Luke 10:25-37
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 neighbour as yourself.'"
28"You have answered correctly," Jesus replied. "Do this and you will live."
29But he wanted to justify himself, so he asked Jesus, "And who is my neighbour?"
30In reply Jesus said: "A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, when he fell into the hands of robbers. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him and went away, leaving him half dead. 31A 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. 33But a Samaritan, as he travelled, 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, took him to an inn and took care of him. 35The next day he took out two silver coins and gave them to the innkeeper. 'Look after him,' he said, 'and when I return, I will reimburse you for any extra expense you may have.'
36"Which of these three do you think was a neighbour 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."
Introduction
We lived in a slum area when I was a boy in the 60’s.
One day, the government decided to develop the whole slum area and turn it into a soccer field for a school nearby.
We were forced to leave the place and set up our homes in another slum area.
Unfortunately, the house we built was pulled down by mobs employed by some politicians.
We had to rebuilt the house again and again for it was pulled down by the mobs three times.
We were forced to stay in a storeroom of a relative for a few months before we could build another house.
This time, we were not afraid of the mobs because we were surrounded by good neighbours.
However, we were worried about being caught by the policemen because we were trying to build a small hut illegally for a family of nine.
We tried to build the hut under the cover of darkness during the night.
One day, before the hut was completed, a policeman came to visit.
Our parents were out earning a living.
My sister, 5 years older than me, became really worried that the policeman will report to the authority and have our yet to complete hut torn down.
While we were shaking from fear, the young and handsome policeman gave us a smile which conveyed a friendly message.
After chatting with us a short while, he started to help us put some bits together for the hut, and left not long after.
We never saw him again.
When I became a Christian about 10 years later, I recalled this incident and truly gave thanks to God for sending such a kind man out of the blue, not to add burden to a could be homeless family, but to help and assure them there is always hope in times of difficulty.
I do not know if the policeman was a Christian.
But I did pray to the Lord to bring him one day into God’s kingdom through Christ’s salvation.
He was truly a good neighbour everyone hopes to have.
The passage we have just read is a parable told by our Lord, the Good Samaritan.
1. The background
On Jesus’ way towards Jerusalem, the Samaritans rejected to provide for Jesus and his disciples.
Two of Jesus’ disciples were furious and wanted to call fire from heaven to burn the Samaritans.
Jesus rebuked the disciples for not knowing what they have said.
Jesus and his disciples went on their way.
Many people wanted to follow Him but had many excuses and could not commit themselves.
Here we see a lawyer wanted to know the way to eternal life.
He asked, “What must I do to inherit eternal life?”
Knowing that he is an expert in the law, Jesus asked him whether he knows the law.
True enough, this lawyer gave an absolute correct answer:
“'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 neighbour as yourself.”
But he wanted to justify himself, so he asked Jesus, "And who is my neighbour?"
In reply, Jesus told him this famous parable of the Good Samaritan.
2. A wrong question with right answer
It is worth noting that the lawyer asked a wrong question with a wrong motive to test the Lord.
He asked, "What must I do to inherit eternal life?"
Can anyone do anything in order to obtain eternal life?
Certainly not!
We are very clear that eternal life is a gift from God.
We are saved by grace and through faith alone.
Whatever we do cannot make us any different from being a sinner.
The wages of sin is death. (Rom 6:23)
There is no other way.
Yet, when Christ died for us on the cross and bore our sins, we are set free.
Whoever believes in Christ shall have eternal life.
Not whoever does good to gain God’s favour.
Unless Christ paid the penalty for us, we will not be saved.
Jesus also claimed that he is the only way, only truth and only life. Not one goes to the Father except through Jesus. (John 16:4)
3. Why Did Jesus ask him to observe the Law?
Jesus asked whether he knew the law.
The lawyer answered that he does.
That is behaviour of a true follower of Christ: to love God and others.
A true follower of Christ will not only believe but also act.
As James mentions, faith without action is dead.(James 2:26)
Faith and action are like the two paddles of a boat.
If you only row a paddle, the boat will go round and round.
For all who claimed to be Christians, their love towards God should not remain as lip service.
Tangible love is to be performed in real human sense.
The priest and the Levite who claimed to know the Law well, they don’t know God.
They did not have an intimate relationship with God.
They know the surface of the Law but not the insight of it.
They may be practicing religions well but have no true love.
We need to make some points here: there are people who show genuine love to others and yet are not themselves followers of Christ.
On the other side of the balance, there are people who follow Christ and do not show genuine love to others.
As true and genuine followers of Christ, how should we behave then?
Conclusion
1. Do not misunderstand the words of Christ and think like the lawyer that he could be saved by observing God’s law even the law of love.
Jesus told him to do according to the law and live.
Obviously the law is for us to live.
It is a common law for all to observe in order to bring harmony to the neighbourhood.
To follow Christ is the only way to eternity.
No matter how hard we work, without God’s grace, our works will be all in vain.
Abraham was saved by grace.
Moses was saved by grace.
There is no exception.
Our good deeds, however, are witnesses for Christ who saved us.
People will be drawn to Christ when they see good deeds.
Let us therefore show our genuine love towards people around us.
2. This parable is applicable to another purpose and does excellently set forth the kindness and love of God our Saviour towards sinful miserable man like each of us.
As Matthew Henry puts it,
We were like this poor distressed traveller.
Satan, our enemy, had robbed us, stripped us, wounded us;
such is the mischief that sin had done us.
We were by nature more than half dead.
We were twice dead in trespasses and sins;
We were utterly unable to help ourselves, for we were without strength.
The law of Moses, like the priest and Levite, the ministers of the law, looks upon us, but has no compassion on us, gives us no relief, passes by on the other side, as having neither pity nor power to help us;
but then comes the blessed Jesus, that good Samaritan, he has compassion on us, he binds up our bleeding wounds (Ps. 147:3; Isa. 61:1), pours in, not oil and wine, but that which is infinitely more precious, his own blood.
He takes care of us and pays the bills;
He owes us nothing. Yet for our sake, he came to rescue us from the power of sin and death.
This magnifies the riches of his love, and obliges us all to say, "How much are we indebted, and what shall we render?"
It is my prayer today that all of us here experience Christ’s love ourselves.
Knowing that we cannot save ourselves just as no one and nothing can, let us turn to the merciful God.
Acknowledging our helplessness is the beginning of our salvation.
Ask the Lord for help if you wish to turn from your evil ways.
There is power, wonder working power, in the precious blood of the Lamb.
