Luke 10:25-37

Well, very simply, I have a question and eight words for you this morning. Or rather, a question and four pairs of words.

! And I'm quite confident in saying that this is actually one of the most important questions you will ever have heard in your life, or ever will hear.

That may not have been what you were expecting to come to when you came to church this morning, but I'm just going to talk about this for a while to give you some time to get used to this idea.

You're going to hear a very important question in just a few seconds. And here it is.

Do you understand the gospel? Do you understand the message of Christianity, the message of the Bible?

Maybe you're new to church this morning, and you're thinking, well, I don't even know what it is yet. And that's fine. You're very welcome, and we're happy to tell you.

But I imagine most of you have been to church at least several times before.

What do you think you're hearing when you're hearing the Bible preached?

Do you think you're mainly being given a list of rules? Or stories as a good moral example?

Or maybe something else?

Tricky thing is, if you think that's what you're going to hear, that's probably all you'll hear from it.

Thankfully, there are sections of the Bible, and especially of the Gospels, where Jesus' teaching is designed to check whether or not you get it.

Whether or not you understand.

And today's passage is one of those passages.

So this brings us to the first pair of words I talked about.

The first of four pairs of words.

The first two words, look out.

Look out. We need to be careful with this passage.

Precisely because it is a parable.

We might think, well, parables, they're stories, they're nice and easy.

Parables make everything easier to understand.

If you sort of grew up in the church and went to kids clubs or Sunday schools,

your Sunday school teacher would always revert to a parable because it's a story.

But that's not necessarily what it is.

Over the years, people have thought of the parables differently.

Quite famously, St. Augustine looked at this parable and gave a very sort of allegorical interpretation.

To be fair, he gave other interpretations in other works as well.

But he's got all kinds of details.

Like the inn is the church.

And the innkeeper is the apostle Paul.

And all kinds of details like that.

And that seems to be pretty prevalent for a long time.

But by now, people seem to think this is mainly about moral teaching.

It's an example story.

Telling this lawyer how he should live.

Jesus, however, explains the purpose of the parables in this way in Luke 8, verse 10.

Luke 8:10

If you want to just flip over to Luke 8, 10 on 8, 6, 5.

The purpose of the parables, he says,

To you it has been given to know the secrets of the kingdom of God.

But for others they are in parables, so that, seeing they may not see, and hearing they may not understand.

So that's echoing the words of the call given to the prophet Isaiah.

And often when you see chunks with several parables stuck together,

Jesus is repeatedly asking people to listen.

Those who have ears to hear, hear.

Listen, listen carefully.

Think about this.

Parables are not there to make things easy to understand.

They are there to divide the crowd.

Not to get them to fight with each other.

But it is to split them.

To understand who are the ones who understand,

and who are the ones who don't.

Not the ones who have the special magic code,

and those who don't.

Not those who are spiritually superior,

and those who are inferior.

But simply those who are willing to listen,

to what Jesus is saying,

and willing to understand whatever he's saying.

One writer very helpfully explains that parables start off like pictures,

then become like mirrors,

then become windows.

Parables start off like pictures,

then they become like mirrors,

and then become windows.

I think that's a very helpful way of looking at it.

And our job is to look very carefully,

and to listen very carefully,

and to let the parable doing this work.

Look at the picture,

look at the mirroring work of the parable,

and then look at the window.

See what it shows us.

What can we see through the window?

So the very simple question is,

are you listening?

Are you willing to hear whatever he has to say?

Well, that's our first two words,

look at.

And our next two words,

look around.

If we want to understand what the parable is about,

we need to get a sense of the context.

We need to look around what's going on here.

Let's start very easy,

the top of the page,

you'll see we're in Luke's Gospel.

And we're at the beginning of a section,

a very important section in Luke's Gospel,

that starts in 951,

which you'll see just on the same page as our passage.

And in Luke's Gospel,

geography is very important.

Where Jesus is matters.

He arranges it by where Jesus is.

And in 951,

we have a key turning point in Luke's Gospel.

When the days drew near for him to be taken up,

he set his face to go to Jerusalem.

And from that point in Luke,

he is very definitely,

very clearly,

very deliberately,

heading towards Jerusalem.

He is on his way to the cross.

So some people can explain that

the shadow of the cross is now

over the rest of the Gospel.

So from that turning point,

he has gone through a Samaritan village.

And he has sent out 72 people in pairs

on mission trips.

And they've come back to him.

And they've told him about

all the wonderful things that happened.

And then just before our passage,

in verse 21,

Jesus prays a prayer of praise.

And he's praising God

because the word has been working

as it should have been.

And it's been subverting the order.

It's been subverting

the way people expect things to work.

The wise and understanding

don't get it.

But children do.

It's quite reminiscent of

Mary's song at the beginning

of Luke's Gospel.

Where she is praising God

in what we call the Magnificat.

She's celebrating how

God just gloriously works

in tockly-turvy ways.

The rich goes away empty

and the humble is lifted

and everything seems upside down

from what you'd expect.

And Jesus is praising God

because that is exactly

what's happening.

The wise and understanding

don't get it

and the children do.

Then he blesses his disciples.

And he tells them

they are blessed

because they see,

they understand.

verse 23 of chapter 10.

So Luke is on this theme

of understanding

and not understanding.

He's focused on that idea now.

And just at that moment,

behold,

look,

a lawyer stood up.

Not like a solicitor

or a barrister or anything.

But probably an expert

in Jewish law.

Possibly one of the Pharisees.

And standing would normally

be a sign of respect.

But he's not fooling Luke.

He's not fooling the Holy Spirit

inspiring him.

Verse 25,

he wants to put him

to the test.

And from that point,

we have two cycles

where the lawyer

asks a question,

then Jesus responds

by asking a question himself,

then the lawyer responds

and Jesus responds.

And then it happens again.

Lawyer asks a question,

Jesus asks a question,

lawyer responds,

Jesus responds.

And the parable is the setup

for Jesus' second question.

So that's where we are.

So in this first cycle,

this first time around,

the lawyer's question,

verse 25,

what do I do to inherit

eternal life?

It was a common enough question,

although you'd think

the clue was in

the word inherit.

You don't do things to inherit.

But it was a common enough question

and that's what he asked.

And Jesus responds

with a question,

what is written in the law?

How do you read it?

And so he responds

in verse 27.

And you notice

that his answer

is exactly spot on.

This guy is a brilliant theologian.

He gives the exact same

summary of the law

that Jesus gave,

as we read in Mark earlier.

That wasn't necessarily

a common way

people framed it.

You have to know the law

well enough

to know that you take

a bit of Deuteronomy 6.5

and then Leviticus 19.18

and that's the top commandment.

Jesus knew that

and this lawyer knew that.

This man knew his Bible

better than anyone

in this room.

This man would have

passed his presbytery exams

with flying colours.

You wouldn't have any problem

with the toughest

theology test.

And so Jesus' response

he responds very simply

well then there you are

then go and do that.

You know what the law says

do it.

That's the standard

you know it

just do it.

So then comes

the second cycle

with the lawyer

asking a question

before Jesus

asks a question.

And note that he's gone

from wanting to test Jesus

he's gone on the back foot

and he's needing to

justify himself now.

So comes the question

in verse 29

and who is my neighbour?

It reminds me of

some of you may have seen

the real thing

and I saw the film about it

David Frost

interviewing

Richard Nixon

after the Watergate scandal

David Frost

was interviewing him

and if you watch

the play

or the film about it

people are very frustrated

with David Frost

for not asking

harder questions.

Nixon had resigned

after the Watergate scandal

where seven people

had gone to break in

to these apartments

to steal information.

But eventually

Frost is given

some transcripts

of other conversations

that they found

that people hadn't really

highlighted before.

and so Frost

reads to Nixon

this key quotation

this whole investigation

rests unless

one of the seven

begins to talk.

Well Nixon wasn't

supposed to know

about anything

about these seven

at this point

but he's saying

one of the seven

and so of course

what's Nixon's response?

Now what do we mean

when we say

one of the seven?

He knew exactly

what we mean

David Frost

knew exactly

what we mean

and Nixon knew

that Frost knew

and Nixon knew

that everybody

at home would know

every knew

what one of the seven

meant.

The lawyer knew

who his neighbour was

he didn't need

to ask this question

but he's wanting

to justify himself

and so it's in response

to that question

and who is my neighbour

that Jesus tells

this story

setting up

his question

that will respond

to that

and so

we've had two pairs

of words

we've got two more

and these two pairs

will summarise

the parable for us

and the first thing

that Jesus says

it's not a nice

saccharine answer

but it's firm

and I think very loving

he's telling him

be quiet

if you want to go

less polite

he's telling him

to shut up

part of what

this story does

is shock him

into silence

so let me explain

many people

these days

probably as part

of a reaction

against that

Augustine interpretation

that I mentioned

with the innkeeper

of St. Paul

and all of that

they want to see

this story

as sort of a

moral example

so

he tells a story

and then the answer

is so go and be

like this Samaritan

nice and simple

after all

he does tell him

to do that

in verse 37

but there are

problems with that

it's not quite

that simple

parables aren't

there to make

it easy

if it was a

moral story

for the lawyer

just to follow

the example

of the Samaritan

surely

the Samaritan

would have been

the victim

and it would have

been a priest

came along

and didn't help him

a Levite

came along

but then an Israelite

a teacher of the law

came along

and he saved

the Samaritan

so you be like

the teacher of the law

that saved the Samaritan

but you notice

that Jesus

blocks him off

from identifying

himself as the hero

at every point

so

he would hear

this parable

and he knows

that this is

a story

for him to identify

with

and a common way

in this period

of time

to describe

all the people

of Israel

to say

the priests

the Levites

and all

the people

of Israel

or

the priests

the Levites

and the Israelites

and now that

the kingdom

had kind of

deteriorated

it wasn't about

the king so much

it was about

the priest

and the temple

and so they said

the priests

the Levites

and the Israelites

and so

he's expected

to hear Israelites

that he can identify

with

so the priest

comes along

and the teacher

of the law

knows he's not

a priest

so he knows

that's not meant

to be him

and then a Levite

comes along

and he knows

that's not meant

to be him either

so surely

the next one

the Israelites

and he'll be able

to identify

with the Israelites

but a Samaritan

comes along

there is no way

on earth

he's going to

identify with

a Samaritan

he's not going

to think that

he's meant

to be the Samaritan

Israelites

and Samaritans

hated each other

and Jesus

has succeeded

in blocking him

from seeing himself

in the Samaritans

you see in verse 37

he can't even

bring himself

to give the simplest

answer

which would be

the Samaritan

he just says

the one

who showed mercy

he knows

what the character's

name is

the character's

name is

the Samaritan

but he can't

bring himself

to say it

and you'd think

as well

wouldn't you

that the story

would have run

a little bell

from that story

in Chronicles

maybe we don't

know that as well

but he would have

known that really

well

he knows that

Samaritans

have helped

Israel in the

past

so it shouldn't

be that crazy

an idea

and then look

at the two

questions

verse 29

who is my

neighbour

well Jesus

is just echoing

that question

who turned out

to be this

man's neighbour

well who is

this man

it's the man

on the floor

as this picture

turns into

a mirror

and the man

sees who

he is meant

to be in

this story

he sees

he is on

the floor

half dead

beaten up

he is not

the hero

he's a mess

the man's

question

exposed his

heart

you see

you can't

really expect

me to

love everyone

can you

surely there

are limits

I mean

some people

frankly

they don't

deserve my

love

some people

aren't worthy

I mean

some people

are Samaritan

scum after

all

I'm better

than

not everyone

deserves my

love

and Jesus

is saying

you want to

know what

you bring

to the table

in terms

of loving

people

well let me

give you a

picture

of you

and everything

you do

to bless

and love

your neighbours

you look

like

a man

half dead

beaten up

bloodied

bruised

useless

that's right

that's what

you look

like

that's what

your apparent

obedience to

the law

looks like

that's how

impressive

you are

that's what

he's telling

him

so you can

get rid of

all these

delusions of

you being

really obedient

and really

brilliant

and just

be quiet

fortunately

though that's

just where

the story

begins

because along

comes a

Samaritan

and for the

longest time

I mean it's

the Sunday

school cliche

isn't it

they took

the Samaritan

to be

Jesus

following

Augustine

Augustine

sort of

made it

an allegory

where the

man is

Adam

fallen Adam

and Jesus

comes and

saves Adam

and so

people wanted

to veer away

from that

because they

saw the

weaknesses

in it

but

let's not

throw the

baby out

with the

bath water

because Luke

has put

clear indicators

in here

to show

who it

is

now Jesus

obviously

isn't literally

from Samaria

but as I

mentioned

where Jesus

is matters

in Luke's

gospel

and what's

Jesus doing

he is

travelling

from Samaria

to Jerusalem

he's

figuratively

a Samaritan

not literally

just like

Jesus is not

literally a thief

in the night

but he does

compare himself

with a thief

in the night

sometimes

but he is

the one

who is

travelling

from Samaria

to Jerusalem

and so

our final pair

of words

the lawyer

asks

who is

my neighbour

Jesus

first of all

just be quiet

don't think

too much

of what you

can do

to love

people

but here's

the second

answer

who's my neighbour

I am

that's Jesus

answer

who's my neighbour

I'm your neighbour

and I've come

to get you

I have come

to be the neighbour

that you

desperately need

even though

you think of me

as an enemy

I've come

as a neighbour

to fulfil

the law

for people

like you

I want you

to know

who your neighbour

is

it's me

and I'm coming

he's saying

this parable

of course

as he knows

he's on the way

to Jerusalem

where he will

be beaten

and bruised

and not just

half dead

but dead

and he's coming

with oil of comfort

to ease our pain

he's coming

with wine

to wash our filth

he is coming

to carry us home

to help us

all at his own cost

and so this is

where the mirror

becomes a window

because now

through this window

we can see

what the good news

of Jesus

means

and he's saying

this to a proud

self-righteous

lawyer

he's preaching

salvation

and good news

to this proud

religious man

is that not

more mercy

than you can

handle

it's more grace

than I can get

my head around

we read earlier

in our assurance

of pardon

I'll just read a bit

earlier from that

Romans 5

one will scarcely

die for a righteous

person

though for a good

person one would

dare to die

but God shows

his love for us

in that while we were

yet sinners

Christ died for us

so it's hardly

surprising that by

the end of

chapter 11

in Romans

Paul just says

oh the depth

of the riches

and wisdom

and knowledge

of God

one minister

I know

said that

if you had to

summarise the Bible

in one word

it would be that

word

oh

that's when you

know that you

get it

when all you can

say is

oh

and it's at

that point

we're ready to

hear the

concluding exchange

the two responses

that are between

them

the lawyer

is so poor

at loving people

he can't even

bring himself

to answer the

question saying

the Samaritan

is the hero

of the story

that's exposed

his heart

and so when

Jesus responds

saying go

and do likewise

all he is going

to hear is

more rules

and in a sense

that's what he

needs

he has made it

very clear

he doesn't love

his neighbour

but he needs

to justify

himself

but he needs

to see himself

he cannot

keep the law

there's absolutely

no way he can

do it

he's utterly

hopeless

that's one of

the uses

of the law

it shows us

our sin

it shows us

our helplessness

and our desperate

needs

the law

brings us

to the point

where we say

in the words

of this morning's

prayer of confession

I do not know

what else to do

but to hope

and pray

for your mercy

but we don't

have to be

like the lawyer

we can ask

Jesus to save us

we can acknowledge

who the Samaritan

is

and Jesus

gladly

saves us

so when we

hear the command

go and do

likewise

we don't hear

a heavy burden

but an invitation

that we are

more than happy

to accept

don't we

there's actually

something we'll be

seeing a bit more

tonight

in 1 John

so do come

to this evening's

service

to look at that

together

but for now

the parable

will have done

its work

among us

do you get it

do you understand

Jesus' message

do you see

what he's saying

if not

it's not too late

it's not that

it's completely

hopeless for you

now

but you need

to ask yourself

what is gripping

your heart

so it's blocking

you from

understanding

this message

blocking you

from seeing

more than

just a set

of rules

like the

lawyer did

who do you

hate

or what do

you love

more than

God or

neighbour

that would

stop you

from seeing

here a set

of rules

but if you

see here

through this

wonderful window

that Jesus

has given

us

God's great

love for us

saving us

paying the

cost for us

bringing us

back to life

as he goes

on to

Jerusalem

goes to

the cross

pays our

price

and comes

back to

life

to restore

us

then all you

need to do

is ask

and you will

receive

as we were

singing earlier

and your

heart will be

full of

praise

to God

we would

just be

responding to

him saying

oh

oh

the depths

that is

when we

know

that we

understand

the gospel

let's pray

shall we

desde

Thank you.