When it comes to your neighbors, LOVE FEELS SOMETHING
Luke 10:30-33 — “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.
When it comes to your neighbors, LOVE DOES SOMETHING
Luke 10:34 — 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.
When it comes to your neighbors, LOVE COSTS SOMETHING
Luke 10:35 — 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‘.
When it comes to your neighbors, LOVE REVEALS SOMETHING
Luke 10:36-37 — Which of these three, do you think, proved to be a neighbor to the man who fell among the robbers?” He said, “The one who showed him mercy.” And Jesus said to him, “You go, and do likewise.
Application:
- Get close enough to others to feel their pain.
- Look for ways to serve a neighbor in need.
- Be ready and willing to sacrifice when necessary.
- Know that your actions will bear witness to your relationship with God.
Introduction: This morning I want to begin a new preaching series called Neighboring 101. Now we have said repeatedly that one of the major reasons why this church exists is to minister to our surrounding communities so that they experience God’s love and are drawn to the Lord as a result. Even as I say these words, it occurs to me that this is going to require a shift in our thinking from the ministry paradigm that for decades was used to measure success in the local church by almost every church in America (butts and bucks) to a brand new model. No longer can Christians afford to merely measure our attendance or the size of our offerings to determine whether or not we’re succeeding. Today, the focus has to become changed lives and changed communities. And this is only going to happen if Christians can take their ministries outside the four walls of the local church and do what our Lord commanded…love our neighbors as ourselves. With this thought in mind, over the next three months or so, I want to teach some well known texts from the Bible that will help us to capture a vision for how we can impact the lives of the people living across the street or down the road. For generations, Americans did this very naturally. We built porches to invite others to come and sit and talk with us. We saw our homes as places to entertain guests. And we took the time to get to know the people living around us. This all began to change in the latter part of the 20th century when we began to see our homes as a place to retreat from the chaotic pace of life that was driven by a desire for more money and more things. The consequence was that we started to become a people who disengaged with our neighbors and intentionally sought fewer relationships with others. We huddled in our homes and backyards and waved at the people next door without putting much effort into getting to know them. Sadly, in some cases, we found it more convenient and safer to ignore them altogether no matter what was happening in their lives. Take the case of Kitty Genovese, a twenty-eight year old woman who lived in a nice middle class area of Queens, New York. At approximately 3:20 AM on a cold, wintry morning in March of 1964 she was returning home from her job as the manager of a local tavern. She parked her car in a nearby parking lot, turned-off the lights and started the walk to her second floor apartment some 35 yards away. She got as far as a streetlight when a man accosted her with a knife. She screamed. Lights went on in the 10-floor apartment building nearby. She yelled, “Oh, my God, he stabbed me! Please help me!” Windows opened in the apartment building and a man’s voice shouted, “Let that girl alone.” The attacker looked up, shrugged and walked-off down the street. Miss Genovese struggled to get to her feet. Incredibly, lights went back off in the apartments, so the attacker came back and stabbed her again. Once more she cried out, “I’m dying! I’m dying!” And again the lights came on and windows opened in many of the nearby apartments. The assailant, not wanting to be identified, left the scene, this time in his car. Miss Genovese staggered to her feet as a city bus drove by. It was now 3:35 a.m. Amazingly, the attacker returned one more time. He found her in a doorway at the foot of the stairs and he stabbed her again, this time with a fatal consequence. It was 3:50 when the police received the first call. They responded quickly and within two minutes were at the scene, but Kitty Genovese was already dead.
Kitty Genovese was a name that would become symbolic in the public mind for a dark side of the national character. It would stand for Americans who were too indifferent or too frightened or too alienated or too self-absorbed to “get involved’’ in helping a fellow human being in dire trouble. Detectives investigating the murder discovered that no fewer than 38 of her neighbors had witnessed at least one of her killer’s three attacks but had neither come to her aid nor called the police. The one call made to the police came after Genovese was already dead. If you’re my age or older, perhaps you have heard this story. It may be the defining moment of urban apathy in the latter half of the twentieth century. When it happened, Americans thought the incident shocking and bizarre. Many asked the question, “What’s wrong with these people, anyway?”
Background: Today’s text is the 1st century equivalent of the Kitty Genovese story. It is found in Luke 10 and is the familiar story of the Good Samaritan, as told in response to a question asked of Jesus by a Jewish lawyer, i.e. a teacher of the law: “What must I do to inherit eternal life?” On the surface, this seems like a dumb question. What, after all, can anyone do to deserve an inheritance? You have to be a legal heir to receive one. But Jesus understands what the lawyer is asking and so in the typical style of a rabbi, He answers with a question of His own: “What is written in the law? How do you read it?” The expert then cites Deuteronomy 6:5 and Leviticus 19:18 (i.e. which together have become known as the Great Commandment) — “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind”; and “love your neighbor as yourself.” Jesus agrees and in fact had given the same answer elsewhere (See Matthew 22:37-39). The lawyer answered this way because Jews believed that salvation came through the keeping of the law and these two commandments to love are a great summary of the Torah. As we all know, however, it is easier to profess love than to practice it. The scribe, seeking to justify the limitations of his love, asks a second question: “Who is my neighbor?” For the average Jew, the answer was their fellow Jews (See Leviticus 19:18). They, forgot, however, that in the same passage God also calls on them to love the alien living among them (Leviticus 19:34 — You shall treat the stranger who sojourns with you as a native among you, and you shall love him as yourself, for you were strangers in the land of Egypt). In response to the lawyer’s question, Jesus tells what has become a very well known and beloved story called “The Good Samaritan” to cast some light on what it means to love our neighbors.
Just a little additional background before we proceed:
- The story is based upon a journey of a man along a common, yet treacherous 17-mile road that descends 3,000 feet from Jerusalem to Jericho. A Jewish historian named Josephus tells us that Herod had dismissed 40,000 workmen from the Temple during Christ’s day, and that a large part of them became vicious highway robbers. So when Jesus tells the story, His audience would not consider it unusual for a man to be beaten and robbed along the route.
- What makes this story remarkable is that the hero is a Samaritan. Many of you probably already know that Samaritans and Jews despised each other (Luke 9:51-56 — When the days drew near for him to be taken up, he set his face to go to Jerusalem. And he sent messengers ahead of him, who went and entered a village of the Samaritans, to make preparations for him. But the people did not receive him, because his face was set toward Jerusalem. And when his disciples James and John saw it, they said, “Lord, do you want us to tell fire to come down from heaven and consume them?” But he turned and rebuked them.) Jews did not care for Samaritans because they saw them as half-breeds, traitors and objectionable people. Centuries before the time of Christ, when the nation of Israel was divided, Samaria was the capitol of the northern kingdom founded by Omri (See 1 Kings 16:21-24). They intermarried with those outside the Jewish race and even worshipped at a different sight ( Gerazim — John 4:20-24). In addition, many of the Samaritans recognized only the first five books of the Old Testament as inspired. The Jews wanted nothing to do with them. Yet in this story Jesus casts both a Priest (who ministered on behalf of the people to God) and a Levite (who performed an important religious duty in caring for the temple) in a negative light for failing to render aid to a fellow Jew, while commending a Samaritan for fulfilling the commandment of God. NOW LET’S CONSIDER WHAT IT MEANS TO LOVE OUR NEIGHBORS.
When it comes to your neighbors, LOVE FEELS SOMETHING (Luke 10:30-33 — “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). The Priest and Levite left God at the temple and ignored the needs of the man they found lying unconscious on the side of the road, probably because of what is written in Leviticus 21:2 — And the Lord said to Moses, “Speak to the priests, the sons of Aaron, and say to them: ‘No one shall make himself unclean for the dead among his people, except for his closest relatives. By contrast, the Samaritan took pity on him. The word for “compassion” is often translated as “pity,” and means, “to be moved as to one’s bowels.” It’s an inward affection that results in tender mercy toward others (Luke 7:11-13 — to a widow in the town of Nain — As he drew near to the gate of the town, behold, a man who had died was being carried out, the only son of his mother, and she was a widow, and a considerable crowd from the town was with her. And when the Lord saw her, he had compassion on her and said to her, “Do not weep”). The Samaritan saw the man lying unconscious beside the road and his heart churned within him so that he could not pass by without helping. That’s the way compassion/pity should affect us. It should stir us, trouble us, and keep us awake at night knowing that others are suffering. Illustration: I don’t like to watch those commercials of people starving in other countries. I doubt that you do as well. They make me feel bad inside. I know that they shouldn’t have to do without food, especially when places like America have such a surplus of it. Often I tell myself that they are victims of their own country’s policies and the ruthless leaders that enforce them. When they come on my TV, I often turn the channel and rationalize that we’re already helping and no one family can make that big of a difference. But maybe the Lord wants me to spend some time reflecting on their pain. After all, that is what compassion does. It feels the suffering of others deep, down inside. But loving one’s neighbor demands even more.
When it comes to your neighbors, LOVE DOES SOMETHING (Luke 10:34 — 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). Notice that unlike the priest and the Levite, the Samaritan doesn’t pass by on the other side. He moved toward the injured man. You must move toward people to express compassion, in order to build relationships. It is not something that just mystically happens, it takes concentrated effort. It often is not convenient. But I don’t want you to forget that the Samaritan is moving toward someone who if he was conscious would despise him; someone who no doubt would not do the same for him if the roles were reversed. Jesus details in a series of six verbs just how active this man’s compassion was, I want you to underline these words in this verse; (1) he went to him, (2) he bound up his wounds, (3) he poured oil and wine on his wounds, (4) he set him on his donkey, (5) he brought him to an inn and (6) he took care of him. We all remember that verbs are action words. Contrast these with the verbs used to describe the action of the Priest and Levite — They saw and passed by. In every one of his acts the Samaritan demonstrated compassion as he responded in a practical, timely and unselfish way. He put the victim on his own donkey, which meant that the Samaritan walked. It is important to recognize that he took the time to take care for him. We may not be able to help everywhere, or help everyone, but we can help somewhere and try to do a meaningful work of service. Application: Love is simply incapable of sitting around and watching people in need without lifting a hand to help. What makes Christian love even more remarkable is that we can show love for people who if the tables were turned might now show love for us. Illustration: Outside the Wells Fargo office in Chicago, I offered to buy food for a homeless man and for a woman and her daughter.
When it comes to your neighbors, LOVE COSTS SOMETHING (Luke 10:35 — 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’). The Samaritan really went the extra mile. He took this Jewish businessman to an inn and saw to it that the innkeeper looked out for him. He also promised that he would return and fully reimburse the innkeeper for any additional expenses incurred while caring for the man. He left enough money to take care of this man’s needs (The amount of money was enough for a 3 1/2 week stay at the inn) and he put no limit on how much he would spend to see any additional expense cared for. There is nothing more the Samaritan could have done to show his compassion for this man. He loved in deed, even at great cost to himself 1 John 3:16-18 — By this we know love, that he laid down his life for us, and we ought to lay down our lives for the brothers. But if anyone has the world’s goods and sees his brother in need, yet closes his heart against him, how does God’s love abide in him? Little children, let us not love in word or talk but in deed and in truth. Getting involved in the lives of others is costly, but refusing to do so is nothing short of moral failure!
When it comes to your neighbors, LOVE REVEALS SOMETHING (Luke 10:36-37 — Which of these three, do you think, proved to be a neighbor to the man who fell among the robbers?” He said, “The one who showed him mercy.” And Jesus said to him, “You go, and do likewise).” Remember that the goal of the scribe was to justify himself. But upon the completion of the story, Jesus told him, “Do this and you will live.” He said this in response to the scribe’s original question: “What must I do to inherit eternal life?” Jesus wasn’t saying that a person is saved by loving others. He was saying that a person who is saved loves others. He was confronting the lawyer’s spiritual smugness by implying that he hadn’t succeeded in justifying himself because he had limited his love to those whom he considered worthy of it. The lawyer had hoped for a rule or a set of rules that he could keep and so inherit eternal life. What he received was a rebuke for failing to keep the intent of the law, the study and interpretation of which was his life’s passion. Application: Loving our neighbors, no matter who they might be, is one of the clearest evidences that the living God has transformed our hearts. The Apostle John says, “No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and His love is made complete in us. ”
John Stott comments on the verse, “The unseen God who once revealed Himself in His Son, now does so in His people.” According to Christ, His followers are ready and willing to demonstrate unconditional love to everyone, especially to those who seemingly don’t deserve it or have any means of returning it.
Application:
- Get close enough to others to feel their pain.
- Look for ways to serve a neighbor in need.
- Be ready and willing to sacrifice when necessary.
- Know that your actions will bear witness to your relationship with God.
Closing: When Michigan residents Christine Bouwkamp and Kyle Kramer got married in the spring of 2007, they held a wedding reception that was anything but traditional. Instead of hosting a formal dinner, they held a simple reception at their church where guests were invited to help distribute food to people in need. In the weeks leading up to their wedding, Christine and Kyle had decided they wanted to begin their marriage with an act of service to Christ. With that goal in mind, they figured out how much money they would have spent on a more extravagant reception and instead used that money to purchase five thousand pounds of food for those in need. The week of the wedding, the couple spread the word that a truck with free food would be at the Vineyard Christian Fellowship. Immediately after they exchanged their vows, Bouwkamp and Kramer put on aprons marked “Bride” and “Groom” and joined their wedding guests in distributing food to 100 neighborhood families. When asked about the charitable act, the happy couple simply said they wanted to “bless God for blessing us with each other.” THINK CHRISTINE AND KYLE UNDERSTAND THE POINT OF THE PARABLE OF THE GOOD SAMARITAN? Loving your neighbor is God’s commandment. It will place certain demands on all of us because that’s the very nature of love…it feels something, does something, costs something and reveals something.