WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:06.660 So that's Luke chapter 10, verse 25 to 42. 00:00:06.660 --> 00:00:13.320 On one occasion, an expert in the law stood up to test Jesus. 00:00:13.320 --> 00:00:18.460 ! Teacher, he asked, what must I do to inherit eternal life? 00:00:19.320 --> 00:00:22.900 What is written in the law, he replied, how do you read it? 00:00:23.480 --> 00:00:29.660 He answered, love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. 00:00:29.660 --> 00:00:33.340 And with all your mind and love your neighbor as yourself. 00:00:34.119 --> 00:00:38.899 You have answered correctly, Jesus replied. Do this and you will live. 00:00:40.000 --> 00:00:45.799 But he wanted to justify himself. So he asked Jesus, and who is my neighbor? 00:00:46.920 --> 00:00:53.840 In reply, Jesus said, a man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho when he was attacked by robbers. 00:00:54.159 --> 00:00:59.420 They stripped him of his clothes, beat him and went away, leaving him half dead. 00:01:00.500 --> 00:01:06.420 A priest happened to be going down the same road, and when he saw the man, he passed by on the other side. 00:01:07.280 --> 00:01:13.000 So too, a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. 00:01:13.920 --> 00:01:17.979 But a Samaritan, as he traveled, came where the man was. 00:01:17.980 --> 00:01:21.020 And when he saw him, he took pity on him. 00:01:21.640 --> 00:01:26.159 He went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. 00:01:26.820 --> 00:01:31.740 Then he put the man on his own donkey, brought him to an inn and took care of him. 00:01:31.739 --> 00:01:37.899 The next day, he took two denarii and gave them to the innkeeper. 00:01:39.399 --> 00:01:40.879 Look after him, he said. 00:01:41.459 --> 00:01:45.539 And when I return, I will reimburse you for any extra expense you may have. 00:01:45.540 --> 00:01:51.060 Which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of the robbers? 00:01:51.860 --> 00:01:55.320 The expert in the law replied, the one who had mercy on him. 00:01:56.160 --> 00:01:58.440 Jesus told him, go and do likewise. 00:01:58.439 --> 00:02:06.219 As Jesus and his disciples were on their way, he came to a village where a woman named Martha opened her home to him. 00:02:06.920 --> 00:02:11.359 She had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord's feet, listening to what he said. 00:02:12.340 --> 00:02:15.919 But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made. 00:02:16.800 --> 00:02:22.599 She came to him and asked, Lord, don't you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? 00:02:23.120 --> 00:02:24.120 Tell her to help me. 00:02:25.379 --> 00:02:27.520 Martha, Martha, the Lord replied. 00:02:27.520 --> 00:02:34.860 You are worried and upset about many things, but few things are needed, or indeed only one. 00:02:35.860 --> 00:02:39.800 Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her. 00:02:41.020 --> 00:02:43.420 I'll now hand over to Derek. 00:02:51.120 --> 00:02:52.719 Well, thank you, Dad. 00:02:52.719 --> 00:02:58.379 I was going to say Roddy, but it just felt unnatural, so I'm going to settle with Dad. 00:02:59.060 --> 00:03:01.240 It's a real joy to be here tonight with you. 00:03:01.740 --> 00:03:07.280 As has been said before, I grew up in this church, and many of the saints helped me in my journey of faith. 00:03:07.740 --> 00:03:13.139 I'm going to call them pews, because I still find it strange to call them seats, sat in these pews in front of me here. 00:03:13.139 --> 00:03:14.439 And we got married in this church. 00:03:14.500 --> 00:03:18.259 It was a very special place for my wife Lynn and I. 00:03:19.679 --> 00:03:24.719 And so every evening in our home, my wife Lynn and I, we have a really beautiful privilege. 00:03:25.059 --> 00:03:26.139 We sit down with our son, Ruri. 00:03:26.699 --> 00:03:27.739 We read him a story. 00:03:28.500 --> 00:03:31.399 Ideally one, but often it goes into two or three. 00:03:31.400 --> 00:03:37.260 And as a parent, you quickly realize how stories shape the way children understand the world. 00:03:38.060 --> 00:03:43.620 But there's a terrifying danger when we approach the Word of God the same way we approach the nursery bookshelf. 00:03:44.480 --> 00:03:52.640 There's a massive difference between reading a comforting bedtime story to a toddler and listening to the disruptive parable of Jesus. 00:03:53.759 --> 00:03:58.980 And this parable of the Good Samaritan is arguably one of the most familiar stories in the entire Bible. 00:03:58.979 --> 00:04:05.620 Many of us have first encountered it in Sunday school or a kid's Bible, and we all know the story with illustrations. 00:04:06.299 --> 00:04:07.299 We can picture the scene now. 00:04:07.780 --> 00:04:14.879 The priest, the Levite, the wounded man, and finally the compassionate Samaritan and his donkey. 00:04:16.180 --> 00:04:19.060 But familiarity breeds a dangerous kind of blindness. 00:04:20.060 --> 00:04:23.560 When we think we know a story inside out, we stop letting it cut us. 00:04:23.879 --> 00:04:24.899 We stop letting it teach us. 00:04:25.420 --> 00:04:27.279 We treat this text like a predictable fable. 00:04:27.279 --> 00:04:31.039 But Jesus didn't tell parables to tuck us into bed at night. 00:04:31.500 --> 00:04:34.459 He told them to start a revolution in the human heart. 00:04:36.379 --> 00:04:39.359 And we often reduce the Good Samaritan to one simple lesson. 00:04:40.059 --> 00:04:41.639 Be kind or be compassionate. 00:04:43.000 --> 00:04:45.000 Nothing more than a comfortable moral fable. 00:04:45.779 --> 00:04:47.419 And that's the wrong way of the story. 00:04:48.599 --> 00:04:50.459 And think for a moment about cinema history. 00:04:51.079 --> 00:04:52.699 I don't apologize for this whatsoever. 00:04:52.699 --> 00:04:58.979 So imagine sitting down to watch Star Wars Empire Strikes Back. 00:04:59.300 --> 00:05:03.060 That's the third or sixth film, depending on how you look at things. 00:05:03.519 --> 00:05:10.599 Instead of beginning at the start of the film, you skip straight to the climactic scene where Darth Vader reveals his identity to Luke Skywalker. 00:05:11.339 --> 00:05:14.259 You miss the opening crawl that sets the stage of everything. 00:05:14.759 --> 00:05:16.319 You miss everything that gives the scene its meaning. 00:05:16.319 --> 00:05:18.040 The scene would still be dramatic. 00:05:18.599 --> 00:05:23.620 Yes, we wouldn't carry the emotional shock or the narrative weight that it's designed to carry. 00:05:24.379 --> 00:05:29.100 And Luke, the gospel writer that is, wants us to read his gospel in exactly the same way. 00:05:29.860 --> 00:05:31.680 Every episode sits in a larger story. 00:05:32.379 --> 00:05:40.100 And if we jump straight to the Good Samaritan without paying attention to what comes before it, what comes after it, we'll miss why Jesus told it in the first place. 00:05:40.100 --> 00:05:44.900 And one thing that's really easy to miss is where this story sits in Luke's gospel. 00:05:45.640 --> 00:05:49.000 And I would contend that Luke's gospel is almost like a book in two halves. 00:05:49.660 --> 00:05:54.140 Up until chapter 9, Jesus' ministry is centered mainly around Galilee. 00:05:54.900 --> 00:06:00.340 Healing the sick, feeding the crowds, walking waters, establishing his ministry. 00:06:01.060 --> 00:06:06.840 Then everything changes in chapter 9, what we call chapter 9 and verse 51, where it says, 00:06:06.839 --> 00:06:13.060 When the days drew near for him to be taken up, he set his face to go towards Jerusalem. 00:06:14.159 --> 00:06:18.879 And from that moment on, Jesus is on a deliberate, unrelenting journey to the cross. 00:06:19.319 --> 00:06:24.539 And almost everything that follows, including this parable, is told in the road towards Calvary. 00:06:25.579 --> 00:06:33.059 So the one who says go and do likewise is first and foremost one who's going to do for us what we can never do for ourselves. 00:06:33.759 --> 00:06:36.139 And that's exactly how Luke wants us to read it. 00:06:36.839 --> 00:06:44.000 Right at the beginning of Luke's gospel, he tells us he's writing an orderly account so that we may know with certainty the truth about Jesus. 00:06:44.679 --> 00:06:48.239 This is not a story of disconnected stories, not a greatest hits. 00:06:48.979 --> 00:06:55.779 On this inspiration of the Holy Spirit, every episode is carefully arranged to reveal who Jesus is and why he came. 00:06:56.839 --> 00:07:00.000 So the Good Samaritan does not simply appear in what we call chapter 10. 00:07:00.559 --> 00:07:01.979 Luke has placed it here for a reason. 00:07:01.980 --> 00:07:07.640 And to understand the parable, we must read it as part of the larger journey towards the cross. 00:07:08.879 --> 00:07:13.580 And Luke 10 itself, this chapter, is a beautifully connected narrative loop. 00:07:14.220 --> 00:07:15.180 As we've read tonight, 00:07:15.180 --> 00:07:36.280 But notice the movement here. 00:07:36.279 --> 00:07:57.699 So before we ask, what does the Good Samaritan teach? 00:07:57.699 --> 00:08:01.519 We should first ask, why did Luke place it here? 00:08:02.259 --> 00:08:03.639 And this is not a story about kindness. 00:08:04.500 --> 00:08:09.800 It's Jesus' response to a self-righteous man who wants eternal life on his own terms. 00:08:11.079 --> 00:08:13.480 And tonight we're going to follow the passage that Luke presents it. 00:08:14.019 --> 00:08:16.620 We'll begin to question the question that reveals the lawyer's heart. 00:08:17.039 --> 00:08:19.360 Then we'll look at the story that turns it upside down. 00:08:19.360 --> 00:08:23.340 And finally, we'll see the Savior to whom the story oddly points. 00:08:23.980 --> 00:08:27.480 And only then will we understand what it means to go and do likewise. 00:08:28.280 --> 00:08:31.420 So let's look at our first movement, the kingdom question. 00:08:32.500 --> 00:08:33.720 And right after Jesus declares, 00:08:34.159 --> 00:08:36.159 Rejoice, your name's written in heaven. 00:08:36.779 --> 00:08:39.360 An expert in the law stands up with a very different mindset. 00:08:40.440 --> 00:08:42.259 Now this isn't a lawyer like we think. 00:08:42.399 --> 00:08:44.720 It's more like a scribe. 00:08:44.800 --> 00:08:47.240 Somebody knows the law of Moses very, very well. 00:08:47.240 --> 00:08:50.279 And the disciples received the kingdom as a gift. 00:08:51.039 --> 00:08:53.180 The law approached it as something that can be earned. 00:08:54.279 --> 00:08:57.180 He asked the defining question of almost every religion. 00:08:57.840 --> 00:08:59.700 And let's look at that question in verse 25. 00:09:00.379 --> 00:09:04.460 Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life? 00:09:05.680 --> 00:09:08.779 The question sounds almost admirable on the surface. 00:09:09.360 --> 00:09:11.940 And we ask versions of this question all the time. 00:09:12.500 --> 00:09:14.039 We hear it almost every single week. 00:09:14.039 --> 00:09:19.860 It's a person who says, well, if there is a God, I'm a decent person. 00:09:20.319 --> 00:09:21.240 I pay my taxes. 00:09:21.659 --> 00:09:22.679 I don't hurt anyone. 00:09:23.159 --> 00:09:24.439 I give my bit to charity. 00:09:24.779 --> 00:09:26.240 Should that be enough to get me to heaven? 00:09:26.899 --> 00:09:28.480 Or the religious version. 00:09:29.019 --> 00:09:30.819 One who whispers, I attend church. 00:09:31.179 --> 00:09:31.919 I read my Bible. 00:09:32.399 --> 00:09:33.579 I try to be a good person. 00:09:34.099 --> 00:09:36.000 Surely God is satisfied with my performance. 00:09:37.000 --> 00:09:39.959 Yes, there's already a profound problem hidden within his words. 00:09:39.960 --> 00:09:41.800 Luke is vocabulary. 00:09:42.139 --> 00:09:44.200 He covers the word do with inherit. 00:09:45.139 --> 00:09:48.420 Now, inherit is not something you can usually earn through personal achievement. 00:09:48.900 --> 00:09:51.560 It's something you receive by birth or relationship. 00:09:52.200 --> 00:09:55.620 You don't get inheritance necessarily by working hard for a stranger. 00:09:56.180 --> 00:10:00.220 You get it because a parent or person loves you so much, 00:10:00.420 --> 00:10:01.700 they wrote you into the will. 00:10:02.460 --> 00:10:04.360 By asking what he's doing to inherit, 00:10:05.080 --> 00:10:07.000 he reveals a deeply transactional heart. 00:10:07.780 --> 00:10:08.500 He wants a list. 00:10:08.500 --> 00:10:11.159 He wants a spiritual checklist he can take off, 00:10:11.620 --> 00:10:14.179 present to God, and demand payout. 00:10:15.059 --> 00:10:17.720 But Jesus, massively turning his tables, 00:10:18.179 --> 00:10:19.360 refuses to give him the checklist. 00:10:20.279 --> 00:10:23.379 He directs him straight back to the very law he claims to be an expert in. 00:10:24.240 --> 00:10:24.980 Verse 26. 00:10:25.860 --> 00:10:26.840 What is written in the law? 00:10:27.120 --> 00:10:27.879 How do you read it? 00:10:28.840 --> 00:10:29.940 The lawyer answers flawlessly. 00:10:30.840 --> 00:10:33.259 He pulls together two monumental texts of the Old Testament. 00:10:33.899 --> 00:10:35.159 He gives a textbook answer. 00:10:35.759 --> 00:10:38.080 He quotes the Shema from Deuteronomy 6. 00:10:38.500 --> 00:10:42.740 Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, strength, and mind. 00:10:43.220 --> 00:10:46.139 And weave it seamlessly with the holiness code from Politicus 19. 00:10:46.759 --> 00:10:48.940 And love your neighbor as yourself. 00:10:49.600 --> 00:10:51.100 It's a brilliant theological synthesis, 00:10:51.600 --> 00:10:53.720 and rightly called the great commandment. 00:10:53.720 --> 00:10:56.620 And Jesus responds simply in verse 28, 00:10:56.620 --> 00:10:58.960 the lion should pierce him the core. 00:10:59.580 --> 00:11:00.480 You've answered correctly. 00:11:00.779 --> 00:11:02.620 Do this, and you will live. 00:11:03.879 --> 00:11:05.639 And that actually stopped us in our tracks. 00:11:06.540 --> 00:11:08.080 Jesus does not talk about grace here. 00:11:08.420 --> 00:11:10.040 He doesn't say, well, don't worry about law. 00:11:10.160 --> 00:11:10.820 Just believe in me. 00:11:11.240 --> 00:11:14.920 He holds up the mirror of God's perfect law to the lawyer. 00:11:15.759 --> 00:11:17.040 We're also interrupting Jesus here. 00:11:17.039 --> 00:11:18.299 We want to raise our hands and say, 00:11:18.860 --> 00:11:20.279 oh no, Jesus, you can't tell him this. 00:11:20.339 --> 00:11:21.480 You can't tell him to do this and live. 00:11:22.120 --> 00:11:23.439 Our minds raise the words of the apostle, 00:11:24.059 --> 00:11:25.699 who says time and time again, 00:11:26.539 --> 00:11:28.559 a person not justified by the works of the law, 00:11:28.740 --> 00:11:30.459 but by faith in Jesus Christ. 00:11:30.959 --> 00:11:32.860 So why does Jesus tell him to keep the law to live? 00:11:33.360 --> 00:11:35.339 Is Jesus teaching us salvation by works? 00:11:35.340 --> 00:11:37.639 Not at all. 00:11:38.379 --> 00:11:39.700 He's doing something brilliant, 00:11:40.259 --> 00:11:42.540 something subversively brilliant. 00:11:43.139 --> 00:11:45.639 He'll recognize this man knows all the answers, 00:11:46.060 --> 00:11:47.660 knows all the answers from the Bible, 00:11:48.360 --> 00:11:49.019 or the Hebrew Bible. 00:11:49.660 --> 00:11:50.639 But he has a moral problem. 00:11:51.300 --> 00:11:52.740 He thinks he's keeping the law perfectly. 00:11:53.340 --> 00:11:55.000 He thinks the law is his ladder to heaven. 00:11:55.780 --> 00:11:57.379 So Jesus points to this ladder and says, 00:11:58.300 --> 00:12:00.379 fine, if you want to get to heaven by your own performance, 00:12:00.480 --> 00:12:02.580 the standard is total, flawless, 00:12:03.100 --> 00:12:05.320 uninterrupted love for God and neighbor. 00:12:05.620 --> 00:12:07.420 Go ahead, just do it. 00:12:09.060 --> 00:12:11.300 Jesus is exposing the law's ultimate purpose here. 00:12:11.780 --> 00:12:12.639 The law was never meant, 00:12:13.040 --> 00:12:14.940 it was never given to us to provide salvation. 00:12:15.440 --> 00:12:17.620 It was never given to expose our sin. 00:12:18.100 --> 00:12:20.139 It was a diagnostic tool, not the cure. 00:12:20.940 --> 00:12:22.740 It's meant to show the lawyer and show us 00:12:22.740 --> 00:12:24.580 utter failure to love perfectly, 00:12:25.259 --> 00:12:27.800 driving us to our knees to beg for mercy. 00:12:28.680 --> 00:12:31.040 And knowing deep down he hasn't loved perfectly, 00:12:31.600 --> 00:12:33.379 but desperately to maintain his clean reputation, 00:12:34.019 --> 00:12:35.240 he tries to justify himself. 00:12:36.060 --> 00:12:38.000 Verse 29, he asks, 00:12:38.320 --> 00:12:39.060 and who is my neighbor? 00:12:40.019 --> 00:12:41.440 The lawyer knows a great commandment, 00:12:41.680 --> 00:12:44.160 but what he wants now is a small print exception. 00:12:45.120 --> 00:12:46.300 And see what he's doing here? 00:12:46.860 --> 00:12:48.300 He's looking for boundary lines. 00:12:49.139 --> 00:12:49.620 He's asking, 00:12:50.100 --> 00:12:51.840 how tight can I draw my circle, Jesus? 00:12:52.840 --> 00:12:54.300 Where does my obligation end? 00:12:54.299 --> 00:12:56.579 He didn't want to act. 00:12:57.279 --> 00:12:58.699 He wants to debate definitions, 00:12:59.240 --> 00:13:01.919 so he can limit his liability and keep his distance. 00:13:01.919 --> 00:13:04.799 And if we're honest, 00:13:05.299 --> 00:13:06.679 the lawyer's attempt to redefine neighbor 00:13:06.679 --> 00:13:08.219 isn't just an ancient problem, 00:13:08.959 --> 00:13:09.779 it's ours as well. 00:13:10.740 --> 00:13:13.439 The lawyer wants to know who he can leave outside the circle of love. 00:13:13.440 --> 00:13:15.520 And before we're too hard on him, 00:13:15.840 --> 00:13:17.060 perhaps we should ask ourselves this, 00:13:17.460 --> 00:13:18.460 who sits outside ours? 00:13:19.260 --> 00:13:20.520 The calling we want to avoid, 00:13:21.080 --> 00:13:22.340 the family members hurt us, 00:13:22.900 --> 00:13:24.800 the neighbor whose lifestyle we disapprove of, 00:13:25.260 --> 00:13:26.560 the person living rough for whom 00:13:26.560 --> 00:13:28.940 we hope someone else will stop and help. 00:13:28.940 --> 00:13:31.420 We're often happier discussing mercy 00:13:31.420 --> 00:13:32.800 than showing mercy. 00:13:33.120 --> 00:13:35.600 It means we can avoid looking across the street 00:13:35.600 --> 00:13:37.120 as someone we'd rather ignore. 00:13:37.880 --> 00:13:39.380 And that brings us to our second quest, 00:13:39.500 --> 00:13:40.180 our second movement, 00:13:40.440 --> 00:13:41.220 the kingdom lifestyle. 00:13:42.780 --> 00:13:43.680 Now, the lawyers, 00:13:44.000 --> 00:13:44.540 the teachers, 00:13:44.660 --> 00:13:45.760 the lawyers asked a question. 00:13:45.880 --> 00:13:47.540 Instead of giving a sterile answer, 00:13:48.160 --> 00:13:49.080 Jesus tells a story 00:13:49.080 --> 00:13:50.780 that drops like a bomb in a room. 00:13:51.660 --> 00:13:53.040 He describes a nameless man 00:13:53.040 --> 00:13:55.100 walking down notorious roads from Jerusalem 00:13:55.100 --> 00:13:56.680 all the way in the heights, 00:13:56.940 --> 00:13:57.800 down to Jericho, 00:13:57.799 --> 00:13:59.279 all the way below sea level. 00:13:59.939 --> 00:14:02.240 This road is known as the Path of Blood, 00:14:02.539 --> 00:14:03.199 and it was notorious. 00:14:03.899 --> 00:14:05.819 A steep, 70-mile descent 00:14:05.819 --> 00:14:07.099 through the Dujain wilderness 00:14:07.099 --> 00:14:09.039 full of caves and blind corners. 00:14:09.819 --> 00:14:11.099 The perfect place for bandits. 00:14:12.019 --> 00:14:12.879 You're trapped alone, 00:14:13.419 --> 00:14:14.699 you're taking serious risk. 00:14:16.259 --> 00:14:18.339 The traveling Jesus story loses that gamble. 00:14:18.919 --> 00:14:19.539 He's attacked, 00:14:20.099 --> 00:14:20.919 stripped of his clothes, 00:14:21.399 --> 00:14:22.319 his social status, 00:14:22.759 --> 00:14:23.859 identity, and now erased, 00:14:24.399 --> 00:14:25.459 beaten until he's unconscious, 00:14:26.120 --> 00:14:27.379 and left half dead in dirt. 00:14:28.799 --> 00:14:29.199 But then, 00:14:29.439 --> 00:14:30.259 hope passes by. 00:14:30.519 --> 00:14:31.259 The priest comes, 00:14:31.639 --> 00:14:32.379 then a Levite. 00:14:32.839 --> 00:14:34.679 They both see this bloody mess, 00:14:35.179 --> 00:14:35.959 and the text says, 00:14:36.319 --> 00:14:37.899 both pass by on the other side. 00:14:38.919 --> 00:14:39.620 Now, we shouldn't assume 00:14:39.620 --> 00:14:41.539 that these men were cartoon villains. 00:14:41.859 --> 00:14:42.899 It doesn't say they're wicked. 00:14:43.019 --> 00:14:43.839 It doesn't infer that. 00:14:44.959 --> 00:14:45.759 They look to be 00:14:45.759 --> 00:14:47.719 respectfully religious people. 00:14:47.720 --> 00:14:49.700 They were perhaps heading home 00:14:49.700 --> 00:14:51.320 after completing their sacred duties 00:14:51.320 --> 00:14:51.920 in the temple. 00:14:52.820 --> 00:14:53.660 I need excellent movements 00:14:53.660 --> 00:14:55.220 to keep on moving. 00:14:55.720 --> 00:14:56.460 But notice this. 00:14:57.259 --> 00:14:58.340 Jesus doesn't tell us why 00:14:58.340 --> 00:14:59.680 they didn't stop. 00:15:00.019 --> 00:15:00.680 He leaves their motives 00:15:00.680 --> 00:15:02.460 completely unexplained. 00:15:02.860 --> 00:15:03.740 He doesn't tell us 00:15:03.740 --> 00:15:04.860 what they were thinking. 00:15:05.180 --> 00:15:05.680 He could have, 00:15:06.040 --> 00:15:06.399 but he didn't. 00:15:07.240 --> 00:15:08.860 The point isn't why they failed. 00:15:09.519 --> 00:15:10.180 The point is simply 00:15:10.180 --> 00:15:11.100 that they saw the man, 00:15:11.800 --> 00:15:12.680 calculated risk, 00:15:12.679 --> 00:15:14.039 and kept going. 00:15:14.739 --> 00:15:15.719 So, whatever their reasons, 00:15:16.159 --> 00:15:18.139 compassion lost to convenience. 00:15:19.259 --> 00:15:20.179 Then Jesus turns 00:15:20.179 --> 00:15:21.439 the whole story upside down 00:15:21.439 --> 00:15:22.939 with two shocking words 00:15:22.939 --> 00:15:23.759 in verse 33. 00:15:24.399 --> 00:15:26.039 But a Samaritan. 00:15:26.899 --> 00:15:27.479 His listeners 00:15:27.479 --> 00:15:28.779 were gasped and disbelief, 00:15:29.359 --> 00:15:30.239 probably even disgust. 00:15:30.679 --> 00:15:32.079 To a first-century Jew, 00:15:32.459 --> 00:15:33.199 a good Samaritan 00:15:33.199 --> 00:15:33.859 was a jarring, 00:15:34.239 --> 00:15:35.239 offensive contradiction. 00:15:36.239 --> 00:15:36.979 Sent to the bitter, 00:15:37.459 --> 00:15:38.740 violent, religious 00:15:38.740 --> 00:15:40.519 hatred sat between them. 00:15:40.519 --> 00:15:41.759 So, good Samaritan sounded 00:15:41.759 --> 00:15:43.079 like a holy criminal. 00:15:43.539 --> 00:15:44.559 And that's lost its weight 00:15:44.559 --> 00:15:45.179 for us today. 00:15:45.360 --> 00:15:46.439 Because good Samaritan for us 00:15:46.439 --> 00:15:47.579 is a positive term 00:15:47.579 --> 00:15:48.939 used for many organizations. 00:15:49.419 --> 00:15:50.100 But to a Jew, 00:15:50.480 --> 00:15:51.579 that had been deeply offensive. 00:15:53.480 --> 00:15:54.960 So, Jesus takes the very person 00:15:54.960 --> 00:15:57.000 his listeners and lawyer 00:15:57.000 --> 00:15:58.419 would cross the street to avoid 00:15:58.419 --> 00:15:59.899 and makes them the definition 00:15:59.899 --> 00:16:01.740 of God's love in action. 00:16:03.159 --> 00:16:04.720 And when Samaritan sees a victim, 00:16:05.559 --> 00:16:06.860 the NAV tells us exactly 00:16:06.860 --> 00:16:07.939 what happened next. 00:16:08.100 --> 00:16:08.840 The text says, 00:16:08.840 --> 00:16:10.379 he took pity on him. 00:16:11.279 --> 00:16:12.039 In the Greek language 00:16:12.039 --> 00:16:12.639 of the New Testament, 00:16:12.879 --> 00:16:13.899 this isn't polite sympathy. 00:16:14.899 --> 00:16:16.480 It literally describes 00:16:16.480 --> 00:16:17.740 a deep, physical, 00:16:18.000 --> 00:16:18.799 heartfelt sorrow 00:16:18.799 --> 00:16:19.939 so overwhelming 00:16:19.939 --> 00:16:21.019 that violently drives 00:16:21.019 --> 00:16:21.879 a person to act. 00:16:23.039 --> 00:16:23.679 And if you track 00:16:23.679 --> 00:16:24.980 this specific type of compassion 00:16:24.980 --> 00:16:26.139 through the New Testament, 00:16:27.019 --> 00:16:28.139 you discover something breathtaking 00:16:28.139 --> 00:16:29.899 almost every single time 00:16:29.899 --> 00:16:31.379 this word is used. 00:16:31.860 --> 00:16:32.500 It's reserved 00:16:32.500 --> 00:16:33.079 on exclusively 00:16:33.079 --> 00:16:33.840 to describe 00:16:33.840 --> 00:16:34.860 the divine pity 00:16:34.860 --> 00:16:35.919 of Jesus Christ himself. 00:16:36.480 --> 00:16:37.840 This is Jesus' own compassion 00:16:37.840 --> 00:16:38.779 right here. 00:16:38.779 --> 00:16:41.279 It wasn't cheap sentimentality. 00:16:41.699 --> 00:16:43.539 It was incredibly costly. 00:16:44.839 --> 00:16:46.740 Notice what Samaritan sacrifices. 00:16:47.740 --> 00:16:49.000 He sacrifices safety 00:16:49.000 --> 00:16:50.399 to treat the wounds. 00:16:51.120 --> 00:16:52.519 He sacrifices property 00:16:52.519 --> 00:16:54.159 pouring expensive oil 00:16:54.159 --> 00:16:55.059 and wine 00:16:55.059 --> 00:16:56.339 and putting the man 00:16:56.339 --> 00:16:57.319 on his own donkey 00:16:57.319 --> 00:16:58.220 while he walks 00:16:58.220 --> 00:16:59.339 in the dirt. 00:16:59.340 --> 00:17:01.360 and he also sacrifices 00:17:01.360 --> 00:17:01.920 finances. 00:17:02.700 --> 00:17:03.680 He left two denarii, 00:17:04.160 --> 00:17:05.000 two full-day wages 00:17:05.000 --> 00:17:05.480 for labor 00:17:05.480 --> 00:17:06.039 with the innkeeper. 00:17:06.940 --> 00:17:07.799 He doesn't stop there. 00:17:08.600 --> 00:17:09.600 He leaves an open tab 00:17:09.600 --> 00:17:10.900 and in verse 35 00:17:10.900 --> 00:17:11.640 he tells the innkeeper, 00:17:11.640 --> 00:17:12.880 wherever you spend 00:17:12.880 --> 00:17:14.020 when I come back 00:17:14.020 --> 00:17:15.340 I will repay you. 00:17:15.840 --> 00:17:17.320 He assumes unlimited liability 00:17:17.320 --> 00:17:18.660 for a stranger 00:17:18.660 --> 00:17:20.420 who if he were conscious 00:17:20.420 --> 00:17:22.060 would likely despise him. 00:17:23.620 --> 00:17:24.280 And it's precisely 00:17:24.280 --> 00:17:24.740 where the story 00:17:24.740 --> 00:17:25.380 becomes deeply 00:17:25.380 --> 00:17:26.520 painfully uncomfortable. 00:17:28.180 --> 00:17:28.759 If we're completely honest 00:17:28.759 --> 00:17:29.220 for ourselves 00:17:29.220 --> 00:17:30.700 we want to see ourselves 00:17:30.700 --> 00:17:31.220 as a hero. 00:17:31.600 --> 00:17:32.560 We want to see ourselves 00:17:32.560 --> 00:17:33.640 as a Samaritan 00:17:33.640 --> 00:17:34.740 helping the poor, 00:17:34.860 --> 00:17:35.740 helping everyone in need. 00:17:36.140 --> 00:17:36.800 But if we read the story 00:17:36.800 --> 00:17:37.200 honestly 00:17:37.200 --> 00:17:38.660 we see a reflection 00:17:38.660 --> 00:17:39.640 not in the sacrificial 00:17:39.640 --> 00:17:41.220 reactions of the Samaritan 00:17:41.220 --> 00:17:42.420 but in the hurried 00:17:42.420 --> 00:17:44.160 self-justifying reactions 00:17:44.160 --> 00:17:44.920 of the priest 00:17:44.920 --> 00:17:45.819 and the Levite. 00:17:46.400 --> 00:17:47.279 We see the human mess 00:17:47.279 --> 00:17:47.880 around us. 00:17:48.160 --> 00:17:49.620 We recognize the inconvenience. 00:17:50.039 --> 00:17:50.420 We calculate 00:17:50.420 --> 00:17:51.580 the personal cost to me. 00:17:52.100 --> 00:17:53.160 We find a deeply logical 00:17:53.160 --> 00:17:54.960 perhaps spiritual reason 00:17:54.960 --> 00:17:56.240 to quite like slip over 00:17:56.240 --> 00:17:57.279 to the other side of the road. 00:17:58.039 --> 00:17:58.779 We look at the brokenness 00:17:58.779 --> 00:17:59.240 of our city. 00:17:59.519 --> 00:18:00.620 We can't fail to see it. 00:18:01.080 --> 00:18:01.580 And we think 00:18:01.580 --> 00:18:03.059 the council should handle that. 00:18:03.539 --> 00:18:04.720 Or that's what charities are for. 00:18:05.120 --> 00:18:06.039 It's not my job 00:18:06.039 --> 00:18:06.620 to sort it out. 00:18:07.200 --> 00:18:08.160 We weaponize 00:18:08.160 --> 00:18:08.940 our good boundaries 00:18:08.940 --> 00:18:10.259 to excuse 00:18:10.259 --> 00:18:11.640 our total lack 00:18:11.640 --> 00:18:12.700 of mercy. 00:18:15.200 --> 00:18:16.440 Now is Jesus saying 00:18:16.440 --> 00:18:17.259 that every time 00:18:17.259 --> 00:18:18.460 when I go out 00:18:18.460 --> 00:18:19.059 for lunch tomorrow 00:18:19.059 --> 00:18:19.500 at work 00:18:19.500 --> 00:18:20.539 and I pass someone 00:18:20.539 --> 00:18:21.180 sleeping rough 00:18:21.180 --> 00:18:22.600 I am personally required 00:18:22.600 --> 00:18:23.200 to stop 00:18:23.200 --> 00:18:24.960 put them into a travel lodge 00:18:24.960 --> 00:18:26.600 pay for their accommodation 00:18:26.600 --> 00:18:27.740 and meet every one 00:18:27.740 --> 00:18:28.299 of their needs? 00:18:29.059 --> 00:18:29.660 Is that the point 00:18:29.660 --> 00:18:30.200 of the parable? 00:18:30.980 --> 00:18:31.840 Not at all. 00:18:32.480 --> 00:18:33.279 Jesus is not giving us 00:18:33.279 --> 00:18:34.460 a new legal checklist. 00:18:35.120 --> 00:18:35.740 He's not placing 00:18:35.740 --> 00:18:36.500 one form 00:18:36.500 --> 00:18:37.440 of self-righteousness 00:18:37.440 --> 00:18:37.940 with another. 00:18:38.640 --> 00:18:40.039 He's exposing hearts 00:18:40.039 --> 00:18:41.140 that are always looking 00:18:41.140 --> 00:18:42.500 for the minimum requirement. 00:18:43.180 --> 00:18:43.880 The question isn't 00:18:43.880 --> 00:18:44.759 that must I help 00:18:44.759 --> 00:18:46.279 every person I meet? 00:18:46.759 --> 00:18:47.700 The question is 00:18:47.700 --> 00:18:49.140 has God's mercy 00:18:49.140 --> 00:18:50.539 so changed my heart 00:18:50.539 --> 00:18:51.839 that I'm becoming 00:18:51.839 --> 00:18:52.579 the kind of person 00:18:52.579 --> 00:18:53.740 that moves towards need 00:18:53.740 --> 00:18:55.140 rather than away from it? 00:18:56.160 --> 00:18:56.819 And some of us 00:18:56.819 --> 00:18:57.559 become experts 00:18:57.559 --> 00:18:58.539 at loving humanity 00:18:58.539 --> 00:18:59.579 while avoiding 00:18:59.579 --> 00:19:00.519 actual humans. 00:19:01.400 --> 00:19:01.980 The law is looking 00:19:01.980 --> 00:19:02.819 for the minimum requirement 00:19:02.819 --> 00:19:03.220 of love 00:19:03.220 --> 00:19:04.460 and we so often 00:19:04.460 --> 00:19:05.019 do the same. 00:19:05.579 --> 00:19:06.200 We look for reasons 00:19:06.200 --> 00:19:07.000 not to love 00:19:07.000 --> 00:19:08.420 rather than for opportunities 00:19:08.420 --> 00:19:09.200 to love. 00:19:10.460 --> 00:19:11.220 And this leads us 00:19:11.220 --> 00:19:11.779 to our third 00:19:11.779 --> 00:19:12.720 and final movement 00:19:12.720 --> 00:19:14.079 the greater Samaritan. 00:19:15.720 --> 00:19:16.140 And when Jesus 00:19:16.140 --> 00:19:16.940 finishes the story 00:19:16.940 --> 00:19:17.839 he turns the Lord's 00:19:17.839 --> 00:19:18.799 question on its head. 00:19:19.279 --> 00:19:19.819 Look at verses 00:19:19.819 --> 00:19:21.620 36 and 37. 00:19:22.299 --> 00:19:23.240 The Lord asked 00:19:23.240 --> 00:19:24.460 who's my neighbor? 00:19:25.600 --> 00:19:26.519 Jesus asked instead 00:19:26.519 --> 00:19:27.860 which of these three 00:19:27.860 --> 00:19:28.839 proved to be 00:19:28.839 --> 00:19:29.400 a neighbor? 00:19:30.160 --> 00:19:30.940 Do you see this shift here? 00:19:31.740 --> 00:19:32.420 Jesus changes 00:19:32.420 --> 00:19:33.420 the question entirely. 00:19:34.180 --> 00:19:34.960 Not who deserves 00:19:34.960 --> 00:19:35.460 my love 00:19:35.460 --> 00:19:36.620 but am I becoming 00:19:36.620 --> 00:19:37.460 the sort of person 00:19:37.460 --> 00:19:38.180 who loves? 00:19:39.680 --> 00:19:40.440 The lawyer is so 00:19:40.440 --> 00:19:40.820 uncomfortable 00:19:40.820 --> 00:19:41.460 with his answer 00:19:41.460 --> 00:19:42.299 they can't even 00:19:42.299 --> 00:19:42.799 bring themselves 00:19:42.799 --> 00:19:43.320 to say the word 00:19:43.320 --> 00:19:43.799 Samaritan. 00:19:44.299 --> 00:19:45.080 He simply mutters 00:19:45.080 --> 00:19:46.299 the one who had 00:19:46.299 --> 00:19:47.240 mercy on him. 00:19:47.880 --> 00:19:48.740 And Jesus says 00:19:48.740 --> 00:19:50.059 go and do likewise. 00:19:51.279 --> 00:19:51.720 And if we leave 00:19:51.720 --> 00:19:52.400 the sermon here 00:19:52.400 --> 00:19:53.019 we've missed 00:19:53.019 --> 00:19:53.660 the whole point 00:19:53.660 --> 00:19:54.200 of the sermon 00:19:54.200 --> 00:19:55.059 and more importantly 00:19:55.059 --> 00:19:55.340 we've missed 00:19:55.340 --> 00:19:55.880 the whole point 00:19:55.880 --> 00:19:56.420 of the gospel. 00:19:56.980 --> 00:19:57.500 This parable 00:19:57.500 --> 00:19:58.620 is just a moral checklist. 00:19:59.299 --> 00:19:59.779 Jesus is simply 00:19:59.779 --> 00:20:00.340 telling us 00:20:00.339 --> 00:20:01.599 you have to try harder 00:20:01.599 --> 00:20:02.799 give more money 00:20:02.799 --> 00:20:03.679 be perfectly loving 00:20:03.679 --> 00:20:04.159 the Samaritan 00:20:04.159 --> 00:20:04.759 to turn heaven 00:20:04.759 --> 00:20:05.679 then Jesus 00:20:05.679 --> 00:20:06.299 hasn't given us 00:20:06.299 --> 00:20:06.819 good news. 00:20:07.419 --> 00:20:08.159 He's simply given us 00:20:08.159 --> 00:20:09.539 another impossible standard. 00:20:10.339 --> 00:20:11.319 If going to likewise 00:20:11.319 --> 00:20:11.959 is a condition 00:20:11.959 --> 00:20:12.759 for inheriting 00:20:12.759 --> 00:20:13.559 eternal life 00:20:13.559 --> 00:20:14.740 then this parable 00:20:14.740 --> 00:20:15.439 should not sit 00:20:15.439 --> 00:20:16.319 with your children's books. 00:20:16.939 --> 00:20:17.199 It belongs 00:20:17.199 --> 00:20:18.019 in the horror section. 00:20:18.699 --> 00:20:19.419 Because once you realize 00:20:19.419 --> 00:20:20.659 what Jesus is actually demanding 00:20:20.659 --> 00:20:22.379 it's because none of us 00:20:22.379 --> 00:20:23.459 has loved it this perfectly. 00:20:25.779 --> 00:20:26.220 And 00:20:26.220 --> 00:20:28.379 we have to be very careful 00:20:28.380 --> 00:20:29.200 with this as well. 00:20:30.800 --> 00:20:31.580 It's right to say 00:20:31.580 --> 00:20:32.720 the action of the Samaritan 00:20:32.720 --> 00:20:33.440 is not the way 00:20:33.440 --> 00:20:34.340 to life 00:20:34.340 --> 00:20:35.600 but it is for those 00:20:35.600 --> 00:20:36.440 who love God 00:20:36.440 --> 00:20:37.740 with undiluted love 00:20:37.740 --> 00:20:38.600 to be a way 00:20:38.600 --> 00:20:39.580 of life. 00:20:41.380 --> 00:20:42.180 And Jesus is not 00:20:42.180 --> 00:20:42.940 suggesting for a moment 00:20:42.940 --> 00:20:44.000 that he's setting aside 00:20:44.000 --> 00:20:45.340 all that he's come to do. 00:20:45.760 --> 00:20:46.040 No. 00:20:46.840 --> 00:20:47.800 The real test 00:20:47.800 --> 00:20:48.480 is a bit like 00:20:48.480 --> 00:20:49.400 the parable of the sower. 00:20:50.060 --> 00:20:50.760 The seed falls 00:20:50.760 --> 00:20:51.480 on different kinds 00:20:51.480 --> 00:20:51.960 of ground. 00:20:52.680 --> 00:20:53.140 The seed that 00:20:53.140 --> 00:20:54.600 falls on good soil 00:20:54.600 --> 00:20:56.040 brings forth fruit. 00:20:56.039 --> 00:20:57.539 So evidence 00:20:57.539 --> 00:20:59.159 is in the fruitfulness. 00:20:59.720 --> 00:21:00.879 Not the dramatic nature 00:21:00.879 --> 00:21:01.519 of the response. 00:21:02.180 --> 00:21:02.759 In other words 00:21:02.759 --> 00:21:03.940 the Samaritan's actions 00:21:03.940 --> 00:21:05.119 do not hurt in them life. 00:21:05.720 --> 00:21:06.980 They reveal the kind of life 00:21:06.980 --> 00:21:08.339 that's already at work. 00:21:09.079 --> 00:21:09.980 So mercy is not 00:21:09.980 --> 00:21:10.379 the root 00:21:10.379 --> 00:21:11.339 of our salvation 00:21:11.339 --> 00:21:12.379 it's the fruit 00:21:12.379 --> 00:21:13.099 of our salvation. 00:21:14.099 --> 00:21:14.960 We're not saved 00:21:14.960 --> 00:21:15.619 because we love 00:21:15.619 --> 00:21:16.339 our neighbor perfectly. 00:21:17.119 --> 00:21:17.740 When Christ 00:21:17.740 --> 00:21:19.000 has shown mercy to us 00:21:19.000 --> 00:21:20.000 that mercy begins 00:21:20.000 --> 00:21:20.720 to reshape 00:21:20.720 --> 00:21:21.799 the way we see 00:21:21.799 --> 00:21:23.659 and the way we respond 00:21:23.660 --> 00:21:24.680 to the person 00:21:24.680 --> 00:21:25.640 lying in front of us. 00:21:27.019 --> 00:21:28.000 Because once you realize 00:21:28.000 --> 00:21:28.400 what Jesus 00:21:28.400 --> 00:21:29.300 is actually demanding 00:21:29.300 --> 00:21:30.660 you realize 00:21:30.660 --> 00:21:31.480 it's such an impossible 00:21:31.480 --> 00:21:32.480 standard to live up to. 00:21:33.040 --> 00:21:33.540 When we read 00:21:33.540 --> 00:21:34.380 the Good Samaritan 00:21:34.380 --> 00:21:35.660 to the ends of the cross 00:21:35.660 --> 00:21:36.540 we realize 00:21:36.540 --> 00:21:37.580 the profound depth 00:21:37.580 --> 00:21:38.800 of what Jesus is doing. 00:21:39.640 --> 00:21:40.279 The story is not 00:21:40.279 --> 00:21:40.880 primarily about 00:21:40.880 --> 00:21:41.759 what we must do 00:21:41.759 --> 00:21:43.100 it first shows us 00:21:43.100 --> 00:21:44.259 what Christ has done. 00:21:45.060 --> 00:21:45.940 In the grand narrative 00:21:45.940 --> 00:21:46.560 of salvation 00:21:46.560 --> 00:21:48.259 we are not the Samaritan 00:21:48.259 --> 00:21:49.540 we're not the priest 00:21:49.540 --> 00:21:50.740 we're not the Levite 00:21:50.740 --> 00:21:51.900 we're the bloody 00:21:51.900 --> 00:21:53.920 beaten traveler 00:21:53.920 --> 00:21:55.460 dying in the dirt 00:21:55.460 --> 00:21:56.480 entirely unable 00:21:56.480 --> 00:21:57.279 to save ourselves. 00:21:57.900 --> 00:21:59.019 Until we see ourselves 00:21:59.019 --> 00:21:59.779 lying helpless 00:21:59.779 --> 00:22:00.400 in the dust 00:22:00.400 --> 00:22:01.880 we'll never marvel 00:22:01.880 --> 00:22:02.859 at what Christ 00:22:02.859 --> 00:22:04.019 has done for us 00:22:04.019 --> 00:22:05.240 that he stopped for us 00:22:05.240 --> 00:22:06.420 and went on that cross 00:22:06.420 --> 00:22:06.839 for us. 00:22:07.640 --> 00:22:08.420 The priest and Levite 00:22:08.420 --> 00:22:09.599 teach us a painful truth 00:22:09.599 --> 00:22:11.420 religion cannot save. 00:22:12.220 --> 00:22:12.980 The law can expose 00:22:12.980 --> 00:22:13.400 our need 00:22:13.400 --> 00:22:14.859 but cannot rescue us. 00:22:15.519 --> 00:22:16.099 We were 00:22:16.099 --> 00:22:17.319 spiritually bankrupt 00:22:17.319 --> 00:22:18.660 stripped of righteousness 00:22:18.660 --> 00:22:19.500 and helpless. 00:22:19.500 --> 00:22:21.339 The good Samaritan 00:22:21.339 --> 00:22:22.160 shows what love 00:22:22.160 --> 00:22:23.039 looks like. 00:22:23.319 --> 00:22:23.700 Christ 00:22:23.700 --> 00:22:25.400 that great Samaritan 00:22:25.400 --> 00:22:25.980 shows what 00:22:25.980 --> 00:22:26.859 saving love 00:22:26.859 --> 00:22:27.680 does. 00:22:28.779 --> 00:22:29.579 And look how beautifully 00:22:29.579 --> 00:22:30.920 Christ fills the shadow. 00:22:32.079 --> 00:22:32.539 The Samaritan 00:22:32.539 --> 00:22:33.720 came to the wounded man 00:22:33.720 --> 00:22:35.019 Christ came down 00:22:35.019 --> 00:22:36.299 from heaven to us. 00:22:36.920 --> 00:22:37.420 The Samaritan 00:22:37.420 --> 00:22:38.359 bound up wounds 00:22:38.359 --> 00:22:39.500 Christ heals 00:22:39.500 --> 00:22:39.960 the wounds 00:22:39.960 --> 00:22:40.660 of our sin. 00:22:41.519 --> 00:22:41.960 The Samaritan 00:22:41.960 --> 00:22:42.799 gave his own resources 00:22:42.799 --> 00:22:44.359 Christ gave his blood 00:22:44.359 --> 00:22:45.220 on Calvary. 00:22:46.099 --> 00:22:46.440 The Samaritan 00:22:46.440 --> 00:22:47.160 paid the cross 00:22:47.160 --> 00:22:48.619 Christ paid her debt 00:22:48.619 --> 00:22:49.000 in full 00:22:49.000 --> 00:22:49.740 crying 00:22:49.740 --> 00:22:50.400 it is finished. 00:22:51.400 --> 00:22:52.000 Now the Samaritan 00:22:52.000 --> 00:22:52.859 left two denarii 00:22:52.859 --> 00:22:53.480 with the innkeeper 00:22:53.480 --> 00:22:54.900 and some of our 00:22:54.900 --> 00:22:55.740 early church fathers 00:22:55.740 --> 00:22:56.319 saw in this 00:22:56.319 --> 00:22:57.200 a beautiful illustration. 00:22:57.900 --> 00:22:58.819 Perhaps not necessarily 00:22:58.819 --> 00:23:00.119 what Luke was intending here 00:23:00.119 --> 00:23:01.519 but it's a fitting reminder 00:23:01.519 --> 00:23:02.940 that Christ 00:23:02.940 --> 00:23:04.240 our great Samaritan 00:23:04.240 --> 00:23:05.180 has given his church 00:23:05.180 --> 00:23:06.160 his words 00:23:06.160 --> 00:23:07.440 and his sacraments 00:23:07.440 --> 00:23:08.680 the common means of grace 00:23:08.680 --> 00:23:09.799 to nourish us 00:23:09.799 --> 00:23:10.680 and sustain us 00:23:10.680 --> 00:23:11.720 until he returns. 00:23:12.839 --> 00:23:13.819 The Samaritan promised 00:23:13.819 --> 00:23:14.819 when I return 00:23:14.819 --> 00:23:16.440 I will repay you. 00:23:16.440 --> 00:23:17.960 Christ promises 00:23:17.960 --> 00:23:19.220 he is coming back 00:23:19.220 --> 00:23:19.840 a second 00:23:19.840 --> 00:23:21.000 and final time 00:23:21.000 --> 00:23:22.539 to finalize the restoration 00:23:22.539 --> 00:23:23.759 and wipe away 00:23:23.759 --> 00:23:24.299 every tear. 00:23:25.220 --> 00:23:25.820 We can only love 00:23:25.820 --> 00:23:26.240 our neighbor 00:23:26.240 --> 00:23:27.320 because we've first 00:23:27.320 --> 00:23:27.779 been loved 00:23:27.779 --> 00:23:28.600 by the ultimate neighbor 00:23:28.600 --> 00:23:29.680 who died for us 00:23:29.680 --> 00:23:30.779 his enemy. 00:23:33.279 --> 00:23:34.259 And as C.S. Lewis 00:23:34.259 --> 00:23:35.820 masterfully wrote 00:23:35.820 --> 00:23:36.759 in The Weight of Glory 00:23:36.759 --> 00:23:39.000 there are no ordinary people 00:23:39.000 --> 00:23:40.619 you've never talked 00:23:40.619 --> 00:23:41.379 to a mere mortal. 00:23:42.200 --> 00:23:42.619 Nations 00:23:42.619 --> 00:23:43.759 cultures 00:23:43.759 --> 00:23:44.779 arts 00:23:44.779 --> 00:23:45.759 civilizations 00:23:45.759 --> 00:23:47.339 these are mortal 00:23:47.339 --> 00:23:48.579 and their life 00:23:48.579 --> 00:23:49.180 is to ours 00:23:49.180 --> 00:23:50.559 as a life of an act. 00:23:51.519 --> 00:23:52.519 It's to immortals 00:23:52.519 --> 00:23:53.299 humans 00:23:53.299 --> 00:23:54.420 that we conduct 00:23:54.420 --> 00:23:55.379 all of our dealings 00:23:55.379 --> 00:23:55.980 with one another. 00:23:56.879 --> 00:23:58.180 So when we comprehend 00:23:58.180 --> 00:23:58.920 the weight of what 00:23:58.920 --> 00:23:59.980 Christ did for us 00:23:59.980 --> 00:24:01.379 while we were his enemy 00:24:01.379 --> 00:24:02.640 it fundamentally alters 00:24:02.640 --> 00:24:04.339 how we view humanity. 00:24:04.940 --> 00:24:05.519 So we walk out 00:24:05.519 --> 00:24:06.379 of this building tonight 00:24:06.380 --> 00:24:07.420 we pass someone 00:24:07.420 --> 00:24:07.960 sleeping rough 00:24:07.960 --> 00:24:08.660 in streets of Edinburgh 00:24:08.660 --> 00:24:09.860 or meet the difficult 00:24:09.860 --> 00:24:10.660 colleague tomorrow 00:24:10.660 --> 00:24:11.920 or the lonely neighbor 00:24:11.920 --> 00:24:13.000 across the stairwell 00:24:13.000 --> 00:24:14.140 you're not looking 00:24:14.140 --> 00:24:15.000 at an inconvenience. 00:24:15.500 --> 00:24:16.000 You're looking at 00:24:16.000 --> 00:24:17.360 an immortal soul 00:24:17.360 --> 00:24:18.900 made in the image of God. 00:24:19.360 --> 00:24:19.840 You're looking at 00:24:19.840 --> 00:24:20.420 someone for whom 00:24:20.420 --> 00:24:21.300 the road to Jericho 00:24:21.300 --> 00:24:22.660 is that daily reality 00:24:22.660 --> 00:24:24.440 living in a fallen world 00:24:24.440 --> 00:24:25.600 carrying burdens 00:24:25.600 --> 00:24:26.380 you cannot see. 00:24:27.460 --> 00:24:28.200 And the wonder 00:24:28.200 --> 00:24:28.760 of the gospel 00:24:28.760 --> 00:24:29.960 is that law 00:24:29.960 --> 00:24:31.000 which once condemned us 00:24:31.000 --> 00:24:32.540 for a failure to love 00:24:32.540 --> 00:24:33.640 is transformed 00:24:33.640 --> 00:24:34.380 by grace. 00:24:35.040 --> 00:24:35.420 What the law 00:24:35.420 --> 00:24:36.300 is powerless to do 00:24:36.299 --> 00:24:37.980 God did for us 00:24:37.980 --> 00:24:39.059 by sending us Jesus. 00:24:40.180 --> 00:24:40.680 Now let's see 00:24:40.680 --> 00:24:41.200 how this beautiful 00:24:41.200 --> 00:24:42.000 structured chapter 00:24:42.000 --> 00:24:43.039 comes to its conclusion. 00:24:43.740 --> 00:24:44.299 And Luke brings us 00:24:44.299 --> 00:24:45.139 full circle here. 00:24:45.879 --> 00:24:46.720 The chapter that begins 00:24:46.720 --> 00:24:47.259 with mission 00:24:47.259 --> 00:24:49.059 moved through mercy 00:24:49.059 --> 00:24:50.759 now ends in worship. 00:24:52.039 --> 00:24:52.799 It doesn't leave us 00:24:52.799 --> 00:24:53.559 on a busy 00:24:53.559 --> 00:24:54.299 blood-soaked road 00:24:54.299 --> 00:24:54.839 to Jericho 00:24:54.839 --> 00:24:55.919 ends immediately 00:24:55.919 --> 00:24:56.599 after this 00:24:56.599 --> 00:24:57.639 in a quiet home 00:24:57.639 --> 00:24:58.720 in Bethany. 00:24:59.559 --> 00:25:00.039 There we meet 00:25:00.039 --> 00:25:00.819 two sisters 00:25:00.819 --> 00:25:02.639 Martha and Mary. 00:25:03.879 --> 00:25:05.019 Martha is running around 00:25:05.019 --> 00:25:06.259 trying to do things 00:25:06.259 --> 00:25:06.720 for Jesus 00:25:06.720 --> 00:25:08.139 much like the lawyer 00:25:08.139 --> 00:25:09.200 wanting to perform. 00:25:09.700 --> 00:25:10.319 Our sister Mary 00:25:10.319 --> 00:25:11.000 sits peacefully 00:25:11.000 --> 00:25:12.299 at the feet of Jesus 00:25:12.299 --> 00:25:13.940 absorbing his words 00:25:13.940 --> 00:25:15.500 listening to his heart. 00:25:16.299 --> 00:25:17.460 The 72 are sent out 00:25:17.460 --> 00:25:19.019 the Samaritan acts 00:25:19.019 --> 00:25:20.200 and Mary sits. 00:25:20.900 --> 00:25:21.319 And this is where 00:25:21.319 --> 00:25:21.799 the gospel 00:25:21.799 --> 00:25:23.019 this is where the heavy command 00:25:23.019 --> 00:25:24.379 becomes a gospel promise. 00:25:25.039 --> 00:25:25.960 Jesus told the lawyer 00:25:25.960 --> 00:25:27.200 go and do likewise. 00:25:27.900 --> 00:25:28.680 Then Luke immediately 00:25:28.680 --> 00:25:29.700 walks into the house 00:25:29.700 --> 00:25:30.359 where Mary is sitting. 00:25:30.359 --> 00:25:31.240 Why? 00:25:31.979 --> 00:25:33.000 Because you cannot 00:25:33.000 --> 00:25:33.759 do the going 00:25:33.759 --> 00:25:34.939 until you've done 00:25:34.939 --> 00:25:35.359 the sitting. 00:25:35.959 --> 00:25:36.899 If you try to run out 00:25:36.899 --> 00:25:37.299 tonight 00:25:37.299 --> 00:25:38.899 and solve every problem 00:25:38.899 --> 00:25:40.459 try to be a good Samaritan 00:25:40.459 --> 00:25:41.679 try to be the perfect person 00:25:41.679 --> 00:25:42.959 in your own strength 00:25:42.959 --> 00:25:43.939 without first sitting 00:25:43.939 --> 00:25:44.619 at the feet of Jesus 00:25:44.619 --> 00:25:45.879 you'll burn out. 00:25:46.519 --> 00:25:47.359 You'll start resenting 00:25:47.359 --> 00:25:48.039 the very people 00:25:48.039 --> 00:25:49.279 you're trying to help. 00:25:50.059 --> 00:25:50.699 So before you can 00:25:50.699 --> 00:25:51.379 effectively love 00:25:51.379 --> 00:25:51.819 your neighbor 00:25:51.819 --> 00:25:53.019 you have to stand 00:25:53.019 --> 00:25:53.839 before God 00:25:53.839 --> 00:25:55.139 empty-handed 00:25:55.139 --> 00:25:56.519 like the beaten traveler 00:25:56.519 --> 00:25:57.819 and simply receive 00:25:57.819 --> 00:25:58.359 the mercy 00:25:58.359 --> 00:26:00.039 he's already poured out 00:26:00.039 --> 00:26:00.339 on you. 00:26:01.219 --> 00:26:02.199 We must sit at his feet 00:26:02.199 --> 00:26:02.759 to be filled 00:26:02.759 --> 00:26:03.899 so we can go 00:26:03.899 --> 00:26:04.379 into the streets 00:26:04.379 --> 00:26:05.740 and pour out our love. 00:26:06.819 --> 00:26:07.199 So what does 00:26:07.199 --> 00:26:07.799 go and do likewise 00:26:07.799 --> 00:26:08.539 look like tomorrow? 00:26:09.339 --> 00:26:10.299 It's simply this 00:26:10.299 --> 00:26:11.579 who's lying 00:26:11.579 --> 00:26:12.219 on the road 00:26:12.219 --> 00:26:12.919 in front of you? 00:26:14.000 --> 00:26:14.719 Go and do likewise 00:26:14.719 --> 00:26:15.719 is a life 00:26:15.719 --> 00:26:17.240 that flows from grace. 00:26:18.839 --> 00:26:20.139 Because gospel-shaped love 00:26:20.139 --> 00:26:21.079 is really convenient. 00:26:21.699 --> 00:26:22.539 It crosses boundaries 00:26:22.539 --> 00:26:24.159 interrupts our lives 00:26:24.159 --> 00:26:25.319 and costs us something. 00:26:25.879 --> 00:26:27.000 But it costs Christ everything. 00:26:27.000 --> 00:26:29.140 And we'll just close 00:26:29.140 --> 00:26:30.599 with this short point. 00:26:31.000 --> 00:26:32.500 We started tonight 00:26:32.500 --> 00:26:33.819 with a question 00:26:33.819 --> 00:26:35.160 from a lawyer 00:26:35.160 --> 00:26:35.680 asking 00:26:35.680 --> 00:26:36.819 what must I do 00:26:36.819 --> 00:26:38.000 to inherit eternal life? 00:26:38.779 --> 00:26:39.859 And here's the answer. 00:26:40.720 --> 00:26:41.460 You don't inherit 00:26:41.460 --> 00:26:42.099 eternal life 00:26:42.099 --> 00:26:43.240 by being the good Samaritan. 00:26:43.779 --> 00:26:44.680 You inherit it 00:26:44.680 --> 00:26:45.400 by realizing 00:26:45.400 --> 00:26:46.380 you're the one 00:26:46.380 --> 00:26:47.180 dying in the ditch 00:26:47.180 --> 00:26:48.700 and putting your faith 00:26:48.700 --> 00:26:50.180 entirely in Jesus Christ. 00:26:50.819 --> 00:26:51.980 He is the great Samaritan 00:26:51.980 --> 00:26:53.559 who finds us helpless 00:26:53.559 --> 00:26:54.119 in our sin. 00:26:54.839 --> 00:26:55.759 When we trust in him 00:26:55.759 --> 00:26:57.160 he binds our wounds. 00:26:57.819 --> 00:26:58.680 He pays our debt 00:26:58.680 --> 00:26:59.359 on the cross 00:26:59.359 --> 00:27:00.180 and he promises 00:27:00.180 --> 00:27:01.079 his return to us. 00:27:01.759 --> 00:27:02.319 So friends 00:27:02.319 --> 00:27:03.680 it's only when we 00:27:03.680 --> 00:27:04.559 received his mercy 00:27:04.559 --> 00:27:05.519 by faith 00:27:05.519 --> 00:27:06.740 that we can begin 00:27:06.740 --> 00:27:07.319 to show mercy 00:27:07.319 --> 00:27:07.859 to others. 00:27:08.500 --> 00:27:09.440 We do not go 00:27:09.440 --> 00:27:10.180 and show mercy 00:27:10.180 --> 00:27:11.319 to earn life. 00:27:11.720 --> 00:27:12.180 We go 00:27:12.180 --> 00:27:13.279 because Christ 00:27:13.279 --> 00:27:14.720 because in Christ 00:27:14.720 --> 00:27:15.819 we received life. 00:27:16.500 --> 00:27:16.920 And so 00:27:16.920 --> 00:27:18.299 having received the mercy 00:27:18.299 --> 00:27:19.240 of the great Samaritan 00:27:19.240 --> 00:27:21.059 Jesus now says to us 00:27:21.059 --> 00:27:21.819 go 00:27:21.819 --> 00:27:23.140 and do likewise. 00:27:23.819 --> 00:27:24.400 And we'll close. 00:27:24.400 --> 00:27:27.280 And so let us pray. 00:27:28.440 --> 00:27:29.480 We thank you 00:27:29.480 --> 00:27:30.440 grateful God 00:27:30.440 --> 00:27:32.840 that when we turn 00:27:32.840 --> 00:27:33.280 our attention 00:27:33.280 --> 00:27:33.960 to your word 00:27:33.960 --> 00:27:34.900 the Holy Spirit 00:27:34.900 --> 00:27:35.600 brings it home 00:27:35.600 --> 00:27:36.180 into our hearts. 00:27:36.560 --> 00:27:37.280 We thank you 00:27:37.280 --> 00:27:38.940 that we are saved 00:27:38.940 --> 00:27:40.000 not by our performance 00:27:40.000 --> 00:27:41.100 but by the mercy 00:27:41.100 --> 00:27:42.180 of the great Samaritan 00:27:42.180 --> 00:27:43.040 Jesus Christ. 00:27:43.820 --> 00:27:44.960 As members of your family 00:27:44.960 --> 00:27:46.720 heal our self-righteousness 00:27:46.720 --> 00:27:48.360 break our love of boundaries 00:27:48.360 --> 00:27:49.280 and replace it 00:27:49.280 --> 00:27:50.300 with the love for our people. 00:27:51.160 --> 00:27:51.980 Send us out this week 00:27:51.980 --> 00:27:52.960 to love you totally 00:27:52.960 --> 00:27:54.240 and to love the broken 00:27:54.240 --> 00:27:55.340 the unexpected 00:27:55.340 --> 00:27:56.840 and the forgotten people 00:27:56.840 --> 00:27:57.259 we meet 00:27:57.259 --> 00:27:58.120 along streets of Edinburgh 00:27:58.120 --> 00:27:59.620 so that they too 00:27:59.620 --> 00:28:00.880 might see the transforming 00:28:00.880 --> 00:28:02.000 power of your grace. 00:28:02.640 --> 00:28:03.140 In the beautiful name 00:28:03.140 --> 00:28:04.120 of Jesus we pray. 00:28:04.120 --> 00:28:05.000 Amen.