GO AND DO LIKEWISE
Today I want to share a story that talks about a very dangerous and treacherous road between Jerusalem and Jericho. It was notorious during biblical times for being dangerous to travelers. Jerusalem was on a hill that measured nearly 2,300 feet above sea-level. Jericho which is near the Dead Sea sits twenty miles away and is nearly 1,300 feet below sea level. The descent of 2,000 feet also included twists and turns with narrow pathways that were ideal for hiding places for bandits.
A letter dated A.D. 171 that was found in which there was a complaint to the government by two pig dealers. They had fallen to brigands (which is from the Old English for a robber or bandit, especially one of an outlaw band.), “They assaulted us with very many stripes, wounding Pasion, robbed us of a pig and carried off Pasion’s coat”. In the fifth century it was called “The Red Bloody Way”. As late as the nineteenth century travelers had to pay safety money to the local Sheiks if they wished to be safe from attacks.
Called the story of the Good Samaritan Jesus taught this as well as many others lessons in parables. (It is ordinarily a comparison of earthly with heavenly things, "an earthly story with a heavenly meaning,") (A story related to a real life situation) A lawyer had come to Him and asked Jesus what might be considered a trick question. In Luke 10:25 And a lawyer stood up and put Him to the test, saying, "Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?" Jesus answered him in Luke 10:27 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." The lawyer in Luke 10:29 But wishing to justify himself, he said to Jesus, "And who is my neighbor?"
There are three things we should learn from this: (1) Lack of love is easy to justify in our minds though it is never right, (2) Our neighbor is anyone regardless of race, creed, religious preference, or social background. A need is a need, (3) Love means to act in meeting of a need regardless of where you are. We should always be following the example of Jesus by showing people the love and compassion that Jesus showed and that we should Go and Do Likewise.
Prayer
Read Luke 10:25-37
I. First let’s set the stage and look at the characters in this parable
A. First of all the traveler
1. The one thing that stands out is he seems to be reckless (known to be dangerous road)
2. Most of the time travelers traveled in groups for safety
B. Maybe there was a reason for this
1. Maybe he had no one else to go with him
2. Maybe this was the only way to get where he was going
a. Some time we have to do things and go places we would rather not go
b. There are times we go places we should not be going
i. Areas of old problems and trials (especially friends)
ii. 1 Corinthians 15:33 Do not be deceived: "Bad company corrupts good morals."
C. Next was the priest
1. There were so many priest at the time they divided them up in courses
a. Each course served in the Temple for two weeks in a year
b. When not on duty many stayed in Jericho
2. According to the story he looked and passed on the other side
3. The Jews had all kinds of taboos (like society today)
a. If they touched a dead body they were unclean for 7 days
i. Numbers 19:11 The one who touches the corpse of any person shall be unclean for seven days.
b. Could only do regular business not religious services
c. This event was something great to them being it was occasionally
d. It is likely the priest had compassion
e. But he could not take the chance of checking him out
f. The priest set the Temple ritual above humanity
i. At times we put our own rituals above the church
ii. Football, sports, television, greed……
iii. Have time for other things but not God
D. Next came the Levite
1. They were descendant of the tribe of Levi
2. This name is, however, generally used as the title of that portion of the tribe which was set apart for the subordinate offices of the sanctuary service
3. There is a little difference in the way he acted from the priest
a. It seems he may have come over and looked by then crossed back over and left the man there
4. There may have been a good reason for this
a. It was common for bandits to use decoys to stop people
b. One would act wounded then other came out and jump them
i. Like people that say they are your friends
ii. They act like they need you help then take advantage
E. Last of all there was the Samaritan
1. Samaritans were hate by Jews
2. They were considered the outcasts or rejects of society
a. Jews refused the Samaritans participation with them in the worship at Jerusalem
b. They were the outcasts of society
c. Jews had no dealings with the Samaritans whatsoever
i. John 4:9 Then saith the woman of Samaria unto him, How is it that thou, being a Jew, askest drink of me, which am a woman of Samaria? For the Jews have no dealings with the Samaritans.
d. The Samaritans would be considered racially impure
3. He must have been a common traveler the inn keeper seemed to trust him to come back and pay the money
4. The term Samaritan was used for those that were lawbreakers, renegades, those who were opposite of the Jewish orthodox
5. This story actually shows how the so called higher ups passed by while the so called sinner or heretic was the one who stopped to help
II. Of all of Jesus’ parables this one might be the most practical
A. It deals with a practical problems in a practical way and answers two questions
B. The first question being, “Who is my neighbor”?
1. The answer is “Anyone who needs your help”.
2. To the Jews this teaching was very startling
a. Just as it is today
b. We seem to want to help only our “own kind”
c. Or one who can benefit us
d. The “What’s in it for me?” syndrome
C. The Jews felt a certain responsibility to their brother Jews but not to the Gentiles
1. If a house fell on someone on the Sabbath do enough to see who it is and he were a Jew rescue: if not let him suffer
2. If people are strangers we are less apt to help them
3. A Roman poet named Terence wrote, “I count no man being a stranger”.
a. Some have the instinct to not help just anyone
b. While the instinct of Christ is to help anyone
D. The second question, “What is my duty to my neighbor in trouble?”
1. The answer is pity which transcends in to help
2. Pity which stays just as an emotion is not really pity
a. Undoubtedly the Levite and priest had pity
b. But they did nothing that translated in to help
3. Pity that remains just an emotion is a sin
4. The Roman philosopher Seneca wrote more than anything all man wanted was, “a hand let down to lift them up”.
E. Here is an illustration of three founders of major religions
1. A man had fallen in to a pit and could not get out. Buddha passed by and said, “Poor fellow. You must have been very foolish to get in to a mess like that. I’m sorry that I cannot do anything to help you”. Then Mohammed passed by and said, “I am very sorry that I cannot help you get out but, I may be able to give you some advice which will help you keep from falling in again”. When Jesus passed by He said nothing but got down in the pit and lifted the man out.
2. It is our duty to help our neighbor who as fallen
a. How are you going to help him if you don’t get down there with him?
b. How are you going to help him if you don’t get a little dirty?
c. How are you going to help him if you are not where he is?
F. The lawyer was initially looking to two passages of the Old Testament
1. Deuteronomy 6:5 "You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might.
2. Leviticus 19:18 `You shall not take vengeance, nor bear any grudge against the sons of your people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself; I am the LORD.
III. This parable lays down three very practical and important ideas
A. Practical service must take precedent over religious rituals
1. The priest was preoccupied with carrying out the temple services
2. He failed to respond to a human need
a. Churches get so busy with activities they forget human need
b. He got so tied up in the precise ritual he lost sight of the need
c. Some churches have all the dignity in the world but be quite dead
d. It is not about ritual and ceremony; but practical help in need
B. There is a duty to help people even when the fault is there own (Like MLM)
1. We see how the traveler was reckless by traveling alone
2. He should have been with some one or go a different route
a. Just like when we associate with people that take us down
b. We go the route of the most temptation
i. People are product of their environment
3. How many times have we said, “He has nobody to blame but himself”.
a. Maybe so but he still needs help
b. It should not matter whose fault it is HELP!
c. God helps us in spite of our own foolishness
C. We need to help others even if it is a risk to ourselves
1. The Levite did not want to get involved
2. If doctors refused to help someone when he might catch something how sad would that be
a. Doctors put on gloves and go to work
3. We don’t get involved because it might be too much trouble
4. We look at it from the perspective of what we have left IF we help
5. True followers of Jesus count the risk as nothing compared with the duty of helping a brother in trouble
In this story you can see that to the lawyer the wounded man was a subject to discuss. To the robbers, the wounded man was someone to use and exploit. To the religious man, the wounded man was a problem to be avoided. To the innkeeper, the wounded man was a customer to service for a fee. To the Samaritan, the wounded man was a human being worth being cared for. To Jesus all of them including us, were worth dying for.
In closing I remember a time when I was walking in a town and saw a young lady that was to say the least intoxicated. She was having a serious problem walking, let alone know where she was going, or have a clue of how to get there. I carefully avoided her, as I was embarrassed at the thought of even having anything to do with her. As I walked on I noticed that everyone else showed the same contempt and repulsive attitude that I did.
All of a sudden a grungy looking older man with dirty clothes and at least a five day old beard came limping up to her. He certainly would be considered by most people something less than desirable company. In a tone of voice and street language that only she could understand he asked, “Whare do you’s lives doll?” She mumbled and stammered something about a location that only he could understand. In his garbled raspy voice he replied, “I knows just where that is I’ll sees you home”. As the two stumbled away it came to me that I had just witnessed the love of Jesus that I had no idea how to show. My eyes filled with tears of shame and regret I sat on a bus stop bench on next street corner. I sat there in shame that I had turned my back on a hurting and lost human being that needed my help. As the tears streamed down my cheeks I asked God to forgive me for being so self-centered, self-righteous, and selfish. Who was I to think I was better than her?
Let’s all stand with every eye closed and every head bowed for a word for prayer. Have you ever turned your back on a person that did not seem to live up to your standards? They didn’t quite act like you, or dress like you, or was the same color, or did not come from the same town as you? What if you were the one who was hurting and lost? Wouldn’t you want some one to come help you? My challenge to you today as followers of Jesus Christ is to Go and Do Like Wise.
