PENTECOST 6: 11 JULY 2004
Luke 10:25-37, Colossians 1: 1-14, Amos 7: 7-17, Psalm 82.
Luke 10:25-37
Who Is My Neighbour?
25 “A teacher of the Law came up and tried to trap Jesus. “Teacher,” he asked, “what must I do to receive eternal life?” 26 Jesus answered him, “What do the Scriptures say? How do you interpret them?” 27 The man answered, “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, and with all your mind’; and ‘Love your neighbor as you love yourself.’” 28 "You are right," Jesus replied; "do this and you will live." 29 But the teacher of the Law wanted to justify himself, so he asked Jesus, "Who is my neighbor?" 30 Jesus answered, "There was once a man who was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho when robbers attacked him, stripped him, and beat him up, leaving him half dead. 31 It so happened that a priest was going down that road; but when he saw the man, he walked on by on the other side. 32 In the same way a Levite also came there, went over and looked at the man, and then walked on by on the other side. 33But a Samaritan who was traveling that way came upon the man, and when he saw him, his heart was filled with pity. 34 He went over to him, poured oil and wine on his wounds and bandaged them; then he put the man on his own animal and took him to an inn, where he took care of him. 35 The next day he took out two silver coins and gave them to the innkeeper. ’Take care of him,’ he told the innkeeper, ’and when I come back this way, I will pay you whatever else you spend on him.’ ” 36 And Jesus concluded, "In your opinion, which one of these three acted like a neighbor toward the man attacked by the robbers?" 37 The teacher of the Law answered, "The one who was kind to him." Jesus replied, "You go, then, and do the same."
Introduction:
The story today is a human story with a divine message and it tells in a wonderful way who we are responsible to if we are good neighbours.
We can look at this story in many ways, so I thought we could look at it in terms of a medical case, using medical terminology.
We all understand medical terms, so it may be a helpful way to think of the story.
Before we do that, let us think about how this story came to be.
Jesus is approached by a teacher of the law of God and asked: “what is the way to get eternal life.” If the lawyer was asking in a casual way, only interested in discussing the arguments that could be brought forward from the law of God, if he wanted theological banter in other words, he was asking the wrong question, since Jesus was not there simply to argue philosophy.
As Matthew Henry says in his commentary, Jesus was there to answer questions to do with the practicalities of life now and hereafter. Matthew Henry, comparing the lawyer to those who come to church out of curiosity, merely to see what is being said but not to take it to heart themselves and make it part of their lives, he says: “It is not enough to speak of the things of God, and to enquire about them, but we must do it with a suitable concern.” (MH Com. on Lk 10:25, e-sword Bible)
Compassionate preaching must be followed with compassionate listening.
A second point is that Jesus referred the lawyer back to the law of God that both of them knew so well. The man would have to admit, as we all do if we have come to our senses, that none of us have lived so as to gain eternal life. Why not? Because we are not perfect. Most people, even in church do not know what the Bible teaches on this. Yes, we know we are not perfect, but we do not measure ourselves against God’s holy standard of perfection, instead we compare ourselves with other people. We know people who are better than we are.
Besides that, we want to be in many respects like others, or we do not want to say we are better than anyone else. We know we have faults and, if asked, we admit we are far from perfect.
Jesus’ point is that to be able to gain eternal life, we have to be able to obey all God’s commands perfectly. To do this you have to be perfect.
It is the only exam in life in which you have to get 100%, without fail, every moment of every day, of every week, of every year of your whole life! None of us can do that, as we sin often, every day. So to gain eternal life, we are dependent on “Someone” else to gain it or to buy it for us. Jesus Christ lived for us and died on the cross to buy back what we lost by our sin. It is called redemption. The perfect Saviour did it all for us. He saw our dilemma and had compassion on us. He bought us back by the price of His own blood, and through faith, we are set free from the law of sin and death.
So please, as you owe such a debt, do not be looking for ways you can establish your own goodness or gain merit points with God.
Don’t be like the lawyer, asking Jesus about eternal life.
He wished to justify himself (v29). “But he, wanting to justify himself, said to Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?”
Rather show your gratitude by doing good to your neighbour.
So who is your neighbour and what are you expected to do for them?
Let us see from the story:
What was offered as assistance to the man left for dead by the side of the road, and what did Jesus want to teach by this story?
Firstly he was offered pre operative care.
1. Pre operative care:
Compassion, medicine, bandaging, and an ambulance to a hospital.
The beaten man, whoever he was, lacked one thing: Compassion or pity from his fellows who walked by. And as Jesus points out, they were religious people, a priest and a Levite. The Samaritan in Jesus’ story was chosen as a way of getting through their prejudices. Jews in His audience had little to do with Samaritans and considered them unclean.
However in the story the Samaritan shamed the priests by having pity on the man and from that pity sprang the desire and the action to care for the immediate needs of the man. Jesus uses the religious men as examples of outward religiosity, going to church, being caught up in all events of the church year, doing what is necessary to get approval among your religious peers etc…But lacking what is most important:
A true love for God leading to compassion for people in need.
Have you ever asked yourself why the Samaritan carried oil, wine and bandages with him? Was he some sort of Samaritan paramedic?
The answer is that:
a) It’s a story. It has the tone of a story. In v 30 Jesus says: “Once there was a man…” Sounds like “Once upon a time” to me.
b) Jesus never said it was an historical incident. No commentator insists that it is. Jesus is able to insert whatever He wants into the story as long as it serves His purpose.
So the Samaritan carries oil, wine and bandages with him in this story, as he travels between Jerusalem and Jericho.
It is told by Jesus as an example of what kind of person makes a worthy neighbour, and tells us plainly who our neighbour is.
c) Jesus often used parables and He used allegories, such as the one with Abraham and Lazarus, to teach primary truths of the Kingdom. (Luke 16:20) So there is nothing new or unusual about that.
d) Even as a parable or allegory, this story tells us the good Scouting motto: “Be Prepared” There is nothing wrong with carrying with you means for helping others since you are doing it for the good of your neighbour.
2. Post operative care (v. 35)
35 “The next day, he took out two silver coins and gave them to the innkeeper. ‘Take care of him,’ he told the innkeeper, ‘and when I come back this way, I will pay you whatever else you spend on him.’ ”
The Samaritan is painted as a philanthropist. “Take care of him,” said the Samaritan.
If you are interested in someone’s welfare, you offer them help until they get better. This can cost time and money and that is what the church’s money should be used for.
Christian Philanthropy
We, like the Samaritan cannot go to the aid of every person or stay with every person in need, so we have others do that for us through Christian agencies, run by compassionate people. But it costs money.
Can I ask you: When did you last give a substantial sum of money to a Christian organization to help people that can only be helped with your donation of money? I will leave that with you.
So who is my neighbour?
Anyone who I know is in need and it is within my power to help them.
3. Compassionate recuperation time
This story of the Samaritan, is told by Jesus as an example of what kind of person makes a worthy neighbour, and tells us plainly who our neighbour is.
So who is my neighbour? Anyone who I know is in need and it is within my power to help them.
For Jesus it does not matter if the person is from is different race or culture, male or female, servant or master, it makes no difference.
So, says Jesus, do not reject help from someone you consider not worthy of offering it to you or anyone else as Jesus original listeners must have thought about the Samaritan.
Nor should we withhold assistance to any one including AIDS sufferers and prisoners and drug users, for example. They are not our enemy, hatred for them is. Amen
