Expanding Your Circle
Based, in part, on a sermon by Mark Scott
Scripture Ref: Luke 10:25-37
Additional References: The Bible Knowledge Commentary
1. Introduction
a. The text for today is one of the many parables Jesus used in His ministry. A parable is a story with a lesson in it, although the lesson isn’t obvious unless you are seeking to learn. The underlying lesson in this parable is about love—how to, when, and to what degree.
b. Read Luke 10:25-37.
c. There is an old adage that says, “All truths are equally true, but not all truths are of equal importance.”
d. If we take that adage and apply it Biblically, it might sound like this, “All scripture is inspired, but not all scripture is created equal.”
e. Were we to rank the major themes found in the Bible, love would be found high on the list; if not number one, then surely in the top five.
f. Were we to further analyze the theme of love, we would sort those scriptures into three categories—God’s love for us, our love for God, and God’s love in us for others. It is in the third category where we start to run into problems.
g. In the book, The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, Stephen Covey details a model called “Circle of Concern—Circle of Influence.”
(1) We each have a wide range of concerns that make up our “Circle of Concern—our health, our family, problems at work, etc.
(2) As we look at those concerns, we find there are some things over which we have no control, and others which we do.
(3) Those things over which we do have control are grouped into an inner circle called the “Circle of influence.”
(4) Covey goes on to say that effective people are proactive in their approach to changing those things they can within their circle of influence. The proactive approach is to change from the inside out.
h. We can take Covey’s principle and modify it to a Christian perspective and our Circle of Concern becomes our Circle of Love.
i. Read Luke 10:25-29
j. The lawyer in this text had a fixed circle of love, and Jesus had “pushed the envelope” for the lawyer’s circle.
k. If we learn nothing else from this passage, we must learn we cannot and must not limit the capacity and strength of our love for our fellow man, regardless of the circumstances.
l. If we impose boundaries and qualifiers on our love, we will, as did this lawyer:
(1) Try to test Jesus with insincere questions rather than learn from him. (v 25)
(2) Have a legalistic view of salvation. (v 25)
(3) Ask questions to which we already know the answer. (vv 26-27) We should ask questions such as “How can I do this? I am not able and need help.”
(4) Having difficulty aligning our actions with what we say. (v 28)
(5) Try to justify ourselves in God’s eyes. (v29)
m. However, if we place no limitations on our love, we can expand our circle and will love …
2. The Careless (v 30)
a. The man the Samaritan helped, who in all likelihood was Jewish, did not been wear his smart cap the day he was attacked.
b. The road from Jerusalem to Jericho descends about 3,000 feet over the course of 17 miles. It was a dangerous route to travel because robbers hid along its steep and winding path.
c. Despite these conditions, the Samaritan stopped to give aid to the injured man.
d. Are we obligated to help people who have only themselves to blame for their troubles?
e. How often have you wanted to say, “You made your mess, you deal with it?”
f. Expanding our circle of love requires that we love even those who have been careless.
3. Those Who Haven’t Been Loved by Others (vv 31-32)
a. The man was intentionally left to die by two Jewish religious men, a priest and a Levite.
(1) We would expect a religious leader, such as a priest, to demonstrate the Bible’s teachings on love, yet the priest did not.
(2) A Levite was an assistant in the synagogue. They were not priests, because they were not direct descendants of Aaron, but we would still expect them to demonstrate the scripture’s teachings on love, yet this one did not.
(3) As we bring this story into today’s view, are we obligated to love those who have not received help from the Christian community?
4. Our Enemies (v 33)
a. Luke, the only Gentile to write of the life of Christ and have his writings canonized, notes a significant point in this verse.
b. The man who stopped to help the injured Jew was a Samaritan.
c. In the previous chapter, Luke tells of Jesus being refused lodging because He was Jewish and was headed for Jerusalem. Jesus even rebuked James and John for wanting to call fire down on the Samaritans to destroy them, yet here He depicts a Samaritan as a good guy.
d. The lesson in this verse is obvious, love demands that we afford the same courtesies to our enemies as we would to our best friends.
5. The Distasteful (v 34a)
a. The Jewish man on the roadside didn’t look very good. He had been severely beaten and left for dead.
b. Why would a Samaritan take the time to render aid to a sworn enemy?
(1) Samaritans were scorned by the Jewish community because of their mixed Jewish and Gentile ancestry and because of the pagan rituals they brought to their worship.
(2) They would even worship at the temple in Jerusalem; rather they built their own temple in Samaria.
(3) It is ironic that a Samaritan stopped to help a half-dead, beaten and injured Jew by dressing his wounds.
c. Do we have to love our sworn enemies and worse yet, sworn enemies we find distasteful?
d. If we expect to expand our circle of love, and if love is truly a choice rather than an emotion, the answer can be nothing more than “Yes!”
6. Those Who Cost Time and Money (vv 34b-35)
a. Expanding our circle will, at times, cost us, in time and money.
b. The Samaritan didn’t stop at dressing the injured Jew’s wounds. He put the Jew on his donkey and took him to an inn and then paid for his expenses, with the promise of paying for any additional expenses incurred when he returned.
c. Caring for the injured Jew was definitely an imposition.
(1) The Samaritan had to walk while the Jew rode on his donkey.
(2) The Samaritan paid for lodging and expenses even though he didn’t know the Jew.
d. Expanding our circle means we must do more than speak in clichés—God bless you, you’re in my prayers, etc.
(1) We must put our time, money, and talents where our mouths are.
(2) If we truly love with the love of God, then we must demonstrate that love.
e. If the Samaritan could change his entire agenda for the Jew, a sworn enemy, then why shouldn’t we?
7. Summary (vv 36-37)
a. Jesus taught in this parable that we should be a neighbor to, or love, anyone we meet in need.
b. Just like the Samaritan in this parable, we must love those who have been careless, those are unloved by others, those who are our enemies, those we find distasteful,
c. Jesus’ love and compassion contrasted with that of the Jewish leaders who had no compassion on those who were perishing.
d. Jesus ended his parable with a simple command;. not a request, not a thought to ponder, not even an “if you get a chance.” He gave a simple command, “Go and do likewise.”
8. Invitation
