Who Is My Neighbor

LK 10:25 On one occasion an expert in the law stood up to test Jesus. "Teacher," he asked, "what must I do to inherit eternal life?" 26 "What is written in the Law?" he replied. "How do you read it?" 27 He answered: " `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, `Love your neighbor as yourself.’ "

28 "You have answered correctly," Jesus replied. "Do this and you will live."

29 But he wanted to justify himself, so he asked Jesus, "And who is my neighbor?"

30 In reply Jesus said: "A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, when he fell into the hands of robbers. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him and went away, leaving him half dead. 31 A priest happened to be going down the same road, and when he saw the man, he passed by on the other side. 32 So too, a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. 33 But a Samaritan, as he traveled, came where the man was; and when he saw him, he took pity on him. 34 He went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he put the man on his own donkey, took him to an inn and took care of him. 35 The next day he took out two silver coins and gave them to the innkeeper. `Look after him,’ he said, `and when I return, I will reimburse you for any extra expense you may have.’

36 "Which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?" 37 The expert in the law replied, "The one who had mercy on him." Jesus told him, "Go and do likewise."March 22 Who is my Neighbor?

Great events watched on TV - who remembers 2000 new year - saw Space Challenger explode - Walk on Moon - Kenney’s Assassination. Last Episode Raymond, Cheers, MASH Seinfeld?

Final episode disappointing, not so funny - moralizing - self depreciating. Everyone goes to jail for a year for failing to help someone being robbed. Remember the episode, Jerry, Elaine, George and Kramer flying to Paris as a gift from the network that gave Jerry a contract for a TV show. Plane problems force them to land in Lakeland MASS. To kill time they wander the streets, making fun of people including a guy getting car jacked. Kramer even starts to film it. Cops come, take statement, and as Jerry suggests they go get something to eat (very Seinfeldish) the cop stops them.

Officer: all right, hold it right there. Jerry: What?

Officer: You’re under arrest. Jerry: Under arrest, What for?

Officer: Article 223-7 of the Lakeland county penal code

Elaine protests: What, we didn’t do anything

Officer: That’s exactly right. The law requires you to help or assist anyone in danger as long at its reasonable to do so

George: I never heard of that. Officer: It’s new, its called the Good Samaritan Law, Let’s go.

Good Samaritan story so well known it has crept into our vocabulary, used by Jewish comedian in his farewell episode for one of the most popular TV shows of all time. Good Samaritan not even in Bible

Our take on Good Samaritan more like the man telling his wife about the woman he saw standing in the rain stranded beside her car during rush hour, no one helped, "I would have stopped if I weren’t on the way to work" or the infamous Youtube clip of man run over by car

Open Bibles to Luke 10 - and we will read the story but as you do I want you to look for 3 things:

1. Jesus’ parables usually have YOU in them, find yourself

2. Jesus’ parables often have Him in them, find Him

3. This parable has one word that is particularly damning, see if you can find it.

What’s the story that this Expert in the Law (pretty good guy) can’t bring himself to say Samaritan?

More to this story - so much more, let’s do a little digging

About 200 years earlier the Greek conqueror Antiochus Epiphanes proclaimed himself the incarnation of the Greek god Zeus and mandated death to anyone who refused to worship him. The Jews faithfulness to Yahweh and their refusal to allow their homeland to be defiled was a major obstacle. This led the Samaritans, eager for safety, to disown all connection and kinship with the Jews. The Greeks accepted - the final straw - the break was permanent. But let’s look further back

Samaritan comes from word samerim - Keeper of the Law - belief that scripture is only Pentateuch, they worship and sacrifice at Mount Gerizim - not the Temple in Jerusalem. They claim that they are the purest of the Jews descended from a part of two tribes that were allowed by the Assyrians to resettle after captivity. Remember the discussion Jesus had with the woman at the well?