Who Is My Neighbor?

Well, it's always a blessing to be here Sunday after Sunday and be reminded of who Christ

! through the ministry of the Word of God that comes to us in so many different aspects.

! Through singing of songs and even through the instrumental of that song and seeing the scripture

there for us to meditate on as we were listening to the music itself and through the special music

that happens, through the ministry of teaching that happens in the Sunday school setting and now

in church time as our children are going to be going out there. But now, to sit underneath the

Word of God and to be reminded of what God has for us is a tremendous blessing. And then later on,

as many of you will be going to small groups and then throughout this week we'll be coming back on

Wednesday night or your conversations with individuals throughout the week in the ministry

of the Word that is happening day by day is a tremendous blessing for us as a people to be

able to do that freely here in the United States. Well, as I was thinking a little bit this morning

and throughout this week about the message and the passage for today, something that just came to my

mind is how busy life seems to be. Do you ever find yourself kind of getting caught up in the rat race,

the flow of the schedule and the difficulties and complexities of life and all the things that

bombard you from day to day that just continue to overwhelm? I mean, if you're a husband or a wife,

there's the desire to meet one another's needs and to meet expectations and how often we as husbands

joke around about that honey-do list that's waiting for us on the weekends so that we can get some of

those things finished in the house that we tend to put off during the week. Or if you're a mom and you're

trying to get your kids back and forth to all the activities that they're a part of, whether it be

sports activities or school activities or the play or the musical or whatever it might be, the challenges

of life that tend to invade the day-to-day. And of course, if you're involved in any kind of

business, if you're employed in any way, you know that there's the challenges of trying to meet

expectations of your boss. Then there's the difficulties that often happen in the office

dynamic of trying to not step on people's toes and trying to not hurt people's feelings. And if

you're a manager, to try to manage that team without causing any degree of friction in your workplace.

And that can be a challenge. And then add to that all the things that we just kind of add to our

plate from day to day. The important things like watching football games that are happening today.

Or the things that happen just keeping up with the day-to-day duties of house and home and maintenance

of cars and all of these things that bombard us day after day that sometimes it's just exhausting.

Have you ever stepped back and wondered,

if I could just move out into the country,

if I could just kind of pull away from this rat race and then everything would be simpler.

And of course, those of you who grew up on a farm

know the fallacy of that and all the

work that comes in to being on the farm and managing the property and taking care of

the animals and all that is involved with that.

And maybe you're wishing you could move into the city so everything would be simpler.

But do you ever think,

God, if there was just

one or two things

that I could concentrate on.

Just one or two things that I could devote my energy to.

If you could condense the scripture down to just two commands,

then my life would be really easy.

And you know where I'm going with this.

Because, in fact, Jesus did do that for us.

In fact, Jesus did say that all of the law and the prophets,

the 66 books that we have in the scriptures,

have been condensed down to two summary statements.

Two guiding principles.

Two commands that God has given to us

to make life simple.

Or simpler.

And if we align ourselves to God's perspectives,

if we order our priorities

so that God is pleased in these two areas,

we'll be fulfilling all that God expects of us

from Genesis to Revelation.

That is a little liberating thought, isn't it?

And we're going to take a look at

one of those commands,

the second of those commands,

in Luke chapter 10 this morning.

Luke 10 · chapter mention

So turn with me, if you would,

to Luke chapter 10.

Luke 10 · chapter mention

And I want to begin to look at this little narrative,

this account of Jesus' life.

And I want us to understand

the significance of this command,

love your neighbor as yourself.

Of course, it flows after the first and great commandment,

which is to love the Lord your God

with all your heart,

with all your soul,

and with all your might.

That's the first and greatest commandment.

And the secondary commandment,

the one that follows soon after,

is loving your neighbor as yourself.

And we'll find,

as we begin to do this in our life,

as we begin to align ourself to his perspective

in relationship to loving our neighbors

as we love ourself,

that then it'll make a love for God

a little clearer.

There's something about loving difficult people.

There's something about understanding the challenges

of that employee or that distant relative,

perhaps,

that always seems to make trouble for you.

There's something about that

that points you

to the wonder of God's love

for you and for me

as stinkers of people,

as stubborn individuals,

as self-oriented.

We begin to appreciate

the magnitude of God's love for us

as we apply this love for others.

So look with me, if you would,

at Luke chapter 10.

Luke 10 · chapter mention

And I want to just kind of begin

to read this together.

We're going to take this just a verse at a time.

And I want to help us to understand

the significance,

the significance of loving your neighbor

as yourself.

Let me read.

Luke chapter 10, verse 25.

Luke 10:25

If you're a guest with us this morning,

in the Pew Bible,

on page 869,

it says this,

And behold,

a lawyer stood up

to put him to the test,

saying,

Teacher,

what shall I do

to inherit eternal life?

What shall I do

to inherit eternal life?

Now,

this is an important question

that we're going to delve in today.

And I want you to know

that this is the ultimate question.

This is the most significant question

that anybody in this world

could ever ask

because it involves

your future trajectory.

It involves your future destination.

And so here we are.

This lawyer,

or this scribe,

is asking this question.

He stands up to put Jesus to the test.

Now,

to help us get a sense of the context,

where is Jesus in the flow of his ministry?

Let me just describe

some of these things for us.

First,

this is Jesus.

He's kind of in the back end,

the tail end of his ministry.

He's six to eight months away from the cross.

He has already set his face

to go to Jerusalem.

That happened in Luke chapter 9.

Luke 9 · chapter mention

And now,

he is kind of dotting his way

through Samaria and through Judea,

various kinds of ministry

in various places,

making his way gradually

to Jerusalem

for that final moment

that will climax

in his death,

in his resurrection.

Now,

Jesus has seen his fair share

of antagonism.

And this hostility

from the scribes

and the Pharisees

continues to rise.

Their difficulty

with his ministry

is almost in your face.

It's almost non-stop.

Wherever he goes,

from city to city,

he knows he can be met

and confronted

by this group of individuals

who is always challenging

his statements,

who's always questioning

his authority,

who's always raising questions

about his origination

and wondering whether or not

he's somebody who's credible.

Jesus has already been transfigured,

and on at least two occasions,

he's already told his disciples

that he's going to Jerusalem

to die

and to rise again.

His Galilean ministry

has come to a close,

and now here Jesus is

somewhere,

perhaps even on his way

to Jerusalem

to make,

he's here,

and he is answering

this question

somewhere along the way.

In the sequence of events,

we find Jesus

in the flow of ministry,

and he's visited Jerusalem

or the surrounding area

of Jerusalem

three times

before he actually goes

to the cross.

We find that in

the book of the Gospel of John

as we're moving through.

And here,

this lawyer

is putting Jesus

to the test.

He stands up,

which was just a,

was a sign of respect,

and Jesus,

even though this is

in a public instance,

is dealing with this person

individually,

seeking to draw out

his heart.

And I want us to see,

first of all,

that this question

affects your eternity.

This is a significant question,

who is my neighbor,

because it's a question

that affects your eternity.

This lawyer says,

what shall I do

to inherit eternal life?

This lawyer or scribe

was an expert

in the interpretation

and the understanding

of the law,

the application

of the Mosaic law

and rabbinical traditions

for the Jewish people.

As an expert,

he would have given

most of his life

to the memorization

and the study

of the scripture.

Certainly having

the books of Genesis,

Exodus,

Leviticus,

Numbers,

and Deuteronomy

memorized,

kind of placed

in his memory bank,

but perhaps

many of the other

Old Testament books

as well.

He was the go-to man

when it came

to knowledge

about the scripture,

doctrines that the law

would have expounded.

He would have known

the intricacies

of the commands,

the history of Israel

and the specifics

related to God's word

to the prophets.

But here we find him

putting Christ

to the test.

Look at that

at the very beginning

of verse 25.

He stood up

and put him

to the test.

Now,

we don't know his heart

and Luke doesn't tell us

what's going on inside

at this point,

but we find that

he is challenging

Christ in some way,

perhaps seeking

to discredit his ministry

or perhaps trying

to verify

whether or not

he was the kind

of religious figure

that the crowds

should follow.

As a scribe

and as an expert

in the law,

he would be

the go-to guy

to validate

a ministry

of a religious figure

and maybe people

were coming to him

asking him,

was Jesus somebody

to be trusted?

Well,

here he is

standing up

and asking

this significant

question,

what does it take

to inherit

eternal life?

This is

the ultimate question

and the answer

to this question

is imperative.

It is non-negotiable.

It is not optional.

That's the significance

of this question.

What shall I do

to inherit

eternal life?

the implications

of the answer

for this question

will determine

your destination

for eternity.

That's the significance

of this question.

I want to bring it

all home to us

as we think about

the significance

of the answer

to this

very important question.

And for such

an important question,

one would think

that Jesus

would be happy

to make the answer

clear.

Well,

let me tell you

how it happens.

Let me make it

very clear

what it takes.

And yet,

what we'll find

in this continuing

narrative

is that Jesus

is interested

in drawing

this lawyer out

and helping

to interact

with him

and build

relationship

and engage

him in some

level of discussion.

So Jesus

defers the question

back to this lawyer

so that he can

draw him

into this discussion

and so they can

begin to make

a connection

over this very

important

and significant

topic.

That draws us

to the next

aspect of this

question.

Not only

affects your

eternity,

but it also

is anchored

in history.

In order to look

towards the future,

it would be

important for

this lawyer

to look

to the past.

He would need

to look

to the law.

Notice what

Jesus says

in verse 26.

He says to him,

What is written

in the law?

How do you

read it?

Now,

at face value,

this is not

the answer

that one

would expect.

What is written

in the law?

Is that what it

takes?

To be a law

keeper?

That I'm a

law keeper

and because of

doing all of

the things,

aligning myself

to the commands

that God

has set in

the law?

That's what

it takes

to be a

person that's

headed to

the kingdom?

One would

not expect

Jesus to

move that

direction.

And yet,

that is exactly

the direction

that Jesus

takes.

And again,

Jesus is trying

to draw out

this lawyer,

this scribe,

this expert

in the law.

He knows

this is his

area of

expertise.

So he

continues to

draw him

out and

to feed

on this

curiosity

in the

hopes of

helping to

lead this

individual,

this scribe,

to a right

understanding of

why the law

was given

and what the

law actually

says about

a person's

life.

What would

he find?

What would

he discover

as he looks

into the

perfect law

of liberty?

What would

he find

as he is

understanding

the expectations

of God

for our

lives?

I want us

to recognize

that in

looking back,

Jesus is

helping to

establish the

fact that

he is the

Alpha and

the Omega,

the beginning

and the end.

He is the

unchanging God

and his

standards and

his character

are the same

yesterday,

today,

and forever.

You see,

what the law

is,

is not a

reflection

necessarily

of God's

desire to

box you

in and

to make

you compliant

as much as

the law

is an

expression

or a

reflection

of God's

character

himself.

The reason

why God

has given

us the

law

is not

so that

we have

some level

of measuring

up to his

expectations,

but so

that we

can really

get a

better

picture

of who

he is.

His

character

comes

through

the law.

His

purity,

his

righteousness,

his

holiness,

and as

we compare

ourselves

in looking

at the

law,

we recognize

that we

fall

woefully

short

of the

standard.

There is

nothing that

we can

do to

measure up

to the

expectations

that God

has given.

And in

this

stunning

reply,

not what

we would

expect,

Jesus

seeks to

reaffirm

the significance

of the

law and

connect it

with what

he has

said and

stated already

in the

past,

that he

has come

not to

abolish

the law

but to

fulfill

it,

and that

he will

fulfill

the law

in

himself.

The law

does have

demands

that must

be met

and they

can only

be met

in Christ.

Well,

the lawyer

has the

right answer

as we

find in

verse 27.

What does

the lawyer

say?

The lawyer

says,

well,

you shall

love the

Lord your

God with

all your

heart,

with all

your soul,

with all

your strength,

and with

all your

mind,

and your

neighbor

as

yourself.

And,

he says

to him,

you have

answered

correctly,

do this

and live.

Jesus

continues to

engage

this

lawyer,

continues to

draw him

out,

he doesn't

pounce on

him,

he doesn't

try to

correct him

or attack

him,

but he

leads him

into this

discussion,

tries to

help establish

the standard

of the law

that exists,

and tries to

help him

understand that

he will

never measure

up

to the

expectations

that God

has for

his life.

Those who

know God

will be

transformed

in how

they live.

Now,

Jesus

is going to

do the

work

of leading

this

conversation

that it

was meant

to have.

The effect

now is

beginning to

land.

As Jesus

says,

now do

this and

you will

live.

Now,

notice in

verse 29,

now the

force of

this command

is coming

true in

the heart

and life

of this

lawyer.

And how

does he

respond?

He says,

and he,

desiring to

justify himself,

said to

Jesus,

and who

is my

neighbor?

Who is

my neighbor?

He's beginning

to understand

how woefully

short he

falls to

the standard

of loving

the people

around him.

The scribes

and the

Pharisees

in particular

had a

challenge.

It was

difficult for

them to

even love

people within

their own

Jewish

nationality.

He knows

that his

love is

pretty exclusive

when it

comes to

loving his

neighbor.

It's not

nearly as

extensive as

perhaps he

would have

read in

the law

itself.

Matter of

fact,

if we were

to flip

over a

couple of

chapters in

Luke and

go to

Luke chapter

Luke 15 · chapter mention

15,

we would

find that

this is

the issue

that the

scribes and

the Pharisees

have with

Jesus

primarily.

He mixes

it up with

tax collectors

and sinners.

Who is

this kind

of guy?

In their

minds,

he was

disqualified

for ministry

because of

the company

that he

kept.

No,

their love

wasn't

broad like

Jesus'

love.

They saw

even in

his life

how their

life was

certainly

different.

In their

minds,

Jesus was

totally

disqualified

because he

was a

friend of

sinners and

eats with

them.

How could

a religious

leader be

involved with

such a

company of

individuals?

Well,

Jesus takes

this opportunity

now to

dig in.

Jesus

wants to

now help

to develop

this important

question.

Now that

he has

the lawyer's

attention,

now that

he has

drawn him

out and

involved him

in this

dialogue,

now that

he has

commended

his expertise

in the

law,

now that

the beginnings

of a

relationship

have taken

place,

and this

lawyer is

the one

now asking

the questions,

now Jesus

has a

captive

audience.

And now

we'll find

that this

question is

significant

because it

addresses your

availability.

And that's

point number

three.

It addresses

your

availability.

Now let me

read this

parable for

us and I'll

just kind of

summarize it

for us and

then I want

to just make

some observations

about the

kind of love

that we see

this good

Samaritan

have.

Beginning in

verse 30 it

says,

Now 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.

Now by

chance a

priest was

going down

that road

and when he

saw him he

passed by on

the other

side.

So likewise

a Levite

when he came

to the place

and saw him

passed by

on the other

side.

But a

Samaritan

as he

journeyed came

to where he

was and

when he

saw him

he had

compassion.

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.

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.

Now we

know the

story.

We're familiar

with this

account.

Here is

this man

not a

specific man

but some

general person

who's making

a journey.

Now this

may have

really

resonated in

the heart

of this

lawyer because

it's quite

possible that

this story

was actually

given,

this answer

was actually

given in

the area

around Jericho.

Because in

the following

account as

you kind

of drop

down and

look at

Luke chapter

Luke 10:38–42

10 verses

38 to

42,

you'll

notice that

Jesus finds

himself in

Mary and

Martha's

house.

They happen

to live in

a town of

Bethany which

is only a

couple of

miles away

from Jerusalem.

And on

this trip

it says

they went

their way

in verse

38.

Jesus

entered this

village.

So it's

quite possible

that Jesus

is actually

sharing this

story in

Jericho or

in the area

surrounding

Jericho.

So the

people who

were there

have made

that trek.

They know

how treacherous

this path

is.

It really

can resonate

with them

because they've

had that

experience.

They've

understood

the fear.

They know

how treacherous

that road

is.

They know

the dangers

that lie

along the

path.

They understand

how perilous

it can be.

Now Jericho

is about

15 to

17 miles

away from

Jerusalem.

It lies

about 900

feet below

sea level.

And Jerusalem

which is

about 2,600

feet above

sea level

to now go

down this

17 mile

track to

Jericho

900 feet

below sea

level.

That's a

pretty significant

decline.

About

3,500

feet in

elevation.

And so

this man

would have

been zigzagging

his way

through this

mountainous

pass

fraught

with

robbers

and it

became a

rather

perilous

journey.

Well as

we find

in verse

30

this man's

worst fears

came to

pass.

The robbers

come.

They stripped

him,

they beat

him,

they departed

from him

and they

left him

for dead.

Terrible

plight

for any

person.

A victim

of bad

circumstances.

But here

we find

in verse

31 a ray

of hope.

He may

have been

saying to

himself as

he was

observing

this scene,

Hallelujah!

Here comes

my helper.

This priest

was making

his way

down this

road.

Certainly

the priest

would provide

some assistance.

This would

appear to have

been the best

possible news

for this

victim,

this Jewish

man.

A priest

who was

expected to

be an

example of

spiritual

virtue.

the best,

the godliest,

and the

most righteous

man in

Jerusalem

and perhaps

in all

of Israel

at large.

If anyone

was moving

in the

direction of

the kingdom,

if anyone

was following

after the

standard that

God has

set,

certainly

it would

be a

priest.

Now at

this moment

I want to

just remind

us what

initiated this

parable to

begin with.

What shall

I do to

inherit

eternal

life?

For this

man,

for this

lawyer,

and anyone

who is

listening to

this story,

the priest

would be

at the

top of

the list

of

individuals

who were

certainly

headed to

the kingdom.

And yet

in this

story we

find the

priest is

the one

who is

avoiding the

very things

that God

has said

in terms

of general

and comprehensive

statements about

how to

emulate

God's

heart.

He was

not one

who would

love his

neighbor as

himself.

Yet for

all that he

knew about

the law's

demands,

he decided

that he

wasn't going

to take

the risk,

he was

going to

pass by

on the

other side.

Verse 32,

we find another

ray of

hope.

How did

this guy

get so

lucky?

Not only

does a

priest come

by,

but now a

Levite.

Fortunately

for this

desperate man,

another

traveler appears

on this

road,

a Levite

who would

have

assisted

the

priest,

who would

have been

exposed to

the law,

who would

have been

understanding

all that God

had said in

terms of his

expectations for

his people.

He would

have been on

the second

tier of this

list of

individuals who

were moving

into the

kingdom,

at least as

far as the

society would

have thought.

And yet,

for all that

he knew about

the law,

he too

passed by

on the

other side.

Two men

from the

spiritual class

of Israel,

the best

chance of

this wounded

victim,

both ignore

the opportunity

to show God's

love to this

individual who

is hurting.

Certainly,

his chances

are exhausted

at this point.

certainly,

the doom of

his future

has been

written in

the books.

And now,

comes a

Samaritan,

in verse

33.

But,

a Samaritan,

as he

journeyed,

came to

where he

was.

Unclean

from a

Jewish

perspective.

If this

man had

been in

good health,

he probably

would have

avoided it,

this Samaritan

himself.

coming from

a mixed

race because

they had

intermarried

with the

Gentiles.

So,

they were

pushed out

of the

covenant

community

and despised

by the

Jewish

people.

But,

this one,

moved with

compassion,

gets personally

involved.

He binds

his wounds,

he pours

on oil.

He wasn't

just interested

in moving

this man

out of the

way so

that other

travelers

would not

have the

burden or

the hurdle

of this

individual

lying in

the path.

he takes

ownership

of the

problem

and he

seeks to

address

the issue.

In

Jesus'

story,

as he

does so

well,

Jesus

turns

everything

upside down.

Jesus

has a

way of

reversing

all of

the

expectations,

this

surprise

ending.

Who

will be

the

hero?

Well,

the

villain of

the story

is actually

the hero

of the

story.

this

Samaritan

rises to

the top

as the

individual

who will

demonstrate

the love

of God

as God

expects.

So,

what does

this say

about our

love?

And what

does this

say about

our

neighboring?

Well,

let me

make some

four quick

observations.

First,

I want us

to see

that this

is a

simple

love.

It's a

simple

love.

Well,

when I

say simple,

I don't

mean that

it's simple

to do.

It's very

difficult to

do,

but it's

simple to

understand.

It's

straightforward

in its

approach.

It's

not very

complicated

or difficult

to realize

what's going

on in this

narrative.

It's easy

for us

to get

what this

Samaritan

is about,

and it's

really simple

for us

to understand.

It didn't

require somebody

who was flashy,

who came

from some

formal education.

He wasn't

a part of

the doctrinal

studies in

Jerusalem.

He wasn't

a scholar

by any

right.

He didn't

come from

a prestigious

background or

reputation.

He wasn't

even qualified

as it related

to his

ability to

care for

the real

physical needs

of this

individual.

For all we

know,

he didn't

go through

EMT training.

wasn't a

medic,

but he

was available.

He was

somebody who

was willing

to see the

need,

to recognize

that God

had sovereignly

and providentially

placed this

individual before

him,

and because of

availability,

he was willing

to act.

Interestingly

to me,

this is

somebody that

he hadn't

even met

before.

Wasn't part

of his

nationality,

was out

of the

realm

of his

own space,

and yet

he was

willing to

act.

So,

this is a

simple love.

We understand

what this

means.

The love

of the

Samaritan

was simple

in its

approach.

He saw

the need,

he met

the need

with the

resources

that he

had.

Nothing

complex

about the

problem,

nothing

difficult to

understand

about the

situation.

All it

took was

a willingness

to step

in and

to provide

the assistance

that he

could.

It was a

simple love,

but it was

also a

serving

love.

It was a

serving

love.

It didn't

require vast

knowledge of

the law.

It didn't

require an

ability to

answer the

deep questions

of doctrine.

You didn't

have to have

all the

answers.

You didn't

have to know

how to

parse out

the Old

Testament.

All he

had to

know was

how to

serve.

And in

this posture

of service,

he was

emulating

the Savior.

Jesus,

who we

know,

came not

to be

served,

but to

serve and

to give

his life

a ransom

for many.

And a

quick look

at Jesus'

life will

bear out

the legacy

of a

man,

our Savior,

who had

the

approach

of

serving

individuals.

Meeting

needs,

physical

needs

by the

feeding

of the

5,000.

Delivering

individuals

from the

bondage of

their health

issues and

casting out

demons and

helping to

heal those

who were

sick.

Even in

the wedding

of Cana,

he was

willing to

meet a

physical

need.

They were

running out

of refreshments

and Jesus

steps in

to help.

This is

something that

we can

all do.

If you

can pick

up a

shovel and

shovel your

walk,

if you

can pick

up a

rake and

rake your

leaves,

if you

can make

a meal,

if you

can make

a phone

call or

deliver a

text,

if you

can fix

a car,

whatever

you can

do is

a way

for you

to love

the person

across the

street.

Can you

do that?

Can you

do that

for yourself?

You find

that your

walk is

cleaned off

after a

snowstorm?

You find

that your

driveway is

salted because

you've gone

through the

effort of

making sure

that those

things are

taken care

of?

Well,

if you

can love

yourself in

those ways,

then God

is calling

us to

love our

neighbor in

the same

way that

we have

chosen to

love

ourself.

That is

the concept

here.

Can we

do this?

It's a

serving love.

Next,

it's a

selfless

love,

a selfless

love.

There's no

surprise here

that this

man took

some risks.

Perhaps

the robbers

were still

lingering in

the rocks

and he

was willing

to accept

the risk,

the danger,

so that he

could address

this man's

situation.

He put

himself in

harm's way.

He was

willing to

serve regardless

of the

potential for

injury.

And notice

he uses his

own resources.

We find

that here.

It says in

verse 34,

he binds

up his

wounds.

He pours

on oil.

He sets

him on his

own animal.

He brings

him to an

inn.

He uses

his own

money.

He

exhausts a

measure of

his own

time.

He's willing

to step

in and to

use his

resources that

are available

to him

to love

this man