Storytime with Jesus: The Good Samaritan

Disintegration of Neighborliness

Today we face the question “Who is my neighbor?” I find it fascinating that relationships between neighbors have changed SO MUCH in the past 20 to 30 years. When I was a child, I remember, the neighbors hung out on the sidewalk while the kids played in the street. We thought the neighbor who never came out to talk with anyone was strange for not joining the community of neighbors on a nice summer night.

But, as an adult living in West Des Moines, I had neighbors just two houses away that I never met and never spoke to – in eight years! Some people opened their garage doors, drove in, and closed the garage doors so they would never have to interact with anybody outside their homes. I tried to get to know my neighbors. As you can imagine, I was pretty outgoing. Some of them, though, didn’t want to be known.

When we moved to our new home in the country, I thought country living would be different and I would get to know all my neighbors. I had this romantic view of neighbors helping one another with projects and sharing garden bounty and eggs and baked goods. However, when I made my first visit to my next-door neighbor, she told me how she used to know every person up and down our five-mile road. Now everyone had died or moved away, and she didn’t know anyone.

Sadly, I’ve found life in the country to be just like life in suburbia. I know the names of only four of my neighbors, and I actually talk to only one of them. Nowadays everyone is too busy and wants to be left alone.

I can’t lie – I’m equally part of the problem. I’m too busy. I’ve never invited the neighbors to our home. We all live within sight of one another, and yet no one actually exhibits any level of neighborliness. We don’t help each other; we don’t know who has needs; we all live as islands. We are connected only on Facebook.

I’m guessing my experience is similar to many of your experiences. People who used to live near you have passed on or moved away. New families have moved in, and slowly the neighborhood connection has dwindled. Beyond just your neighborhood, the entire community of Chariton has been changing over the years. Hy-Vee moved out. New families moved in. Businesses closed and new ones opened. But somehow, in all the change, we have all become less connected.

The disintegration of what it means to be a neighbor makes Jesus’s story all the more relevant for us today.

Who Is My Neighbor?

We first find an expert in the law testing Jesus. This lawyer, who knew all the laws of the Old Testament, wanted to know how Jesus’s teaching measured up with what God had taught in the Torah. He led with the ultimate question every person in the world SHOULD want to have answered.

Luke 10:25-28 – 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; and, Love your neighbor as yourself.”

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

I love how blunt this conversation is. Essentially the guy asks, “What do I need to do to go to Heaven?” Even though they didn’t have as developed a view of Heaven in Jesus’s time as we do today, they knew that an eternal life with God was available. This man wanted to test Jesus about how He viewed the way to eternal life.

I wish more people cared about the real answer to this question today. Many people just answer it for themselves with something that sounds good – like “Be a nice person” – and then feel like they have their ticket to Heaven punched. Can we all agree this truly is the most important question a person can wrestle with in this life? If you are here today and have never wondered what Jesus has to say about this question, I’m glad you came this morning!

Rather than answering the question, Jesus does what He always does and asks His own question in return. Knowing that the man is an expert in the law, Jesus asks him, “What does the law say?” (In other words, “What do you interpret it to mean?”)

This religious-elite man knew that the law, even with its focus on holiness, righteousness, and doing everything right, could still be summed up with two love commands: the command to love God with everything you have (Deuteronomy 5:5); and the command to love your neighbor as yourself (Leviticus 19:18).

Jesus never does answer the question, but simply agrees with the man’s analysis: love God and love others, and YOU WILL LIVE.

This man also knows Jewish writings we are not familiar with because they aren’t in our Bible. For instance, “Sirach” was written in the middle of the 400 silent years between the last prophet of God and the birth of Jesus. Sirach 12:14 basically says to help the devout but not the sinners. This man is likely trying to see what Jesus thinks about this issue.

Luke 10:29 – But he wanted to justify himself, so he asked Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?”

In “justifying himself,” I’m not sure if he wanted to show he was an A+ student who loved over and above the requirement to love the devout, or if he was verifying that his limits on love were in the right spot. When you ask “Who is my neighbor?” you are really asking “How far must this command to love really extend?”

If loving your neighbor is the path to eternal live, then “Who, exactly, do I need to show love to?” seems like a silly question. It’s like a student asking the teacher what they need to earn on the final to PASS the class. Not to get an A, but to get the bare minimum – a D-.

Jesus responds to this question with a story.

Luke 10:30 – In reply Jesus said, “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, when he was attacked by robbers. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him, and went away leaving him half dead.”

Situation – This trip Jesus describes was well-known for its difficulty. It was a 17-mile journey twisting through the wilderness with caves along the road where thieves were known to hide. Additionally, it has a 3500-foot drop in elevation from Jerusalem to Jericho. (That’s why it says the man is “going down.”)

As Jesus is setting up His story, He may as well say a man is walking through the middle of the inner city at 2 A.M. on a Saturday night. When we hear that, we know bad things lie ahead. This was the case for the victim in this story. He was robbed, stripped, beaten, and left for dead.

Fortunately for him, a priest came by. Or that’s what you would assume as Jesus continues:

Luke 10:31-32 – ³¹”A 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.”

Priests and Levites were supposed to be the good guys in this story, but Jesus ‘s story shows they had a very different value system than what God wants for a person to inherit eternal life.

Both these men choose holiness over compassion. They see the need but respond with caution because they are afraid of being made unclean. That’s the only reason I can imagine for their actions. They don’t even look to see if the man is still alive! They cross to the other side of the road. These men, well versed in the law and the proverbs would definitely know Proverbs 14:21 – “Whoever despises his neighbor is a sinner, but blessed is he who is generous to the poor.”

However, they also were held to the Levitical laws of cleanliness. If this man were dead (and they didn’t know whether he was or wasn’t) they would be made unclean if they were even within six feet of the body. They chose to follow their laws pertaining to cleanliness rather than their laws about mercy. They chose holiness over compassion.

Luke 10:33-35 – ³³”But 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, brought him to an inn, and took care of him. ³⁵The next day he took out two denarii and gave them to the innkeeper. ‘Look after him,’ he said, ‘and when I return, I will reimburse you for any extra expenses you may have.’”

Finally, a Samaritan comes by. This sounds very different to our ears than it would have to Jesus’s original hearers. We hear “Good Samaritan” and immediately think of kindness and compassion – doing something heroic to save a life – and we think that because of how this popular parable has influenced our culture.

In Jesus’s day, however, the Samaritans were a hated group of people who were partly Jewish but followed many of their own laws. The Jews and the Samaritans despised each other. This introduction of a Samaritan into this story is a shocking turn of events!

The shock is intensified when the hated Samaritan shows pity when he sees the man’s plight. Pity moves him to compassion, which moves him to action. Unlike the religious leaders who are unwilling to help, the Samaritan isn’t worried about the requirements of the law or how he might be inconvenienced. He is worried about the man’s life; so he steps in and helps.

His help comes at an incredible cost. Think about it.

• He bandages the man. With what? He probably hasn’t brought bandages with him on his trip, which means he likely uses pieces torn from his own robe.
• There is a financial cost. He uses his own oil and wine and then pays the innkeeper two denarii, which is enough for a two-week stay at the inn.
• The Samaritan puts the man on his donkey. This means instead of riding the treacherous path he is walking. He is uncomfortable and tired.
• The adventure takes a lot of time and is a major inconvenience for the Samaritan, I’m sure. Any plans he has for the rest of that day must wait.

Any Needy Person You Encounter is Your Neighbor

Jesus, turning the expectations of loving the devout and ignoring the sinners, has shown what love for your neighbor really should look like. And He asks:

Luke 10:36-37 – 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.”

When their encounter began, Jesus didn’t disagree with the expert in the law over the command to love. It is the application of that command – who you are to love – on which Jesus challenges the man. You cannot say in advance who you are willing to help and who you don’t need to help. There is no situation in which you are justified in walking past a dying person without responding.  Jesus shows us that nearness and need define “neighbor.” If you see a person with a need, you need to help.

By teaching this, Jesus is tearing down barriers. “Neighbor” is no longer defined by community boundaries or social structures. It is not defined by delineation between sinners and saints or good church-going people and “those people.” “Neighbor” is defined by love poured out. People move from outsiders to neighbors when you show them love. You don’t first identify your neighbors to determine who gets your love. Remember, Jesus is the One who taught us to love even our enemies.

This whole episode then concludes with a very simple teaching: “Go and do likewise.” It’s easy to say, but it’s so much harder to live out! Why do we feel justified in withholding compassion when Jesus tells us it is tied to inheriting eternal life?

1. It’s too costly or inconvenient. Helping someone in need often involves a high cost in emotions, finances, and time. Often a person doesn’t need our money so much as our attention. They need us to drop what we are doing and be present with them – to listen, to care, and only sometimes to help financially. In a world where none of us has any spare time, it can feel too costly to give a person the time they need. We ignore the call, or we try to help as quickly as we can. However, in those times when we help someone in need, we are being the most like Jesus we will ever be, especially to that person. The time you spend showing compassion and mercy to someone who is struggling shows that you know what it means to love God and why He wants you to love others.
2. Every time I help, it hurts me. There is risk in helping. Sometimes you might get bitten after you try to help someone out. It’s not uncommon. The Good Samaritan had risks too. The robbers could have been hanging around waiting for a compassionate soul to kneel down to help. He could have been the next victim, but he didn’t let fear of what could go wrong stop him from doing right. Neither should you.
3. They made the mess. Yes, the person needing help could very well be guilty of making some terrible decision that led them to where they are. We like to say, “You made your bed; now lie in it.” That makes me feel justified when I say it, but it doesn’t line up with the teaching of Jesus at all. Everyone makes mistakes. Everyone sins. Jesus offers forgiveness to all of us. He wants us to show love, mercy and compassion even to those who brought the trouble on themselves.
4. They might abuse my kindness. I get it; you’ve been burned before. Someone took advantage of your kindness or squandered it on something different from what they said they needed it for. Still, you should extend help the next time. You need to understand: (1) you will answer to God on whether you helped those in need; (2) they will answer to God for how they used the compassion they were offered; (3) you must worry about your side of the equation and leave their side between them and God.
5. God will meet their need. Some Christians have such a trust in God that they believe God will provide for the need, and they pray for God to send people to help. BUT, what if God wants YOU to be His hands and His fee?. God shows His love through His people who obey His leading. By stepping in to help, you have the opportunity to demonstrate God’s love for that person. Telling them God loves them and will provide, but then not helping, demonstrates nothing.

I understand that this message is challenging. You may think of all sorts of situations that cause you to think, “But does that mean I’m supposed to do this or that?”

I also understand that with the advent of the Internet we are bombarded every day with needs from around the globe. Yes, it may be impossible for you to meet every single need you encounter in our highly connected world. We are finite beings.

However, I believe the Holy Spirit will lead you to recognize which people you are responsible for. They are likely the people whose needs are dropped right in front of you. They may not be friends or family. Their issues may be self-inflicted. They might even abuse your assistance. They could look very different from you and value things differently than you do. Yet, as nearness and need come together in front of you, they become the neighbors you are to love as yourself.

A Life of Discipleship

As I wrap up today, I want to pull together the past five messages from this series for you. As we began the series we looked at the open offer of God. Salvation is available to all. Then, in the past five messages, we have looked at how we should RESPOND to God’s amazing gift.

• Building our lives on the rock of Jesus’s teaching. We make choices differently than the people of the world do. We choose obedience to God rather than satisfying our own cravings.
• Forgiving Others. We are not like the unmerciful servant who had an unimaginably massive debt forgiven by his master but still expected his peer to pay him back a tiny debt. We are called to forgive because Christ forgave us. Full stop. No exceptions.
• Investing Our Talents. We recognize we have been blessed with talents, abilities, and opportunities, which we can squander on ourselves or invest in the Kingdom of God.
• Managing Our Wealth. We are not like the rich fool who hit it big with a bumper crop and then thought he could take life easy until he died. We understand that all we have comes from God. We are to be wise and generous stewards of His money, to be a blessing to others, and to further His Kingdom.
• Now – Today – Loving Our Neighbors. We see that compassionate and merciful love transcends who we like, who we trust would do the same for us, and whether we have the time or the money. We see that the love God wants us to pour out may be inconvenient – even lavish – just like the love He has given us.

You might notice that much of this teaching is focused on our relationships with others. That’s for a good reason. Our relationship with God is expressed through our relation with the people around us. We love God WHEN we love others well.

What we’ve seen in these five messages is what it looks like to LOVE GOD AND LIVE IN HIS KINGDOM ON EARTH. This isn’t the bar; this isn’t how you EARN you way in. That only happens when you put your trust in Jesus to forgive you massive debt of sin and allow the Holy Spirit to come into your life and empower you to live in this new way.

These actions and choices demonstrate that you have been transformed by the power of God, have joined the family of God, and see He has a new and BETTER way for His children to live.