Parables: Everyday Stories, Eternal Truths – Luke 10:25-37

You might find this hard to believe but this morning’s passage is about a lawyer who wants to argue! Shocking right? Take a look at it-Luke 10:25a. I can just hear the lawyer jokes!

But this lawyer wants to argue with the Lord. This lawyer is going to make his case to Jesus-as if he can somehow win the argument against the Son of God and gain spiritual blessings. So he begins with a great line of questioning as all lawyers do-Luke 10:25. This is actually the first of two questions the lawyer will ask-and this one concerns salvation. How do I get into heaven? What are the requirements? And we’re already told by Luke that he’s asked it with the wrong motives-putting Jesus to the test. This isn’t earnestly asked with a deep-seated curiosity-please tell me I really want to know. He’s hoping to prove his point and prove Jesus wrong. But it’s a great question nonetheless-the most important question anybody can ask. How do I possess eternal life? And notice how the lawyer phrased it-what shall I do? If there’s something I should do more of in life-something to improve upon let me know-what’s my obligation? So he’s asking it from a very me-centered, works-centered perspective because he’s wanting to prove his own worth. And let’s be honest, we’ve all asked this question at one time or another-What do I have to do to get into heaven? The answer is something we really need to hear. So notice how Jesus responds by asking a question of His own-Luke 10:26-27. These two commands-coming from Deuteronomy and Leviticus-encompass everything the Law says. They’re very comprehensive. Love God and love people. So Jesus quickly commends the lawyer for such an efficient and biblically based summary-Luke 10:28. Nailed it-you’ve got it figured out-love God, love people-and you’re in-you’ll have eternal life. And on the one hand that isn’t complicated at all-but on the other hand it’s not exactly easy either!

Because at this point in the conversation-it should have been clear to the lawyer, as it is to anyone who thinks about these commands for more than 2 seconds, that they haven’t done them. Just go back to them-Luke 10:26-27. Obviously plenty of people love God-but can you admit that you love God with all your heart, all your soul and all your mind? That there’s nothing else that creeps into your heart and steals your affections away? Likewise, plenty of people are kind and loving-but can you admit that you truly love your neighbor as yourself? That your neighbor’s best interest are at the top of your priorities and you’ll run out and do anything for them? That’s love to the nth degree! So none of are perfectly there-we’ve all got plenty of room to grow, plenty of times when we fail to show love like the Law commands. And if anybody should have recognized this inconsistency in people it should be a lawyer-who after reading the Law would would immediately conclude that we don’t keep it; that we often fall quite short at keeping it. But that isn’t this lawyer’s conclusion. Instead of admitting his need and failure he says-Luke 10:29. Again, the lawyer jokes are hard to avoid as this guy is wanting to prove he’s right and justify himself. You can almost picture the lawyer thinking it through-Love God with all your heart-me; all your soul-me also; all your strength and mind-me again; love your neighbor as yourself-definitely, mostly me. I’m really close on this one. I think I might be in-one recipient of eternal life coming up. Just let me verify one little detail-Jesus, who is my neighbor? Because he’s expecting a discussion of legal terms and loopholes. As a good lawyer he’s hoping to find a statute of limitations in order to write off certain people as non-neighbors or non-deserving. Those people don’t count as neighbors-and therefore claim he’s kept the command by loving those who are his real neighbors. If there’s enough wiggle room, if he can argue the fine print and minor details on who to love-and more importantly who not to love-than he thinks he’s in!

And before we judge this lawyer as a hypocrite or a scoundrel-we have to recognize that we do this same thing all the time-that little phrase is so convicting-desiring to justify ourselves before Jesus. Because we do that don’t we? Lord, you’ve seen how hard I’ve been trying, how dedicated I’ve been, how much I’ve served. I’m doing pretty good, right? At least better than half these people. Or when it comes to relationships we justify ourselves-Lord, you see what a loving person I am. You know I would do anything for other people. Obviously not that person-you know how they’re like. And not them either after what they did. And that group of people-Lord, you know how they think and act. Those type of people need to be silenced and just go away-we’d all be better off without them! But for those other people out there Lord, I’ve tried my best to be very loving. Finding loopholes and arguing the details is something we like to do to make ourselves feel better. Who we do and don’t have to love. But Jesus doesn’t debate it like that. It’s interesting-instead of debating this lawyer in a conversation about who does and doesn’t qualify as a neighbor-Jesus tells a parable about being a neighbor. And it turns our concept upside down!

So Luke 10:30a. Now this was a 17 mile journey on a road that was notoriously dangerous-like walking through the bad part of town. And that’s exactly what happened-Luke 10:30. And half dead you might think half alive. What was the old Princess Bride quote-Mostly dead is slightly alive. And that might be this guy-he’s in bad shape. Jesus doesn’t tell G-rated parables-this is gruesome as there’s a half-naked, beat-up, bloodied guy lying on the ground. He’s moaning and groaning because of some serious life-threatening injuries, basically thinking he is going to die unless someone stops to help him out. And maybe you remember what happens-but listen to how Jesus phrases it-Luke 10:31a. And initially that sounds great-by chance-how fortunate! Who better to come along than a godly priest! We’re talking about a wise, kind, sacrificial servant -a pastor or minister-who specializes in this very thing-looking out for hurting people. If anyone has the ability and resources it’s him. I imagine the injured man-needing to conserve his energy and strength probably didn’t he call out for help after he saw the priest but laid there expectantly. He’s probably thinking-this is my worst day ever getting beat-up, but wow-this is also my best day-next person to show up is a priest-how lucky am I? But Jesus hasn’t finished his sentence-Luke 10:31. Imagine the injured man’s surprise when the priest crosses the road and keeps going! The priest wasn’t distracted or preoccupied or on his phone-Jesus says he saw this injured half dead, mostly dead man-his eyes took in the sight and yet he didn’t do anything. It’s so telling and convicting-Pt1:A Religious Person: saw him and passed by. I’m sure at this point the injured man did cry out for help watching him cross the road and walk away. Why are you going over there? Please-come back and help me! But the priest didn’t turn around, he didn’t stop, he didn’t reconsider-he just kept going-totally ignoring the sight and sounds of a dying man! And we’re left totally shocked-He calls himself religious! What a double standard! Who does that? Which is precisely the point of the parable-Who does that? Could that, would that be you or me? Don’t just picture other religious people you know, examine your heart and ask yourself.

But Jesus continues the parable-Luke 10:32a. Another stroke of good luck-a Levite was a religious, educated person who would assist the priest in the work of the temple-much like an elder or deacon in a church today. Again someone compassionate and well-respected-or at least they’re supposed to be-Luke 10:32. There’s that verb again-same situation as before. The Levite saw him, observed his dire situation-and refused to do anything to help. Just like the priest, he distanced himself from it-maybe even thinking-I’ll walk away on the other side of the road to block it out and not have to hear his cries. Pt2:Another Religious Person: saw him and passed by. And it makes us say-What is wrong with these people? Doesn’t their religion mean anything to them? Hasn’t it transformed their hearts? And Jesus doesn’t describe their spiritual state-but  there’s a good chance they were filled with lots of Bible knowledge being a priest and Levite. Most likely they would have had a good standing in the community, been well thought-of in society and considered great spiritual leaders-but the one thing we’re certain of is that they were short on follow-through. They were cold-hearted, unloving men; unaffected by the needs right in front of them. Their religious appearance was nothing more than that-an appearance, just a hollow shell with no substance to it. If they were trees-their only fruit would be rotten apples! These 2 guys who should have stopped and helped, who society would have looked to as godly examples, just didn’t care-they couldn’t be bothered. Maybe they had religious things to do-or important deadlines to meet-get to Jericho for Bible study. But whatever their reasons-in the end they simply passed on by without a second glance. And so a 3rd guy comes along-and at this point the listeners of Jesus’ day would have been expecting a Jewish layman. The weekly temple services were run by priests, Levites and laymen. Jesus has just mentioned the first 2 so it’s likely to assume the layman would be coming along next-sort of the equivalent to the modern day church go-er who serves as an usher or greeter or someone on the worship team. But that person never shows up-the expected church go-er never walks by. Instead it’s someone very unexpected who comes walking down the road-Luke 10:33a. And this would have been shocking to Jesus’ original listeners. To us the name Samaritan brings up positive connotations-like Samaritan’s Purse-precisely because of this parable. But that wasn’t the case back then.

To establish the context, 700 years before Jesus told this parable, the Assyrians conquered the northern half of Israel and took the majority of the people away into captivity. They weren’t able to take everyone away so the Jews that remained behind-in what was the region of Samaria-intermarried with the Assyrians thereby producing a half-Jewish, half-Assyrian race called the Samaritans. To the pure-blooded Jews this was unthinkable, it violated the Law and abandoned their heritage. They wanted nothing to do with these Samaritans. So when the Jews returned from captivity back to their homeland and began rebuilding the temple they certainly didn’t want the Samaritans help-so the Samaritans sought to establish their own place of worship elsewhere at Mt Gerizim, instead of Jerusalem-which infuriated the Jews even more, creating a huge rift between them that continued into Jesus’ day. You can remember the shock the disciples had when they found Jesus talking to a Samaritan woman at the well. So the very mention of a Samaritan in this parable was an outrage. Jews wouldn’t let Samaritans touch them-much less minister to them. So when it comes to defining neighbors-it definitely didn’t include the Samaritans. These were the people they didn’t think they were obligated to love-enemies for centuries. But Jesus takes this enemy and describes him as the true neighbor of the story-a twist no one expected!

Because Jesus is saying it doesn’t matter who you are, where you come from, what others think of you, whether you’re educated or uneducated, rich or poor, from a good family or a bad family,  whether you’re a social outcast or someone religious, no matter your background or upbringing or culture-whether a priest, a Levite or a Samaritan-what matters is your heart. You can say everything correctly in today’s world, have all the right opinions, and follow all the right people on social media. You can quote the Bible and look good in front of others and make great posts yourself-but Jesus is saying none of it matters if your heart isn’t changed. It’s all a hollow shell like these guys in the parable if you’re not transformed by Christ. Remember what the book of James said-Faith without works is dead. The injured man on the ground was physically half dead-but the priest and Levite revealed how spiritually dead they were by walking away. What counts is faith in action-that your hands and your feet are changed on the outside-because your heart’s been changed on the inside. And that’s what this Samaritan vividly displays.

So Luke 10:33-such a huge difference from the other 2 guys. The Samaritan sees him-just like they did-all the pain and suffering-but instead of that horrible verb-passed by-it says he had compassion. And this isn’t a feel good word. Compassion doesn’t just refer to emotions-sorry you’re in such a state-my heart goes out to you. Compassion is action-and look at all these action words that follow. Compassion is the over-arching word that summarizes all that takes place in the next two verses-Luke 10:34-35. I literally count 10 different things the Samaritan did for him. And none of it was half-hearted or superficial. These are substantial, concrete examples of compassion. So Pt3:A Hated Outcast: saw him and had compassion. Completely opposite from the other 2 guys. And remember that the verse says he was journeying. This Samaritan wasn’t just walking up and down the road looking for inured people to help out-he was going somewhere. He had plans-and yet he allowed those plans to be put on hold. He saw the need and let his agenda wait in order to show compassion. He didn’t fret about it or worry that he’d be running late or get behind schedule. Instead this was an opportunity to display the love and compassion of God-no matter the cost or the time. And he did a lot-from eyes that saw the need, to a heart that hurt for the situation, to hands that reached out to help, even a wallet that was willing to pay. But how quickly it was over for the other 2-they just crossed the road and passed by without a second glance-in moments they were gone continuing with their agenda. So Jesus wisely concludes the parable with a question-Luke 10:36. And I don’t think the lawyer struggled to find the right answer-but he did struggle to say the word Samaritan. Look at his response-Luke 10:37. Go and be like the Samaritan. And the lawyer’s case just fell apart in his hands. What he thought was a watertight, no-lose question-who’s my neighbor-turned out to be an incredibly convicting story about being a neighbor. And he walks away outsmarted by Jesus-and challenged to live differently. Bird, 287. The hated Samaritan-the outcast-is the good guy.

Now we have no idea if the lawyer changed his life and started living like the Samaritan-but we know that we’re called to change our lives-and that Jesus’ command to him isn’t any different for us. So App#1:Compassion doesn’t find the minimum to do-it does whatever’s necessary. We live in such an independent, self-satisfying society that this application is often so foreign to us. It’s so much easier to relate to the 2 religious guys-I’m really busy, my plate’s full, on a tight schedule-don’t interrupt me. And we just pass by leaving lots of unmet needs and hurting people. But the Samaritan showed compassion at great personal cost and inconvenience to himself. He gave of his time, his money, his effort. He didn’t just do the minimum-Hey, here’s a few band-aids and a couple of bucks. Let me call you an Uber-hope things turn out okay. No-he was personally involved, doing whatever he could to sacrifice out of his own life. And here’s what I find so convicting-I don’t think the Samaritan viewed it as a huge inconvenience-and neither should we. Think about it-if God is sovereign over our lives and the universe-if He’s in control of all things-and we know He is-then the needs you come upon aren’t randomly put there. They not some sort of interruption to deal with as quickly as possible to get back to your normal plans. God has sovereignly put those needs in your life to be part of your normal plans-to grow you and bless you as you’re blessing others. So App#2:Compassion shouldn’t be an interruption in your life, it should be your intention. What if that was true of you? What if instead of passing by the needs around you-you realized God put them there for a reason? What if compassion was your intention-not an interruption?

I go back to the lawyer’s question-Who’s is my neighbor-because I think we ask it a lot in our lives. But I don’t think we ask it eager to find more neighbors-we ask it like he did in order to eliminate neighbors and find reasons not to show compassion. I’ll love the people I like. I’ll show compassion to the good people, the acceptable people, the easy to love people-but the people on the fringe-the people I don’t like or struggle with or find to be different-forget them. We do that-but this parable is challenging our outlook. So App#3:Compassion isn’t trying to get out of loving others, it just loves. The lawyer was trying to get out of loving certain people. And maybe you’re trying to get out of loving certain people in your life. But our compassion needs to rise above that. Our compassion ought to transcend cultures and quirks and issues and stereotypes. That’s what Jesus was saying by describing a Samaritan-to love those we would normally dislike. Lest the conviction meter gets any higher-look at what Jesus says in Luke 6:32-33. I always call this the pirate verse. All the pirates on the ship got along together-they had to in order to be pirates and attack and plunder others ships. Fellow pirates had a lot in common. But no one is commending pirates for being loving guys-they were pirates! Likewise Jesus is saying you can’t commend yourself for just loving the people like you-that’s what sinners do. You can’t applaud your own spirituality for that-it’s nothing different from what the world does. But what does stand out-Luke 6:35. We all praise God for loving that way-but do we love that way? Do we show compassion to the ungrateful-the people that don’t deserve it, won’t thank us for it, might ridicule us? But that’s exactly how God loved us-that exactly who we were when God first loved us-the ungrateful and evil. This verse describes the heart of the gospel.

In fact, this parable is a picture of the gospel-because Jesus is the true Good Samaritan. We were the ones helpless and beat up along the road-we would have certainly bled to death and died in our sins if He hadn’t come along and bound up our wounds by bleeding for us on the Cross. The visuals of helping the injured man, setting him on his donkey, providing his healing and paying the cost is exactly what Jesus does. Look at 1 John 4:9. And I love that word manifest because it means to make visible, to become a living reality. The Samaritan’s compassion was made manifest, it was a clear, tangible reality-and God’s compassion for you and me became a clear, tangible reality in Jesus. There is no greater compassion in all the world than Him. What does Jesus say-John 15:13. That’s what He’s done for us. Not only bound up our wounds and healed us, but laid down his life for us. Have you trusted in Jesus death to save you? In the Son of God who took your place? If you haven’t then you’re still lying along the road beat up and bloodied in your sin. The One you need to help you and heal you and restore you is Jesus-and He’s not going to ignore you and pass by on the other side when you call out to Him. But He will stop, tend to your wounds, forgive your sins, heal your heart and take you home. And if you have trusted in Jesus-listen to what He says just before-John 15:12. Loving others doesn’t save you-only Jesus saves you-but loving others reveals a heart that follows Him. Will you love others-or try to get out of it? Will you seek to only the minimum-or do whatever it takes? Love originated in God, was manifested in Jesus, and is now displayed in His people. Does that include you? Will you see the needs around you and pass by-or will you see the needs and show compassion?