking lot, turned-off the lights and started the walk to her second floor apartment some 35 yards away. She got as far as a streetlight when a man grabbed her. She screamed. Lights went on in the 10-floor apartment building nearby. She yelled, "Oh, my God, he stabbed me! Please help me!" Windows opened in the apartment building and a man’s voice shouted, "Let that girl alone." The attacker looked up, shrugged and walked-off down the street. Ms Genovese struggled to get to her feet. Lights went back off in the apartments. The attacker came back and stabbed her again. She again cried out, "I’m dying! I’m dying!" And again the lights came on and windows opened in many of the nearby apartments. The assailant again left and got into his car and drove away. Ms Genovese staggered to her feet as a city bus drove by. It was now 3:35 a.m. The attacker returned once again. He found her in a doorway at the foot of the stairs and he stabbed her a third time -- this time with a fatal consequence. It was 3:50 when the police received the first call. They responded quickly and within two minutes were at the scene. Ms Genovese was already dead….
We all want to do whatever it takes to be saved. We all want to know how to be saved, that is why the question is so often asked what must I do to be saved? We all know how to respond to that question, we all know what to tell people to do, but I believe there is more to being saved then simply coming forward and being baptized. Being saved involves a change in the heart, a change in attitude, a change in priorities, and a change of lifestyle.
One of the most well known parables that Jesus ever taught was the Parable of the Good Samaritan, this story was told in response to a Lawyers question what must I do to inherit eternal life?
I think Jesus’ point is that there is more to becoming a Christian than the actions of obedience, the conversion is not outer, but inner, and it is shown in the way we act towards people. The scriptures tell us that the single greatest command is to love God and the second is to love your neighbor. So often I think we get caught up in the religious rituals of obedience to the Lord that we miss the point. I believe that the things that we do when we come to church are important. I believe it is important to take the Lord’s Supper every Lord’s Day, but if we do not have love than the Lord’s Supper is meaningless.
Christianity is different from other religions in that love is the center of the religion. Jesus said that they will know we are Christians by our love. As you look at other religions they seem to lack something, and that is love.
One man said that Confucius originated the golden rule, not Jesus. Confucius said, “do not do to others what you would not have them do to you”, this is in no way similar to the
Golden rule that Jesus taught. One is positive the other is negative. I want to ask you today are you like the Priest that was so caught up in religion that they missed the purpose of religion?
Text: Luke 10:25-37
I. Religion
One reason why the priest and Levite passed up the man on the side of the road was because of their religion. They were both Jews headed to Jerusalem to worship. I can just picture them now, “if we touch him we will become ceremonially unclean”. They missed the point. They were like the Pharisees who took every bit of the law and did not show any grace. They obeyed the law to its letter and looked down on anyone who saw the principle of the law as more important. We as Christians sometimes get caught up in trying to meet the commands that we miss the principles that Jesus taught. I do believe that there are certain commands that are to be obeyed without exception. For example there is no excuse for not being baptized, because that is the only way to be forgiven of our sins and to be covered in the blood of Jesus.
We do need to make sure, however, that we do no get so caught up in religion and ritual and tradition that we miss the greatest commands to love God and to love man.
Remember David when he and his companions got hungry? They ate from the bread in the temple that was forbidden to eat. God did not get angry with them because they were starving, would it have been better for them to die than to eat the bread? God is a fair and just God, he understands our circumstances. This is not an excuse to sin or break God’s commands, but the point is that God understands. He would have understood if the Priest and Levite would have helped the man in the ditch, he would not have condemned them for missing their commanded worship, because what they were doing was the point.
James 1:27
We need to make sure that we obey the commands of the Lord, but we also need to make sure that we do not miss the point that Jesus taught.
I heard a preacher a JBC homecoming preach a sermon on this subject. He talked about how great of a thing homecoming was and how it helped people spiritually. He then told a hypothetical story about Dr. Eubanks driving to homecoming. He said that, what if Dr. Eubanks would have been driving to homecoming and saw him wrecked on the side of the road, and then said, “worry I would love to help you, but I got to get to homecoming”. What if I was on my way to church, and I saw one of you wrecked and hurt on the side of the road, and didn’t stop to help because I wanted to make it to church on time. I would have missed the point of even coming to church, wouldn’t I have?
This past summer I experience something similar. We were in church and an announcement come that just a few minutes earlier a couple in the church was in a serious car wreck on their way to the church building. Immediately three of the elders left to go to the hospital. Would you believe that I heard someone complain that they left church? This person thought of them as worse people because they left church to go tend to one of the flock, they missed the point didn’t they? I believe that is pure religion. Let us make sure that our religion does not hinder us from doing good or what is right.
II. No Compassion
Perhaps another reason why the priest and the Levite refused to help the man in need was because of their lack of compassion.
I believe that some people are naturally more compassionate than others and that is alright because God has wired us all differently, but a lack of compassion is not an excuse for lack of action. We know that we need to be compassionate about some things. We need to try to show love; after all it is a fruit of the spirit. Compassion should naturally come forth from Christians.
It is easy for is to look at the priest and the Levite and to see their heartlessness, but they thought they were doing right.
How compassionate of a person are you?
Jesus was many times said to be moved by compassion. He was the definition of compassion. He would often see people suffering hurting and I believe that His heart would melt and break for those people.
We live in a world where everyone is expected to fend for themselves and we see other people’s burdens as their own, but this is not the Christian attitude. We are told to bear one another’s burdens. We are told to care and love on another. The teachings of Christianity fly in the face of the teachings and what is accepted by the world.
Let us strive to show compassion and love to those in need, this is not simply a feeling that makes us sad, but compassion leads to action. Compassion without action is simply an emotion.
Do you show compassion and love to those in need? Does a lack of compassion hinder you from doing what needs to be done?
I believe that many people do not show their love for their neighbors because of a lack of compassion.
III. Prejudice
I wonder if one reason why the Priest and the Levite did not help the man in need was because of prejudice.
I believe that there is a lot of racism within the church of Christ. How often do we see people of a different race in our churches? Is it their fault or ours? I tend to think it is more our fault because we do not show the love of Christ to some people because of their race or their nationality.
In his autobiography, Mahatma Gandhi wrote that during his student days he read the Gospels seriously and considered converting to Christianity. He believed that in the teachings of Jesus he could find the solution to the caste system that was dividing the people of India. So one Sunday he decided to attend services at a nearby church and talk to the minister about becoming a Christian. When he entered the sanctuary, however, the usher refused to give him a seat and suggested that he o worship with his own people. Gandhi left the church and never returned, “If Christians have caste differences also, “ he said, “I might as well remain a Hindu.” That usher’s prejudice not only betrayed Jesus but also turned a person away from trusting Him as Savior.
This is a serious issue brothers and sisters. Do you not show the love of Christ to someone because of how they look?
I think the Grahams had a cartoon on the refrigerator that expresses this quite well. It shows two people that have crazy hair and piercing, and two older people whispering saying, “I didn’t’ think they would really come”
Do you really mean it when you say you want everyone to come to Jesus or do you discriminate in who you would witness to or show love or help to? I believe that this attitude is sickening in the sight of the Lord. I believe that He looks at our prejudices sometimes and burns with anger.
If we say we are not prejudice then answer this, would you be willing to help out a person of a different race or would you see yourself as superior? Would you be willing to help or talk to a person of a different social class or are you to good to show them the love of Christ? Would you be willing to witness to a person who dresses differently, or is that someone else’s job?
We are commanded to make disciples of every nation. We know that Jesus had special compassion for those that were helpless and seemed unlovable. Remember Jesus said whatever you do to the least of these you do to me.
IV. Inconvenience
Perhaps another reason why the Priest and the Levite walked past the man in the ditch was because of inconvenience. Perhaps they thought to themselves, “I am in a hurry”.
They had the attitude let someone else help him.
I believe that many Christians have that attitude. They see service as someone else’s job. They see anything that they can do for anyone else as an inconvenience to them. I understand that we are all busy. We all have jobs, we all have families to tend to, but if we do not make and sacrifice time to help others our priorities are messed up.
Service is a sacrifice. Loving someone is a sacrifice.
One time Stephanie and I were on our way to church in Knoxville. We were going to a large Church of Christ that was composed of many UT students. As we drove we ran over a razor blade and the tire began to lose air. We did not know it until we got to the church. We sat in the church parking lot watching the tire lose air and began the process of changing the tire. As we sat in the parking lot right before church numerous people stopped and helped. Some even missed much of the church service because they were helping us. They could have easily passed by us and thought, I am in a hurry, I got to get to church. Instead they saw serving as the purpose for learning.
Do you have an attitude where you would sacrifice to help other? Or would you leave your brother on the side of the road because you were in a hurry? I wonder what Jesus would do. I think he shows us several times in his ministry. One time a man came to Jesus to heal his daughter. Jesus began to come with the man to his home when a woman with a bleeding problem approached him for healing. Jesus could have said, “Sorry, I don’t have time, I am in a hurry” instead Jesus made time for her as well.
Sometimes serving may be an inconvenience, but serving is a sacrifice, but God rewards that service. I believe you can tell a lot in a person by what they are willing to sacrifice for others. Would you give up time to help someone in need? It may be inconvenient, but do not let inconvenience hinder you from doing the service of the Lord. We may need to sacrifice time and money sometimes to serve our brothers or those in need, but that is what Jesus meant by love your neighbor.
