The Good Samaritan

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Well, it's a great privilege to open God's Word with God's people on this midnight, mid-week meeting.
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This is Recharge Our Spiritual Batteries Night.
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I hope everyone will be edified and spiritually nourished by the study of God's Word tonight.
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If you recall, Jesus was once asked by one of the scribes which of the commandments was the most important, and he summarized the law of God by saying, Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength, and love your neighbor as yourself.
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Tonight, I want to look at the second part of that great commandment, loving your neighbor as yourself.
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If you were to ask several Christians who is your neighbor, most likely you would get several different answers.
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But since the only answer that matters is God's answer, turn to Luke chapter 10, and we'll find out what God has to say on the subject.
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Luke chapter 10 contains a story that is commonly called the Parable of the Good Samaritan.
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It's familiar to every Christian because it's been told and retold in Sunday school classes, and it's been the subject of many a sermon.
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Because you no doubt know the story very well, you might be inclined tonight to listen with only one ear, or dare I say it, even get a little drifty.
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Don't do that.
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Don't get drifty.
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In the passage in Luke 10 that we're about to look at, Jesus is going to encounter a man who will ask, Who is my neighbor? And I think you may be quite surprised by the way Jesus deals with that question.
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When Jesus is asked a question in the Gospels, often the intent of the questioner isn't to learn something, but the intent is to test him or trap him in his words in order to be able to accuse him of being a false teacher.
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When such insincerity is behind the question, the answer Jesus gives is unpredictable.
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It's not at all what you would expect.
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Sometimes he even responds to a question by asking a question of his own.
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This is exactly what happens in connection with the story of the Good Samaritan.
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In fact, Jesus will teach us that asking who is my neighbor is not even a question we should ask.
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Instead, the question that we should ask or be concerned with is, What kind of a person am I? With that in mind, I'll follow along as I read Luke 10, 25-37.
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Normally we stand, but on this midweek service, go ahead and remain seated.
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That would be Luke 10, beginning in verse 25.
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And behold, a certain lawyer stood up and tested him, saying, Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life? He said to him, What is written in the law? What is your reading of it? So he answered and said, 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.
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And he said to him, You have answered rightly.
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Do this and you will live.
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But he, wanting to justify himself, said to Jesus, And who is my neighbor? Then Jesus answered and said, A certain man went down from Jerusalem to Jericho and fell among thieves who stripped him of his clothing, wounded him, and departed, leaving him half dead.
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Now, by chance, a certain priest came down that road, and when he saw him, he passed by on the other side.
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Likewise, a Levite, when he arrived at the place, came and looked and passed by on the other side.
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But a certain Samaritan, as he journeyed, came where he was, and when he saw him he had compassion.
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So he went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine, and he set him on his own animal and brought him to an inn and took care of him.
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On the next day, when he departed, he took out two denarii, gave them to the innkeeper, and said to him, Take care of him, and whatever more you spend, when I come again I will repay you.
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So which of these three do you think was a neighbor to him who fell among the thieves? And he said, He who showed mercy on him.
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Then Jesus said to him, Go and do likewise.
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Let us pray.
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Our Heavenly Father, we confess that we could not address you as our Father had you not loved us with a sovereign, electing love.
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We also confess that we did not merit such love, that it was all of grace.
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We further confess that we do not love you with all of our heart, with all of our soul, with all of our mind, and with all of our strength.
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In spite of our unfaithfulness, however, you abound in mercy and your love remains steadfast.
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Please bless this time tonight as we look at the story of the Good Samaritan and help us to learn the lesson that Jesus is teaching in the parable.
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In his name and for his sake, amen.
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There are three individuals who appear in this story, a priest, a Levite, and a Samaritan.
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The Samaritan was not like the priest and the Levite.
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He was a different kind of person.
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The question, Who is my neighbor? didn't come to his mind.
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He didn't ask himself, Who is this person lying in the road? Is he someone who deserves my help? Is he someone who will be grateful for my help? The Samaritan didn't consider things like that because he was a person whose heart had been changed by grace.
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The Samaritan, therefore, knew only one thing to do, show the same compassion that had been shown to him by God.
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At the beginning of the passage in verse 27, we read that a certain lawyer stood up to test Jesus and said, Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life? Well, this is the kind of question Jesus loves to answer if it is asked in good faith.
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In this instance, Jesus knew the man was not being sincere.
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The man said to be a certain lawyer already knew the answer to his question.
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When I say the man knew the answer to the question, I mean he knew it in an academic sense.
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He was a highly educated man, well-schooled in Judaism.
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He no doubt knew every jot and tittle of the law inside and out, but he didn't know the answer about eternal life personally.
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He didn't know it in a saving way.
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He knew about God.
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He didn't know God.
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And so he asked the question insincerely.
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Why did he do that? Why did he ask a question if he already knew the answer to it? Verse 25 said his motive was to test Jesus, or as the New American Standard translation says, to put into the test.
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Perhaps if the answer Jesus gave was not the one commonly taught by the rabbis, he could make himself look good by the answer which they approved.
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Perhaps he even had an evil motive in asking the question.
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Many of the scribes and the Pharisees asked Jesus questions with evil intent.
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They would ask him a question hoping he would misspeak so then they could accuse him of false teaching and even blasphemy, a capital offense.
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Whichever the case, this wasn't the first time Jesus was confronted by an insincere questioner.
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Perhaps the most well-known attempt to trap Jesus in his words was the time some Pharisees and Herodians asked him a very ingenious question.
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Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar or not? They couldn't wait to hear his answer because they thought they had come up with the perfect gotcha question.
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They believed that if Jesus said it was all right to pay taxes, he would lose his enormous popular support among the people since they despised the taxes that they had to pay under the rule of Rome.
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On the other hand, if Jesus told them not to pay taxes to Caesar, the Herodians could accuse him of being a seditious person who taught rebellion against the Roman government.
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So the question about paying taxes was a well-thought-out trap question.
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So cunningly conceived and deceitful, in fact, it's almost certain that the great deceiver, the father of lies, must have inspired it.
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When asked about the payment of taxes, Jesus responded by asking a question of his own.
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Why put me to the test, or why are you trying to trap me? He then asked for a coin, a denarius.
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When they brought one to him, he held it up and asked another question.
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Whose image and inscription is this? Caesar's, they responded, and then Jesus gave the well-known answer, render to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's.
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Herodians and Pharisees could only marvel at that amazing answer, and then they left Jesus and went their way.
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Well, likewise, here in Luke 10, when Jesus was asked a question about eternal life by the lawyer, he knew the man was only trying to test him regarding a controversial theological point, and so he responded by asking a question of his own.
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Actually two questions, verse 26, what is written in the law and what is your reading of it? In effect, Jesus was saying, so you want to know what you must do to inherit eternal life? Why don't you tell me what is written in the law and what is your understanding of it? The man was quick to answer, and did so in verse 27 by quoting from Deuteronomy and Leviticus.
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You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, with all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself.
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The man was so eager to show off his knowledge of the law, he didn't realize that would expose his insincerity.
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Luke tells us in verse 29 that the man wanted to justify himself.
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That is to say, he wanted to make himself look good before others.
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So after Jesus told him in verse 28 that his answer was correct, that if he did those things he will live, the man said to Jesus in verse 29, and who is my neighbor? Now, the man doesn't say it, but this is what he is thinking by asking that question.
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Hold on a minute.
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It is not that easy.
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You say to me I must love my neighbor? It is not quite so clear cut as that.
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Just who qualifies to be my neighbor? Every ethnic group? Poor people as well as rich people? People from some other country? People who are hygiene challenged? People who won't even be grateful for my help? Babies who haven't even been born yet? Jesus, what kind of people qualify for my compassion? Just who is my neighbor? Jesus does not like the man's question, and he does not answer it.
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Instead he tells a parable, and at the conclusion of the parable he will turn the question around.
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Instead of who is my neighbor, the question will become what kind of person are you? The story that Jesus told was the story of a man who had been attacked by thieves.
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He had been beaten, stripped of his clothes, and left for dead lying in the road somewhere between Jerusalem and Jericho.
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The first two people that came on the scene were religious men, first a priest and then a Levite.
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They were both well-versed in the word of God.
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They knew the commandment of Leviticus to love their neighbor as themselves, but were told in verse 31 and 32 that when each saw the man in the road, they passed by on the other side.
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Each of these religious men made a conscious decision to disobey the commandment of God.
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Maybe they were in a hurry that day to fulfill their religious duties.
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But think about how callous and uncaring they were.
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The priest and the Levite saw a wounded and bloody man lying in the road, unable to help himself, and they passed him by.
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They walked around him and put him out of their minds.
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Perhaps it was because of who he was.
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Maybe he was a Gentile.
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Perhaps it was because they were too busy.
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Perhaps they were afraid of thieves.
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Perhaps they didn't want to get blood on their fine robes.
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Maybe it was some other reason, but whatever it was, they passed him by and made no attempt to even go for help.
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The third man who arrived at the scene was a Samaritan.
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He wasn't a Jew like the Levite and the priest, and he wasn't like them in another way.
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He was someone who knew he should love his neighbor as himself, and he was someone who would love his neighbor as himself, because grace had changed his heart.
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We are told in verse 33 that when he saw the beaten man, he had compassion.
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He had compassion because he was a man who was conscious in his own soul of the compassion of God.
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He knew he had once been a helpless, miserable sinner, and that God had pity on him and had lifted him out of the miry clay.
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So, when he saw the wounded man, he knew he must extend to him the compassion that had been shown to him, and so he did not pass by on the other side.
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He stopped.
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Just like the priest and the Levite, he surely had important things to attend to.
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He knew the thieves could return and attack him, knew at the very least he would be inconvenienced.
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These concerns no doubt occurred to him, but they did not rule his heart.
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We are told in verses 34 and 35 that he went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine, and set him on his own animal, brought him to an inn, and took care of him.
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On the next day, when he departed, he took out two denarii, gave them to the innkeeper, and said to him, ìTake care of him.
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Whatever more you spend, when I come again, I will repay you.î Are you beginning to see what Jesus is doing? He had been speaking with a man who correctly told him that to inherit eternal life, a person must love God completely and love his neighbor as himself.
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But then he wanted to know who was considered to be his neighbor.
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In other words, the man wanted Jesus to tell him who qualified to be a recipient of his love and compassion.
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Jesus, however, does not like that question at all, and he will change it from ìWho qualifies to be your neighbor?î to ìWho will be a neighbor to someone in need?î He does that by telling a story about a man who had been beaten and left for dead.
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The focus of the story is not on the victim or whether or not they deserve to be helped.
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The focus of the story is on the kind of people who arrived at the scene.
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The first two had no compassion.
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Their time was too valuable.
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They were too important.
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They were too good.
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But one man was not too good or too important or too busy.
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The Samaritan knew by grace what God had done for him.
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He was a different kind of person.
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Notice now the question Jesus asks at the end of the parable in verse 36.
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ìSo which of these three do you think was neighbor to him who fell among the thieves?î Do you see now that Jesus has completely shifted the question from ìWho is my neighbor?î to ìWho is a neighbor to others?î Doesnít it seem like Jesus is teaching us that Godís people donít need to try to figure out who their neighbor is because everyone they encounter with a need is their neighbor.
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Who should I help or who is my neighbor is not a proper question for a Christian to ask.
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The proper question for a Christian is ìWho am I?î Am I someone who is willing to be a need? And if so, what can I do to help? The Levite and the priest did not know Godís gospel of compassion and grace.
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Was it because they couldnít give a good theological definition of Godís loving kindness? No, they were highly educated religious men who could give a fine definition of it.
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There was just one problem.
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They did not know about Godís grace personally because they were self-righteous, and self-righteousness is ignorant about compassion.
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The Samaritan, however, had tasted Godís grace.
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The Levite and the priest had not.
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Theologically they were experts about the grace of God, but their hearts were so filled with pride there was no room in them for compassion.
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But because the Samaritan who represents the Christian in this story had received compassion, he desired to express that compassion.
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Did you notice all the details Jesus put into this story? Itís a major part of the parable.
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Perhaps by emphasizing the gritty hands-on compassion shown by the Samaritan, Jesus was making a statement about those who would follow after him.
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Look again at verses 34 and 35.
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ìThe Samaritan bound up the manís wounds, poured on oil and wine, and set him on his own animal.î Well, in doing that, he certainly got blood on his clothes.
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ìHe walked so that the man could ride, then he brought him to an inn and took care of him.
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He stayed with him the whole night.
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When morning came, he could have left.
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Heíd done his part.
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Surely someone would continue to care for the man.
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But he doesnít leave just yet.
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To be sure that the man would be looked after, he gives the innkeeper money and he promises that if thatís not enough, heíll repay the rest when he gets back.î Compassion is a self-sacrificing kindness of heart that ignores convenience or inconvenience, expense, time and involvement.
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ìFreely you have received, freely give,î says Jesus.
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The Samaritan had freely received and he desired to live in thankfulness before God.
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Aware of what God had done for him, he was able to overcome his fear, the hardship of having to walk, the inconvenience of a disrupted schedule and the personal expense.
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He was a man who had died to self.
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Me, mine, my time, myself, my ease, my comfort, my happiness, my life were set aside.
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The Samaritan loved in truth and deed and showed compassion.
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He was a hearer and a doer of the word.
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Well, when Jesus asked the lawyer which of the three was a neighbor to the man who fell among thieves, the lawyer correctly said in verse 37, ìHe who showed mercy on him.î And then Jesus said to him, ìGo and do likewise.î Go and do likewise.
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If we have tasted Godís grace, those are our marching orders.
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We are to do likewise.
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Weíre to be Samaritans.
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As we walk in this world, weíre called by Jesus to reveal the grace of God that was shown to us.
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Weíre called by Jesus to be his disciples.
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When we see a wounded sinner who will die in his sin if everyone passes him by, we must seek the opportunity to speak the gospel to him, to pour on the oil and wine of Godís word.
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If weíre different from the priests and the Levite, we must act differently.
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If weíre ruled by Christ and not by self, we must demonstrate the compassion of the Lord.
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The question for us should never be, ìWhat kind of person is this before me who needs a helping hand or the word of God?î ìAre they someone deserving of my help?î No, that is not the question.
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The proper question is, ìWhat did God do for me, and what can I do that will reflect his mercy on me?î ìGo and do likewise.î means that Jesus expects that just as we have received mercy, we will extend mercy to those God places in our way.
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To the glory of his name, let us pray.
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Our Father in heaven, thank you for your word and for the portion of it that we looked at tonight about a man who was compassionate to his neighbor because you had been compassionate to him.
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We desire to be like that man, but we confess that it is a struggle because of our sinful nature.
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We want to deny ourselves, but the world, the flesh, and the devil tempt us daily to serve self and not others.
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Heavenly Father, give us the grace to deny ourselves and to be a neighbor when we are busy or tired or reluctant to get involved.
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Help us to see people as you see them, not as someone who is black or white, rich or poor, or from another country, but as someone who is either saved or lost.
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Help us to get past a personís skin color, nationality, or station in life so that those superficial external differences wonít hinder us from being a neighbor.
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Help us to see that it is only the condition of a personís heart that has any eternal significance.
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Help us to see that the most compassionate thing we can do to be a neighbor to someone is to tell them the good news of what Jesus did 2,000 years ago when he died for the sins of his people so that they would not have to die, and to tell them how our faith in him changed our lives.
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Because we are slow to learn and quick to forget, continue to remind us through your word that had you not shown us compassion, we would be without hope in this world.
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Heavenly Father, give us the grace also to make a stand for your word in this present evil age.
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For Jesusí sake, make us true disciples.
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Amen.