Introduction
Let me begin with a discipleship question: how will you follow Jesus in prayer and dependence on God this week?
Main Points
In this lesson shaped by Calvary Boise's teaching on PARABLES OF JESUS: The Good Samaritan, Christ invites us to receive truth with humility, practice repentance, and walk in faithful obedience.
Faith and Obedience
This story like many of the stories or parables of Jesus will start with a familiar scene in the scene as this Jesus has. Got a crowd of people listening to his teaching a very common theme of the Gospels is wherever Jesus went people would come and.
- Gather around to listen to his words and this story has a crowd of his disciples or his close followers and they're listening to.
- His teaching and in the middle of the teaching someone interrupts him and this interruption will serve as a stage for Jesus to tell.
- A very important story on the way his kingdom a principle of what it means to follow him will change your life to make.
- You look altogether different and this is how this interruption starts and verse 25 in Luke chapter 10 Luke chapter 10 verse 25 says.
This behold a certain lawyer stood up and tested him saying teacher what shall I do to inherit eternal life now this is the. Question of the soul the question of how you are supposed to live your life so that when the day you meet your Creator.
Hope in Suffering
Suppress it you were meant to live for more than this life you were meant to ask the question how do I inherit life. Beyond this life you should never stop asking the question because of the way that you answer this question will determine the way that.
- You live your life and this man asked Jesus the question what does it mean to have life eternal verse 26 it says that.
- Jesus responds what is written in the law what is your reading of it now there's a reason that Jesus responds with a question.
- It's this when we hear that there's a lawyer in the crowd asking a question about eternal life we have to understand the context.
- Of the day this is not a lawyer that we would think of in our day which is spending his time studying case law.
Getting ready for jury trial getting ready for an understanding of new legislation this is a lawyer who has spent his life mastering the. Law of God this is the lawyer that has become an expert in the law of Moses or the Torah or the commandments that.
Grace and Justification
With and the Gospel of Matthew and someone comes up to him and says what are the two greatest Commandments and Jesus gives a. Very similar answer love the Lord your God with all your heart soul strength and mind and love your neighbor as yourself but if. Only it were so simple as many times have you heard a proclamation of the simplicity of the law of God so love God. And love people if there's a way to get around it we'll find it this is what the lawyer says Jesus says you've answered. Rightly meaning your study of the law has given you the proper conclusion of the heart of God it's just to love him and. Love people do it and you'll live if you love God with everything that you are and your life is defined by your love. Of people you will live you will have life abundant it's what you were made to do and yet like this lawyer all of. Us have a way to complicate the simplicity of the love of God and this is what the lawyer says verse 29 but he. Wanting to justify himself said to Jesus but who is my neighbor it can't be that simple we've got to define some boundaries we've. Got to qualify this right who's my neighbor and that is why the study of the law of God the Torah and the law. Of Moses requires a lifetime of studying because in the simplicity of God's law we always find a way around it find a way. To create boundaries find a way to create gray area and that's why the law of God is not simply two Commandments but if. You study the Torah and the commandments there's 613 because if we can get around the law we will so there's a law for. That and if we can get around the new law we will so there's a law for that and if we can get any. Anything we can do to make the law of God less simple and more helpful for our own lives we'll do it so there's. More laws for more of those instances and that's the story that we have here this man saying well really it can't be that. Simple let me create the boundary show me where the boundary is I want to justify myself I want to figure out how to. Actually complete this in my own life so define my neighbor.
Sin and Salvation
For me so many of the stories of Jesus are Jesus trying to help people understand and story form that his boundaries are so. Much more radical than ours and that is how we find the story of the parable of the Good Samaritan the Good Samaritan is. A story given to us for any of us who are looking for those boundaries of the love of God looking for the boundaries. Of the law of the love of God played out in our life Jesus says let me tell you a story and here's a. Principle for us before we get into the story here's a really good principle to realize about the way that Jesus got people to. Understand his kingdom Jesus always preferred a story to a sermon when the tough questions the burdens of the soul came up the questions. Of life would come up so often Jesus gave them in story form and remember that because this morning every single one of us. Were sermon people you're here to hear a sermon but stories are worth more than sermons sometimes you'll learn more through the stories of. God using your life interacting with your life taking you to places in your life to understand what love actually looks like than you. Ever will in a sermon and we're going to learn more through this story then this lawyer could learn through a lifestyle of combing. The law there's value in the story because ultimately the story is where life happens the sanctuary is where sermon happened but one of. The applications of this entire message will be Jesus saying you got to go and do you got to go and live you got. To go find your story of the love of God interacting with people in your life stories are more valuable than sermons what's the. Story of God look like in your life to where you're learning this so now we have this story okay so let's set the. Stage here verse 30 it says jesus answered and said this 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 there's the stage that said you want to know who. Your neighbor is Jesus isn't gonna tell you how many doors you've got to count beyond your doors to find your neighbor Jesus is. Going to describe a person who is in dire need.
Sin and Salvation
Of help when it says that this man traveling went from Jerusalem to Jericho and he went down from Jerusalem to Jericho anyone who. Knows that road in this day or if you've ever been to Jerusalem and you've traveled from Jerusalem to Jericho which you can still. Do today you know that is a literal road going down there is a there's a pretty drastic descent that happens in a short. Amount of miles that takes someone from Jerusalem which is about 3,000 feet above sea level to Jericho which is actually below sea level. So we've got a literal descent happening and in this day a descent like that required switchbacks of a windy road going through cliffs. It's a dangerous road many people call it the bloody pass because it was a dangerous road to travel on and it was extra. Dangerous because the conditions of this road made people very vulnerable as they traveled and this man's story would not be enough unheard of. In Jesus day for a man to be traveling this dangerous bloody pass road and to fall amongst thieves people taking advantage of someone's. Vulnerable state as they travel with their goods going down this road and robbing them and taking them for everything that they're worth this. Is the state of the man that we're learning about who will respond to a person who's in a dangerous spot in the world. Who has been completely robbed and been completely stripped of everything they own and left for half-dead we're getting closer now to the target. Of what it means to locate your neighbor the object in the aim of your love someone who loves someone who is desperately in. Need in a dangerous situation who is half dead and heck and can't help themselves that's the stage that's the beginning of looking for. The people in our lives that we are supposed to love as Kingdom people wanting to live out this radical love of Jesus now. The story will unfold in some surprising ways now that the stage is set the need is identified the person that is so in. This desperate state of life well we've got our first responders on the scene verse 31 it says now by chance a certain priest. Came down that road now that should be good news right there's a lawyer he understands the role of a priest the priest himself. Is a expert of the law commissioned by the people.
Grace and Justification
- And the Word of God to care for the law going out caring for the needs of the people helping them understand what. Righteousness looks like by displaying it in their lives bringing people closer to God good news there's a priest he's the first responder and. Yet what's his response when he saw him he passed by on the other side this is shock to the system for the lawyer. Who wants to justify himself by studying the law and becoming a master of religion Jesus says let me tell you what a master. Of religion is capable of he's capable of looking the other way and doing nothing that's a message for us this morning because sometimes. We look for the example of how to live out a life of following God and we look in all the wrong places you. Can master religion and this love that's what Jesus is saying he'll give another example likewise a Levite if you didn't hear the first. Example here again another example a Levite a position in the religious system of the Jews of that day to be an assistant in. All the temple works by the tribe of Levi good news second responder he's supposed to assist in the need of the people what. Does he do when he arrived to that place came and looked and passed by on the other side if you're looking for the. Religious system to save you if you look up to the people who are in religious system as administers of the word singers of. The songs keepers of the church you're going to be sorely disappointed this stage doesn't exist to give you an example of what love. Looks like our best hope is that the word would go out and I don't mess it up and so often we're looking for. People we're looking for the system to be something that we could use as an example of what we could finally be like in. Our pursuit of life and life more abundant that's offered through God listen church is going to fail you can master church and miss. Love and you can be a master of the religious system of that day and you can be a master of the religious system. Of this day there's all sorts of things that modern day Christianity will invite you to be a master of you can wake up. Early in the morning before everybody else and do a.
Sin and Salvation
Morning devotional you can do your intercessory prayer and go through all the prayers and needs of the people you can go to Bible. Studies you can be a small group leader you can serve in Sunday school you can help out at the mission you can master. The system but if it's all in a pursuit of trying to understand religion in the system you'll miss love how do you respond. When someone is in need that's the question and what Jesus is doing very early on he's removing the examples of people that you. Would expect to be the perfect examples from this lawyers mind from our mind to because what we're not supposed to do on Sunday. Mornings is study the word in such a way that we master it in our minds and it never changes our lives what we're. Supposed to do is look for those stories of how we can actually live out what the word is pointing us to and now. After those two negative examples we get this example the Good Samaritan he shows up on the scene he's one of the most famous. Characters of Scripture what made him different why is Jesus using this samaris is an example of love and not the religious leaders of. The day well let's look at what he does that looks so different verse 33 but a certain Samaritan as he journeyed came where. He was and when he saw him he had compassion so he went to him and bandaged his wounds we'll stop right there's a. Contrast being made the contrast of the religious experts and someone who's simply living out the mission of love and here's one of the. First ways we can contrast them these religious leaders could not be bothered to stop and help this man says they looked and they. Got to the other side of the street as to not even be slowed down by his lifeless body they're going somewhere and they're. Not going to stop they've got somewhere to be they're on a journey it got temple work to do they got scriptures to study. The first way I contrast this is that this Samaritan man he looked and he sees and he goes to him and that's a. That's important thing that we that we draw out of here the Samaritans on a journey too now a journey is very simply we. Think about where you're going he's trying to get from point.
We return to the opening teaching: discipleship is not just information, it is transformation through faith and obedience to Jesus. If we receive His Word and walk it out, He will shape us into people who endure and bear fruit.
Lord Jesus, help me hear Your Word, obey it with faith, and grow as Your disciple. Amen.
Conclusion
We return to the opening teaching: discipleship is not just information, it is transformation through faith and obedience to Jesus. If we receive His Word and walk it out, He will shape us into people who endure and bear fruit.
Closing Prayer
Lord Jesus, help me hear Your Word, obey it with faith, and grow as Your disciple. Amen.