According To Luke: Never Neglect Your Neighbor

According To Luke: Never Neglect Your Neighbor

Opening Illustration:

One morning after church, a 325-pound man in his mid-twenties told his minister, “I’m so depressed and I can’t get any dates. I’ve tried everything to lose weight but just can’t seem to succeed.”

“I believe I can help you,” said the minister. “Be dressed and ready to go tomorrow at 8 a.m. sharp.”

The next morning, a beautiful woman in an attractive exercise outfit knocked on the man’s door. “If you can catch me, you can have me,” she said, as she took off.

He huffed and puffed while chasing after her to no avail.

This same routine continued every day for the next six months. The man actually lost 120 pounds and was confident that he’d catch the woman the very next day.

That morning he swung open his front door and found a 300-pound lady in a jogging suit waiting for him. “The preacher said to tell you,” she began, “that if I can catch you, I can have you.” And the chase began ...

Point:

Question tor you this morning, what gets you moving? What gets you out of bed? Here is another question. Why are you here this morning? Did you hit that alarm this morning with a grumbling spirit. Maybe you wished you could sleep longer. Maybe you are here because you are “supposed” to be here. This church thing is just another thing to check on your list of being spiritual. 

Friend, is the faith that is suppose to spark you into action sinking you like an anchor?

Point:

Brothers and sisters, your faith, your religion, your commitment to Christ should compel you, not crush you. Some of us feel burdened by our version of Christianity. That is not the reality of the Gospel. Remember, Jesus wants you to bring to Him your burdens, your troubles, and your sorrows. Our faith should motivate us to love, our faith should not cause us to languish away. 

Answer this question this morning, if your faith compelling or crushing?

Is Your Faith Compelling or Crushing?

Background and Context:

Jesus tells the story of a man who was going "down" from Jerusalem to Jericho (probably returning home after being at the Temple). That road literally went "down," dropping 3,300 feet in elevation in the course of 17 miles. It went through rocky wilderness areas, perfect hideouts for bandits and robbers. And this is exactly what happened; the man was attacked, robbed, beaten, stripped, and left for dead. 

A Priest and a Levite, in turn, passed by on the other side of the road -- though the Levite took a good look first!  Why didn’t they stop? Were they worried about being attacked themselves? Or were they worried that they would become unclean by touching a dead body? No reasons are given why neither one stopped to help the injured man, but we can surmise it was probably related to their temple duties and the need to avoid being ritually unclean by touching an outcast (Samaritan) and someone who was injured. Touching a dead or bleeding body would have made Jewish men ritually unclean – meaning they would not be able to worship without an elaborate ritual of steps and a lengthy time-frame to re-establish their cleanliness. More than likely, the Levite and the priest didn’t want to help the injured man because of the sacrifice it would mean to them personally.

Then a Samaritan comes along. Jesus tells us the man's heart is "filled with pity." He applies such first-aid as was available in the day--bandages, wine and olive oil. He puts the man on his animal to ride, while he walks. He takes the man to an inn, stays with him overnight, pays for his care, and guarantees any future expenditures that would be needed.

To get the full impact of the story, it is helpful to remember that both the priest and the Levite were officials involved with worship at the Jerusalem Temple. They would have known the Law, and might have been expected to help the man in need--especially presuming the victim was a member of the Jewish community. A Samaritan, however, was quite the outsider. He would have been the person least expected to help! 

Let’s read the story this morning. Open your Bibles to Luke 10:25-37. 

Scripture:

Luke 10:25-37 ESV

25 And behold, a lawyer stood up to put him to the test, saying, “Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?” 26 He said to him, “What is written in the Law? How do you read it?” 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.” 28 And he said to him, “You have answered correctly; do this, and you will live.”

29 But he, desiring to justify himself, said to Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?” 30 Jesus replied, “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and he fell among robbers, who stripped him and beat him and departed, leaving him half dead. 31 Now by chance a priest was going down that road, and when he saw him he passed by on the other side. 32 So likewise a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. 33 But a Samaritan, as he journeyed, came to where he was, and when he saw him, he had compassion. 34 He went to him and bound up his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he set him on his own animal and brought him to an inn and took care of him. 35 And the next day he took out two denarii and gave them to the innkeeper, saying, ‘Take care of him, and whatever more you spend, I will repay you when I come back.’ 36 Which of these three, do you think, proved to be a neighbor to the man who fell among the robbers?” 37 He said, “The one who showed him mercy.” And Jesus said to him, “You go, and do likewise.”

3 Lessons From Jesus’ Parable

I. Love’s Clarification vs. 29

Luke 10:29 ESV

29 But he, desiring to justify himself, said to Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?” 

Point:

Now that is a good question. Who is my neighbor? Loving God with all my heart and all my soul and all my strength and all my mind…check! Then Jesus adds one more thing. You will love your neighbor. Jesus is pulling this from Leviticus 19:18, “Do not seek revenge or bear a grudge against anyone among your people, but love your neighbor as yourself. I am the Lord.”

Now this question is not really a question to find out who his neighbor is. The question who is my neighbor is really asking who do I not have to love? Who is my neighbor equals Who don’t I have to love? That is what he really wants to know. Just how far does my love have to extend and where can it end?

The word that Jesus uses for “neighbor” in Luke is markedly different from the word “neighbor” being used in Leviticus. The word for neighbor in Leviticus means a friend, a companion, or someone that shares an intimate relationship with you.

Jesus, in Luke, gives another definition of the word neighbor which drives the question from the lawyer. You see, the lawyer was working from an Old Testament meaning. Jesus gives a new meaning. The Greek word being used by Jesus for neighbor means any person, and where two are concerned, the other person always has consideration above ourselves. It means fellow man. According to Christ, any other man irrespective of nation or religion with whom we live or whom we chance to meet. 

What is the implication of Christ’s changing of words? This means that we are to love those who we deem unlovable. This means that those we deem to have an abominable lifestyle, we are to love them. This means those who hold to a different religion than us, we are to love them too. We are to love the refugee, the homeless, the diseased, those are ethnically different than us, even those that might attack us and do us harm. 

Our neighbor is not just the person who sits in the pew with you this morning, our neighbor is potentially anyone on the planet. 

No, I am not saying that we trade the truths of Scripture to sooth the ears of sinners. No. Rather I am saying that we act like saints, loving people, ministering to needs in the name of Jesus. Being a good neighbor means being Jesus in action and words. 

James 2:8 ESV

If you really fulfill the royal law according to the Scripture, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself,” you are doing well.

3 Lessons From Jesus’ Parable

I. Love’s Clarification vs. 29

II. Love’s Compassion vs. 33

Luke 10:33 ESV

33 But a Samaritan, as he journeyed, came to where he was, and when he saw him, he had compassion. 

Point:

So we have heard the story this morning. The parable of the man who falls into the hands of evil men, he is beaten, stripped, robbed and left for dead. That is a pretty horrible story. Thankfully, religious people are seen moving his way. The first is a priest and the other a Levite. Why did these religious people not stop to help?

Religion:

One reason why the priest and Levite passed up the man on the side of the road was because of their religion. They were both Jews headed to Jerusalem to worship. I can just picture them now, “if we touch him we will become ceremonially unclean”. They missed the point. They were like the Pharisees who took every bit of the law and did not show any grace. They obeyed the law to its letter and looked down on anyone who saw the principle of the law as more important. We as Christians sometimes get caught up in trying to meet the commands that we miss the principles that Jesus taught.

Prejudice:

I wonder if one reason why the Priest and the Levite did not help the man in need was because of prejudice.

I believe that there is a lot of racism within the church of Christ. How often do we see people of a different race in our churches? Is it their fault or ours? I tend to think it is more our fault because we do not show the love of Christ to some people because of their race or their nationality.

Illustration:

In his autobiography, Mahatma Gandhi wrote that during his student days he read the Gospels seriously and considered converting to Christianity. He believed that in the teachings of Jesus he could find the solution to the caste system that was dividing the people of India. So one Sunday he decided to attend services at a nearby church and talk to the minister about becoming a Christian. When he entered the sanctuary, however, the usher refused to give him a seat and suggested that he o worship with his own people. Gandhi left the church and never returned, “If Christians have caste differences also, “ he said, “I might as well remain a Hindu.” That usher’s prejudice not only betrayed Jesus but also turned a person away from trusting Him as Savior.

This is a serious issue brothers and sisters. Do you not show the love of Christ to someone because of how they look?

Lack of Compassion:

Clearly these men had a compassion problem. I know that some people are more compassionate than others, but this is going a bit far. This man was dying and they did nothing. They didn’t just stand by, they walked by. 

The Greek word that Jesus uses for compassion is the same word for pity. The word actually in the Greek means to feel something so deep that we feel it in our gut. As we love others, we need to feel their pain, their hurt, their misery and be so compelled by these emotions that we act. 

Philippians 2:4 ESV

Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others.

3 Lessons From Jesus’ Parable

I. Love’s Clarification vs. 29

II. Love’s Compassion vs. 33

III. Love’s Cost vs. 33-35

Luke 10:33-35 ESV

33 But a Samaritan, as he journeyed, came to where he was, and when he saw him, he had compassion. 34 He went to him and bound up his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he set him on his own animal and brought him to an inn and took care of him. 35 And the next day he took out two denarii and gave them to the innkeeper, saying, ‘Take care of him, and whatever more you spend, I will repay you when I come back.’ 

Point:

There is always a cost to love. Always. Love is going to cost us our time. Love may cost us our financial resources. The call to love may mean giving up a career in pursuit of a more noble goal. The call to love may mean that we deal with people that make us feel uncomfortable or even unsafe. 

Point:

Jesus calls His followers to have a willingness to cross social barriers. This Samaritan did not consider the religious implications. He did not act or not act because of racial issues. There was no national barrier keeping him from acting. Think of the Samaritan he took a great risk by stopping to help, what if the robbers were still near by, And what if other thieves came by on this road known as "The Way Of Blood"?

So Christians are called upon to take risks, but how do we know people won’t take advantage of our generosity? I hear people say; well my answer is where is your faith in God!

A Christian needs a willingness to set aside busy schedules. The Samaritan was on a journey, but took the time to stop and care for the man.

A Christian needs a willingness to make sacrifices. The Samaritan sacrificed more than just time and energy, he used some of his own provisions - and he even offered an open-ended agreement to provide for his keep.

Jesus taught His disciples to be willing to make sacrifices. We as Christians need to do likewise if we are to be true followers of God and walk in love 

Ephesians 5:1-2 ESV

Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children. 2 And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.

Make It Your Goal To Love Like Jesus!