Wednesday, August 15, 2012


The Good Samaritan           August 12, 2012



Introduction: Today we are going to look at the story of the Good Samaritan; a story Jesus told in answer to the question, “Who is my neighbour.” This story serves to remind us all of the three founding principles of our Fellowship.  Can anyone tell me what these three principles are? (Love God, Love others and Serve)  Our story touches each principle. 

As we read the Scripture passage we are confronted with some very important questions and then some very peculiar responses to those questions. It will be helpful to realize that this is a story within a story and we will have to be careful not to lose sight of the original encounter and the original questions. Scripture: Luke 10:25-37

Situation: The expert in the Law and Jesus were having a conversation about eternal life and trying to answer the question who is my neighbour.  In order for us to get the meaning of this story we have to ask ourselves what did people say, what did they do and what were the results and what can we learn from this? 

Look closely at verses 25-28 what can we learn about the expert in the Law from what he says?  How would you describe or define an, “expert in the Law?” (extremely knowledgeable in the teaching of the Law; the first five books of the Bible) We are also told that he wants to test Jesus- Why? - He refers to Jesus as “Teacher”- is this a sign of respect? As you reflect on the first question, “What must I do to inherit eternal life?” can you think of why this particular question was asked? Was he asking Jesus to answer questions he already knew the answers to?

Do you find anything peculiar about how Jesus responds to the question?  (Jesus responds to the question with a question?) Why? Was Jesus gauging the man’s knowledge? (if he understood the Law did that make him accountable to keep it?)

In verse 27 and 28 it appears as though the man had answered correctly and the conversation was over. 

What else can we learn about this man from verse 29?  (Scripture says he wanted to justify himself- Why -pride- was he really interested in the answers to his questions, or was he trying to make himself look good- could motive be suspect here? It seems that the man had a lot of knowledge about the Law in his head but what about his heart?) This second question seems simple and innocent enough, however, in light of the fact that the Scripture tells us the man’s motive (self justification); what do you think the man was really asking Jesus? (clue, remember he is an expert in the Law; remember the hero in Jesus story is the good Samaritan. Notice the use of contrast; this is a Hebrew writer’s method to amplify the difference between how the expert of the Law felt and how the good Samaritan acted) Could the expert of the Law be saying something like, “Do I have to love even Samaritans?” In order for us to get to the truth here we need to look closely at how Jesus answers the man and then compare the man’s question with Jesus question in verse 36. 

How does Jesus answer the question, “Who is my neighbour?”(With the story of the Good Samaritan)

Jesus now answers the man’s original question, “Who is my neighbor,” with another question, “Which of these three was a neighbour to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?”

Can you see what Jesus has done here? How does Jesus question differ from the original question? Jesus’ story and question put the onus on the expert in the Law.  To have the proper perspective here we have to realize the point is not, ‘Who is my neighbour’ but rather, “How can I be a neighbour to those in need.”  The point is not, you only need to be a neighbour to certain people( i.e. those you like, those who treat you nicely in return), your neighbourliness only needs to extend so far. How far should neighbourliness extend?  To get the truth principle on that let’s look again at how Jesus ends this conversation. He turns to the expert and asks this question, “Which of these three do you think was a neighbour…”Why did Jesus say this, what is He doing? (Helping someone who does not want to see the truth see it—Jesus is leading this man to the truth) Look at the man’s reply, “The one who had mercy on him.” Jesus has now maneuvered the man to the moment of truth (the man answers his own question) and Jesus says to him, “Go and do likewise.”

Extending Mercy: Take a moment and look at what the Good Samaritan did and what we can learn about extending mercy from this man.  He helped the helpless at considerable cost and inconvenience to himself.  He ignored all cultural and religious barriers and had mercy.  He saw a need and didn’t shy away from it.  He stayed with the man until he could get him to a good care facility.  He did not look for anything in return for what he had done.

Conclusion:  In this story we have discovered a more accurate picture of “the expert in the Law;” how would you describe him now that you have read the entire story? (Self-centred, proud, arrogant, blind to the truth about himself, blind to the needs of others, a full head and an empty heart.)   What was his downfall in the story?  Pride – wanted to look good – justify himself.

Do you see this kind of thing going on today?  Where, or in whom? Have you ever found yourself more concerned with looking good in the eyes of others, personal image, pride, or justifying yourself? Do you avoid facing the truth about yourself (for example, if you see inconsistencies in your own life, are you reluctant to deal with them) what about the needs of others? Would you say you are aware of the needs of those in your circle of influence, and the opportunities God puts in your way to show mercy to others? What is your motive for showing mercy to others? (a sense of duty or true concern)

What can we learn from this story that would help us to show mercy to others, be more like the Good Samaritan and less like the self- righteous expert in the Law? (true mercy has no agenda and no boundaries; we show mercy to others unconditionally because God showed mercy to us unconditionally; showing mercy has nothing to do with self-justification; an abundance of Biblical knowledge in the head, does not guarantee an abundance of mercy in the heart; when Christ reveals our heart and what is lacking in it to us, we need to accept that truth and ask Him to help us face and deal with it; we are on a spiritual journey, a process of becoming “Christ-like.” It takes time for Biblical knowledge to move from our head to our heart, and it takes time for us to face truth about ourselves.

In your desire to help those in your circle of influence and the people in this community by showing them God’s mercy, are you ready to follow Jesus’ instruction to the expert of the Law, to “Go and do likewise?”

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