Luke 10:25-37
Paonia United Methodist Church
July 11, 2004
Chances are if you have spent any time around a church,
And during any of that time you were even marginally conscious,
You have undoubtedly heard of the Good Samaritan.
In a survey, 80 % of the population could recount at least the main point
Of the story, and better than 50% could recount details from it.
We have named hospitals and churches “Good Samaritan”
We have passed laws about helping people in need and called
The Good Samaritan laws.
Just hearing the name, Good Samaritan,
You undoubtedly already know what is the purpose behind the title.
So, with that all said,
Lets take another look at the story of the Good Samaritan,
And see if we might find something new here…
Something that we have not seen before.
Something that we might be able to take home and use
In our daily lives.
Luke 10
25On 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?"
27He 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’[1] ; and, ’Love your neighbor as yourself.’[2] "
28"You have answered correctly," Jesus replied. "Do this and you will live."
29But he wanted to justify himself, so he asked Jesus, "And who is my neighbor?"
30In 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. 31A priest happened to be going down the same road, and when he saw the man, he passed by on the other side. 32So too, a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. 33But a Samaritan, as he traveled, came where the man was; and when he saw him, he took pity on him. 34He 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. 35The next day he took out two silver coins[3] 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?"
37The expert in the law replied, "The one who had mercy on him."
Jesus told him, "Go and do likewise."
This is the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ.
So, chances are, you have heard that story before.
There is nothing particularly new to it.
It’s the same one you have heard since you were
Six and mom, dad, and the grandparents took
you to Sunday School.
But, have no fear…
We are on a search here for something new…
And, since we are on that fact finding search,
Why don’t we begin with a little context.
The first thing that jumps out from the text is that Luke thoughtfully includes
Who it is that begins this debate.
He tells us, he is a lawyer.
A lawyer?
Yes, you heard that right…
They liked them as much then as we do now.
But, there is a bit of a difference.
This was not a civil lawyer, but a religious leader…
One whom was well versed in the law.
He knew it backwards and forwards.
He was likely a scribe before ever becoming a lawyer.
A Scribe’s job was to literally hand write the Septuagint,
That is most of what you and I call the Old Testament,
Day after day after day after day.
These were learned men who dedicated their lives to the Scripture.
But this man had even gone beyond this high and holy calling.
He was a lawyer…
An expert in the law…
If anyone knew it and should be able to give a faithful
Account of the Hebrew faith, it would be this man.
This truly would be a deeply religious man.
Now, to be fair, I told you the other week of what I think of people
Who say, “I’m spiritual, but not religious.”
This is the creed of the fallen.
It means, I want to form God into my own image.
I want no accountability to anyone or anything.
I follow myself to wherever and whatever feels good…
And I will call myself spiritual.
I will have a form of godliness,
But it will be the one I choose.
But, this morning we find someone quite the opposite.
Here we find a deeply religious man who completely lacks spirituality.
Is he any better off?
Well, you decide.
Our lawyer stands up to "test" Jesus.
Understand something here…
He was not to ascertain Jesus’ ability but more His faithfulness to the Law.
He was trying to trick Jesus and there is no doubt that he was also trying
to draw attention to himself as later he tried to justify himself
with another question; implying he was interested in more than just a
an answer to his question.
So, we find that our lawyer this morning is in good company.
This is in fact who the Pharisees are.
They are more interested in the length, the width, the breadth
Of the law.
They want to know just how far they can push it without crossing
Any theological line of death.
That’s what this is about.
Because, the one who can control the line can control God.
The one who can control and manipulate God the best
Is the one with the greatest power.
Are you following how this works here?
The Pharisees are what you might call a right fighter.
If you can be right all the time,
Somehow you have the power to control and manipulate
Others.
And, what tool could possibly create more leverage than the ability to
Manipulate people with the threat of hell or abandonment?
Now, lets take just a bit of a step back here.
We haven’t even touched the story of the Good Samaritan yet…
The story that we know so well that we could
Probably recite it from memory…
And, all of a sudden we find the giant iceberg that
Is underneath it.
Jesus verses the “right fighters”.
That’s what this is about.
People with a lot of religion, some with more training than all of us
In this congregation put together, but no connection to God.
No life from the Spirit.
None of the fruits from the Spirit…
Remember what those are?
Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness,
And self control…
All the very things that the right fighters are not.
Hmm.
I go back to the question I asked you before.
Who is worse?
The religious person who lacks God’s Spirit?
Or is it the one who claims to be spiritual without religion?
Honestly, I don’t think that God has much use for either.
But if you look at it in the terms of who does the most damage to the church,
I believe that the legalistic religious person does far more damage.
After all, when those who consider looking to the church for
Answers to life’s most difficult problems encounter
The right fighters… they run the opposite direction.
As well they should.
Which brings me to the next question…
How many of you think that the right fighters are a thing of the past?
We have had the benefit of 2000 years of societal evolution
And education… Surely these people do not still exist!
Folks, if you want to see the portrait of an unhappy life,
An unhappy home, or a church in chaos…
You do not have to look too far past who your right fighters are.
You can have a whole group of people, all of whom are right,
And all of who are completely miserable.
How?
Because right fighting is about control.
They consider themselves holy crusaders with the truth of their sides…
Why?
Because they know the law…
They know how things are supposed to work…
They control the facts so they can manipulate
The outcome.
The Pharisees, the holy people of God’s chosen,
Were the greatest and most influential right fighters who ever lived.
And, Jesus just loved them, didn’t he?
My favorite quote is Jesus calling them “whited sepulchers”
Or “whitewashed tombs.”
All clean and shiny on the outside,
But on the inside full of dead men’s bones.
Great stuff, isn’t it?
Even beats John screaming,
“You brood of vipers” at them.
Think its possible to be completely right and completely dead in your sin?
Well, lets take a look at how Paul instructs the Galatians…
The acts of the sinful nature are obvious...
Sexual immorality, impurity, debauchery, idolatry, and witchcraft…
Wow! They are doing pretty good so far!
Actually, if we stop here, I would say that they would pass the test right here.
Oops, the list keeps going…
Hatred… oops!
Discord… owe!
Jealousy… yikes!
Fits of rage… uh oh!
Selfish ambition… whoa! Hit the nail on that one!
Dissensions… ho ho ho!
Factions… Egad!
Envy… What, is has he been
following us?
Well, all of a sudden, they don’t look quite so holy
In their rightness, do they?
Paul, for good measure tacks on drunkenness and orgies at the
End of the list…
Chances are they passed those.
So, the right fighters fail a little over half the list by my count.
Well Paul, tell the right fighter what they have won…
Paul writes…
Those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God!
Hmm.
Kinda makes you wonder if being right is all that
Its cracked up to be, doesn’t it?
I don’t know about you,
But I have never found it in Scripture where we are
Commanded to be right all the time.
I think that God is far more interested in us being faithful.
We are to know God’s word and God’s teaching
That we might grow in His Spirit…
The Word was given to us as a gift, not a weapon.
Growing in God’s Word and Spirit does not emphasize us being right.
It emphasizes goodness and decency.
Let me give you Paul’s list again…
Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness,
And self control…
All the qualities when religion meets spirituality.
This is what leads to a fulfilled life on earth
And eternal life in heaven.
"Teacher," he asked, "what must I do to inherit eternal life?"
He knew the answer before he asked.
26"What is written in the Law?" Jesus replied. "How do you read it?"
27He 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’[1] ;
and, ’Love your neighbor as yourself.’[2] "
28"You have answered correctly," Jesus replied. "Do this and you will live."
The discourse should be over here.
Real question,
Real answer.
But remember, we have a right fighter on our hands here.
29But he wanted to justify himself, so he asked Jesus… and I will give you the
John Nadasi translation…
"Yeah, but who is my neighbor?"
If you were here a couple weeks ago,
You should have just put this one together…
Right fighters are yeah butters too!
To make the point perfectly clear,
Jesus gives our right fighter a parable…
We have finally arrived at the story we know so well.
Its one of the few parables where the point is obvious.
The high and holy have passed by the one in need.
It is the Samaritan who stops and tends to what is not only a stranger,
But one who would be considered a sworn enemy.
The Jews and Samaritans hated each other for centuries.
The idea of a “good Samaritan”
Would be as foreign and repugnant to the Jews as
Would the concept of a “good Nazi” to us.
It was an oxymoron…
Two words that contradicted one another…
Good and Samaritan.
The thing is that this was a faithful and decent man.
He simply saw another in need and took care of him.
He did not debate him theologically,
He did not ask about the rightness of letting this man live or die,
He did not ask what burden this would put on himself.
He simply saw the need and he met it.
No questions,
No yeah buts,
No right fighting.
So, what was the point that Jesus was trying to drive home?
Well, if you have been paying attention,
You probably already have a good idea.
Folks, God’s call on your life is not to be a right fighter.
The call on your life is to be faithful…
To respond, yes Lord, I will follow.
I will go where you lead…
I will do what you ask…
I will be who you call me to be…
No conditions, No egos, No yeah, buts…
Just a simple, Yes Lord, wherever you lead me.
People of God, that is what true personal holiness is about.
