Good News for Your Neighbor Scott Scruggs

Transcription

1 Menlo Church 950 Santa Cruz Avenue, Menlo Park, CA Series: Flourish February 26, 2017 Luke 10:25-37 Good News for Your Neighbor Scott Scruggs Welcome to Menlo Church. We are so glad to see you joining us. Welcome all of you who are joining us at all of our campuses, those of you joining us online. It is good to be together, good to be with us. We just hope you enjoy your experience with us this weekend. A few years ago, I read through a book that tried to articulate why it is so many organizations and businesses struggle to get better at what they do. The book opened with this question. They said, "Why do so much education and training, management consulting, and business research and so many books and articles produce so little change in what managers and organizations actually do?" In other words, they noticed a pattern. Companies would spend millions of dollars investing in research, training, learning, and development, and at the end of the day, so often they would not be able to actually improve their business to get better at actually executing there on the job. They actually cited this one electric company that hired a consulting firm to help kind of move through the process of deregulation. The firm came in, and after just meetings, research, all kinds of conversations, and information, and after spending millions of dollars, they found in an office on a shelf covered in dust a 500-page document created by another consulting firm four years earlier that offered the very same recommendations they had concluded. In fact, for millions of dollars, this is what they concluded. They said, "The old document was very good. It had benchmarking cost studies from best-practice utilities all around the world, summaries of the most successful training systems and pretty detailed implementation calendars Our recommendations were basically the same. The problem was not analysis. It was implementation." See, the company had all the right data. They had the information. They had the knowledge. They had all that up on the shelf, a 500-page document. The problem was they failed to put that information to practice. The writers actually came up with a phrase. They called this a "knowing-doing gap." That is, you can know, you can have information, you can have analysis, and yet fail to do or put into practice that information. You know, but you don't do. This isn't just a problem in businesses today. This is a significant problem for churches today, for people who say they follow Jesus. It's possible to know a lot about Jesus, to know Scripture, to know stories, to know theology, and actually not do, actually not put those things into practice. Like some of you, I grew up in a religious home. I grew up with wonderful, Christian parents. I was raised in something called Sunday school. Does anybody remember Sunday school? It's kind of a magical place with (in my day) felt boards and flannelgraph boards. We learned about the Bible. We sang songs about the Bible

2 In fact, there was this one song we sang about this character in the Bible named Zacchaeus that went, "Zacchaeus was a wee little man, and a wee little man was he," which I now find personally offensive today. Over time, I learned so much about Christianity, so much about faith. I'm so glad I did, but as I got older, I began to see this dynamic, this gap, in my life, this knowing-doing gap. I knew God was a forgiving God, but I would hold grudges against people. I knew God was a God of truth, and yet I would use information and manipulate it to try to get my way or make people think I was better than I was. I knew God cared first and foremost about the needs of others, and yet so often I have found myself caring about my own needs first. See, it turns out there is a big difference between knowing and doing. There is a big difference between knowing and doing! Here's the really dangerous thing: other people see this. Other people see this! Some years ago, a researcher named David Kinnaman wrote a book called unchristian about how the church is perceived by the outside world. He kind of described his research this way. He said, "Here is what all of this boils down to and, I believe, one of the most important findings of our research for this book: among young outsiders [people outside the church], 84 percent say they personally know at least one committed Christian." Eighty-four percent know at least one committed Christ follower! "Yet just 15 percent thought the lifestyles of those Christ followers were significantly different from the norm." Just 15 percent. He said, "This gap speaks volumes." It's the knowing-doing gap. It's a gap Jesus saw in his disciples. He challenged them in this amazing way. He said, "Why do you call me, 'Lord, Lord,' and do not do what I say?" In other words, "Why do you say you follow me if you don't follow what I say?" I believe this is one of the most significant reasons why churches are not as effective as they could be, as they should be, today. It's not about worship style. It's not about denominational affiliation. It's not about whether we have bagels or doughnuts (though God clearly prefers doughnuts, right?). Our old document is very good. The recommendations are still the same. What do we do? Well, this morning I want to take you on a journey into a very old story in the New Testament, a story Jesus told, a story about Jesus. In the end, I'm going to ask you not what you think you know about it but what you want to do about it, just so you kind of know where we're headed. This is from the gospel of Luke, chapter 10, starting in verse 25. Luke writes this. He says, "On one occasion an expert in the law stood up to test Jesus." In that day, students would stand to ask a question, but this is no ordinary student. This is an expert in the law. In our day, think Bible scholar. Think seminary professor. This is a person who would know all the answers. This was a person who probably had the Torah, the Old Testament Law, known from memory. He would have all the answers. He'd know every text. He'd know every answer. Because of this knowledge base, part of his job was to go around and to assess the veracity of other teachers, to assess the teaching of other rabbis. When he comes to Jesus, he is not coming to learn. He is coming to test his knowledge of the law. He asks a question. "'Teacher,' he asked, 'what must I do to inherit eternal life?'" Now this was a loaded question in that day. It was a loaded question. Why? Well, in that day (kind of in first-century Judaism), for the people of God, their sense of what it meant to be saved, how to inherit - 2 -

3 eternal life, was wrapped up in how they followed the law. The temple had been decimated. The Romans had occupied the country. They believed just how they practiced that sense of personal piety, the laws of Israel There were 613 laws in the Old Testament, and different factions would emphasize different commands. We do this in our day as well, right? Think about the word Baptist. Baptists are known for emphasizing baptism by immersion. Pentecostals are known for emphasizing Pentecost, you know, the Holy Spirit. Presbyterians are known for emphasizing silence. Just like that. That's perfect. That's exactly it! The expert of the law wants to know, "Jesus, what do you emphasize? What do you think I should do? Which rules, which laws, do you say are the most important so you can please God, so you can inherit life?" Jesus kind of inverts the question on him. He turns. It turns out Jesus is testing him. "'What is written in the Law?' he replied. 'How do you read it?'" "How do you interpret it?" The expert in the law answered, "'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.' 'You have answered correctly,' Jesus replied. 'Do this and you will live.'" Now for some of you, the expert's answer has sounded a bit familiar because Jesus said this very thing. One time he was approached and asked, "What is the greatest commandment? What's the most important thing in the law?" He said, "Love the Lord your God with all heart, your soul, your mind, your strength, and the second commandment is like it. Love your neighbor as yourself." The entire Law, all the Prophets, can be summarized, captured, in these two things, which, by the way, is kind of a shocking summary, isn't it? I mean, 613 laws in the Old Testament. "I love the nice sentiment, Jesus, but surely you want to include some of those other things." But Jesus was perfectly clear. "Your love for God will be measured by how you love other people. Your love for God will be measured by how you love other people, not just by how often you read your Bible or if you go to church or if you're in a Life Group or a Home Group or an Old Testament role play group or whatever group you're in but how you love. It's how you love!" It's so simple, isn't it? Yet it's so, so difficult. Just a quick moment of confession. How many of you, if you're honest, have someone in your life who is hard to love? Don't look at them. Just raise your hand. Just raise your hand! Other people can be hard to love. They can disappoint you. They can gossip about you. They can let you down. They have different values. They may have opposing political views. They say things and do things that hurt you. You see, you might think legalism is hard, but loving people is so much harder. Forgiving people is so much harder. Sacrificing for others is so much harder, but as difficult as it may be, at least we can know the right answer. At least we know what Jesus says is the most important thing to do. "What do I need to do to inherit eternal life? Love God. Love your neighbor." Love God. Love your neighbor. "'You have answered correctly,' Jesus replied. 'Do this and you will live.'" There's no need for a consultant, no need for a task force, no need for a committee. The old document is good. Its recommendations are the same. How does the expert reply? Maybe he would say, "Jesus, this sounds impossible! There's no way I know how to do this. I need your help to learn how to do this." Maybe he'll reply, "Jesus, I don't even want to live that way. My heart is in such a different place. I need your grace. I need to surrender. I need you to change my heart. I don't even want to be a person like that." - 3 -

4 The expert of the law wanted something else. "But he wanted to justify himself, so he asked Jesus, 'And who is my neighbor?'" "Who is my neighbor?" was a very common question in that day. First-century Jews would wrestle with this commandment, "Love your neighbor." Who is actually on the list? Some rabbis would say, "Only your fellow Jew is your neighbor." Some rabbis would say, "Only Jews who follow the law are your neighbors." Certainly, they would not say, "A Roman is your neighbor," or, "A Gentile is your neighbor," or, "A pagan is your neighbor." There was a list. "Who is on it? Who isn't? Who should I love? Who do I not have to?" They all had a list, and the expert in the law is doing what religious experts often do. They want to know the answer. They want to pass the test. Why? Because he wants to justify himself. He wants to justify himself! When I was in school years ago, I would always ask my teacher the same question: "Is this going to be on the test?" See, I didn't actually want to learn the information. I didn't actually want to put it into practice. I wasn't there to turn knowledge into a lifestyle or character. I just wanted to pass the test. I just wanted to meet the minimal requirement to get the grade. I recently heard a story about a pastor who was speaking at a conference on relationships. He cited the study done at UCLA that basically described how if a person gets 10 meaningful touches in a day, they'll actually live longer. As he said that, he looked into the audience and saw this husband look to his wife and go, "One, two, three, four, five " I think he was missing the point, right? Yet we do this all the time with Jesus. "I don't actually want to grow or be transformed by this information. I don't want to be challenged. I don't want to have to change my life. I just want to know so I can justify myself so I can be right with you so you can seem happy. I just want to pass the test and meet the minimum requirements." I don't know about you, but I'm guilty of this all the time, because loving God, loving people, is hard. That means I have to change. That means my priorities have to be different. That means my life isn't all about me. Part of me signed up for this whole Christian thing because it was all about me. "God, I want to be in heaven with you," and, "God, I want to go to church and have community. God, I want to have information. I'm not so sure about this whole implementation thing. I'm not so sure about this whole transformation thing. I'm actually not so sure about this whole 'love your neighbor' thing." Who is my neighbor? Who is your neighbor? I believe actually Jesus' heart breaks in this moment. He sees just how lost this expert in the law is, and he wants to help. So he tells him this amazing story. He said, "Okay, who is your neighbor?" "A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho " There was a known road, a dangerous road, from Jerusalem down to Jericho. It was a normal path of transportation for people going to and from the temple. " when he [this man] was attacked by robbers. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him and went away, leaving him half dead." Remember these details. We'll come back to them. "A priest " A man of God, someone coming from Jerusalem in the temple who had been assisting worship, a holy man, a righteous man, someone who had resources. Priests in that day were wealthy. He would have been traveling likely on a donkey, not walking on foot

5 " happened to be going down the same road, and when he saw the man " He sees him. He notices. His eyes at least make contact. We don't know what he'll do. At least he notices. When he saw the man, what did he do? " he passed by on the other side." Why? Why would he not help? Well, it's a simple risk assessment really, isn't it? It's a simple matter of counting the cost. You see, in that day, there were very strict rules that guided a priest's ritual purity in the law. Two of those rules were quite clear. One was no physical contact with a corpse, or you'd be unclean. A second was no physical contact with a Gentile, or you could be unclean. He is kind of in a bit of a bind. The man is unconscious. He can't answer if he is asked, "Are you alive or not?" He has to go over and actually touch the body to find out. He is stripped of his clothes, so he couldn't find out if he is a Jew or a Gentile, because in that day, dress was the most common way you could identify a person's ethnicity or religion. It's kind of like in our day, if you see someone wearing orange and black with a big SF, you know they're a Giants fan, right? If you see someone wearing blue and white with a big LA, you know they are a sinner. Right? Exactly. You can tell by their dress. He can't tell, so he has to factor the risk. "If I go over, if I touch this man, I might come in contact with a corpse or a Gentile. I will be ceremonially unclean, and there are costs." He would then have to go back to Jerusalem. He would have to stand outside the temple, associating himself with the other sinners. He would not be able to collect tithes and provide for his family. In other words, it would be inconvenient, potentially embarrassing or shameful, and financially costly. Oh, it's really clear why he doesn't stop to help. It's inconvenient. "I don't have time. I can't afford to go back to Jerusalem." It would be embarrassing. "I don't want to associate with this man. I don't know who this man is." It would be costly. "I have to pay the cost and risk for my family." It's starting to get into our business now, isn't it? He doesn't stop. He sees the man. He keeps a safe distance away. He passes by. There's another man on the road, a second man. What will he do? "So too, a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side." Now what's interesting is a Levite also assisted in worship. They would assist the priests in worship, but they were not bound by the same purity codes, the same laws, as the priests. So he would be stopping, I guess, for a different reason. Now Levites were not as wealthy. He would be on foot. Maybe he is thinking, "I just don't have the means to help," but I think it's something different. I think it's something different because, you see, the Levite would know the priest had been on the road in front of him. It was in your interest in that day to know who else was on the road, who else was traveling, for your own safety. In fact, they may have been serving in the temple together. He would know. He would know a priest had been down the same path, that a priest had seen this same man, that a priest had clearly passed on by. What is he thinking? "The priest didn't stop, so I guess I don't have to. I mean, the holy man didn't stop, so I guess I don't have to. The more mature person didn't stop, so I don't have to." It's so easy to make this excuse, "Surely I could help, but someone else didn't. Someone else didn't!" Are you picking up what Jesus is kind of laying down here? It's inconvenient. It's potentially embarrassing or shameful. It's costly. "Besides, I mean, these needs are all around. Other people aren't stopping. They don't have to. These are huge problems. What are we going - 5 -

6 to do about it? I mean, I can't fix the problems of crime on the road to Jericho in this one moment." Jesus continues. "But a Samaritan " Then the room got really quiet, and many of you know why. Samaritans were the most hated figures in Israel. Samaritans were Jews who had once assimilated with the Assyrians and sort of adapted and adopted their pagan idolatrous worship. They were considered worse than tax collectors, worse than Romans. They were the worst of the worst. Now traveling down the road, " a Samaritan, as he traveled, came where the man was; and when he saw him " You see the pattern. Each person came, they saw, and they did something. What did he do? The Samaritan traveled. He came, he saw, and he had compassion on him. He didn't pass by. He had compassion on him. Then he just kept on doing stuff. "He went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine." Oil and wine were instruments, elements, of Jewish worship. The Levite could have likely been carrying oil and wine. He was doing what the Levite wouldn't do. "Then he put the man on his own donkey, brought him to an inn and took care of him." The priest was likely traveling on a donkey. He was doing what the priest wouldn't do. "The next day he took out two denarii and gave them to the innkeeper. 'Look after him,' he said " He was beaten and robbed, remember? He is now undoing what the robbers had done. Then he said, " and when I return, I will reimburse you for any extra expense you may have." The priest and Levite know a lot about the law, and they do nothing. The Samaritan would have been considered a heretic, a blasphemer, one who was contagious literally contagious with unbelief and apostasy. In fact, there was a rabbinic saying in that day, "He that eats the bread of the Samaritans is like to one who eats the flesh of swine." A Samaritan was the last person in the world who would have the right thoughts about God. A Samaritan was the exact opposite of the expert in the law in every way, but the Samaritan did something. You see, there's a big difference between knowing and doing. There's an infinite distance between just knowing and doing. The text says he has compassion, and deep in his gut, he feels this love for this man. He doesn't know how to solve the problems of crime on the road to Jericho. He doesn't know how to solve the greater picture. He doesn't have a plan for what he is going to do. He feels compassion. He changes his question. Dr. Martin Luther King noted that the priest and the Levite were thinking, "If I stop to help this man, what will happen to me?" But the Samaritan inverted the question and said, "If I don't stop to help this man, what will happen to him?" He is thinking, "That could be me! That could be someone I love. What would I want someone else to do?" Compassion is not just a feeling. It always leads to action. He does, he does, he does. He does all these things time after time, and all these things he does at great personal risk. Did you know that in that day, a family member of a victim of a crime like this could seek vengeance on anyone they associated with the crime? When that Samaritan comes rolling into town with this man on his donkey, he would not be thanked. He would not be celebrated. He would not receive the Good Samaritan award. He might be attacked. He might be accused. He could even be killed himself. The room is stunned and shocked that this rabbi would say this, this rabbi would think this. Then Jesus has this one final question. He says, "Which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man?" Jesus is not going to tell him who his neighbor is and who he isn't. He is not going to tell him who he - 6 -

7 should love and who he shouldn't. "Which of these men acted like a neighbor? Which of these men did the duties or the deeds of a neighbor? Which of these men turned knowing into doing?" The expert of the law said (kind of biting his lip), "The one who had mercy on him." He can't even say the word Samaritan. Do you see that? "Jesus told him " This is the moment. This is the moment! This is just this jaw-dropping moment. "Go and do likewise." "The one who I think is a heretic and a sinner and doesn't believe and doesn't know, go and do likewise." Now I don't think Jesus is insulting religious conviction or religious knowledge, but he is warning us what it can do to our hearts if we allow rules and regulation to override love, if we allow risk assessment to supersede compassion, if we allow self-protection to take on or overshadow self-sacrifice. He is warning us. He is saying to the expert in the law, "Do you see? Do you see not just this neighbor on the side of the road, but who you've become? What's really going on in your heart? Do you see what's happened to you?" He is using the story to just put a line on his heart to help him see where he truly is. I had a moment, a true story, this past week kind of like this. Nina and I were driving home one night. We were exiting the interstate, and on the exit ramp there was a car parked in the middle of that exit ramp, hazard lights on. A woman was outside the car crying. My first instinct was like, "How do I get around this car and get home? I don't know this neighborhood. It's not safe to stop here." Nina stopped us. "We have to stop. We have to help. We have to see what's going on." We pull over. We find out she has actually just run out of gas, but she is emotional. She is just feeling really scared, doesn't know what to do, doesn't know who to ask for help. I'm thinking, "Well, we can't help. I don't know where the nearest gas station is. I don't have one of those portable red gas can things with me. I'm not sure we can do anything." Nina is like, "We have to do something." So we do. We drive to a gas station. I buy one of those portable red gas can things, and we fill it with gas. We drive back. In that moment, this little bit of pride wells up in my heart like, "I'm doing a good deed." You know? "I'm a pastor. I'm going to have a story. I'm doing a good deed." Then we drive back, and I get there. I kid you not. There's another car that has already stopped that is filling her car with gas. I'm like, "That's my story! I'm the Good Samaritan." I realized, "Oh, how far I am. That's not me at all." I didn't want to stop. I didn't want to care. My heart has so far to go. I don't like being inconvenienced. I don't like taking risks for others. I have all the excuses in the world why God is not telling me I need to stop, why this isn't really my problem. You see, this parable really, really at its core is a call to confession. If you think you have the strength to go out and just do this in your own strength, you cannot. You will fail. It will be frustrating. You will get burned out. Many of you have. You've tried. It's a call to confession today. "God, we don't look like you. God, we don't care like you. God, we don't love like you. God, we are often focused on our own stuff, our own needs, our own agendas. God, we are often afraid to take risks. We're afraid to be inconvenienced. We don't want to have to pay the cost. God, we have so far to go. God, we need you. We need your grace, your love, your strength to be anything like this." Today I just want to challenge you if that's you, if you see yourself not like this Samaritan, to just say, "God, I just need you. I surrender. God, this sounds impossible to me. I don't know how to do it." Here's - 7 -

8 the thing. Jesus can work with a heart like that, a heart that's not here just to justify itself, but to be broken and to be changed and to be transformed. Jesus can change your heart. You see, in a way, the Good Samaritan is really just a picture of what Jesus does, isn't it? He is the one who saw you in your need, the one who didn't pass by, the one who found you wounded and broken and healed you and restored you, the one who sacrificed himself for your debts, the one who has promised to come back. That's what Jesus does for people. That's what Jesus does for you. That's what Jesus does for me. If you surrender your life to him, he can help you go and do likewise. He can train you day after day if you surrender your life to him. If you just say, "God, I need you," he can train you in his ways to be like this. It's interesting actually there's one character we often don't notice in this story, one character who I think is so important. When the Samaritan found the man, he took him where? To an inn where he could be restored with an innkeeper who could help restore him. It's kind of like what Jesus does when he brings broken people to a church where they can be restored with innkeepers who can help restore them. See, in a way if you want to get started, if you want to take this seriously, if you want to take just a next step, maybe modeling your life after the innkeeper is the next step to do. There are some amazing things about kind of what he does next. Here are just three observations about what he does. The innkeeper started with just one person. Just one! He didn't go out to solve crime or change the roads to Jericho. He just started with this one guy. It's risky and costly, but it was doable. It was personal. Years ago, a couple in our church decided to take in a foster baby. It was kind of an experiment. They just took in one. They didn't know what would happen, didn't know how it would go. It was so transformative just starting with one. It changed them so much that they did it again and again and again and again. Up to today, they have had over 100 foster babies in their home. They started with one, just an experiment, to see what God would do, to see what he could do. Just start with one. Just think about one person. It could be a student you could tutor, a teacher you could adopt, or a school system with which to work. Just start with one thing as you pass by as you see it. The innkeeper not just started with one; he started doing what he was equipped to do. In his equipping to care for people to give them rest, the innkeeper was doing what he was equipped to do. If God calls you to do something, he will equip you to do it. You may not always feel that way, but he will equip you to do it. On March 11 we're having this kit build for refugees at San Mateo, Menlo Park, and Saratoga (those three campuses). Whether you're registered to come help assemble a kit or whether you want to leave a note of encouragement or whether you want to give financially to make those kits possible, you are equipped to help this incredible need, this incredible, huge problem. Part of the question I'd ask each of you is what are you already equipped to do? Some of you are equipped to care for kids. Some of you are equipped to provide medical care. Some of you are equipped with legal knowledge. Some of you are equipped to do home repair or construction. Start with what you're equipped to do. Keep your eyes open. You'll see a need. Start with what you're equipped to do. Then finally the innkeeper It's kind of amazing. He didn't have to go very far from home, did he? Jesus will bring people into your life with needs. Jesus will open your eyes to needs all around you, right in your neighborhood, your community, your school system, your city. For the past 11 years, we've done something at Menlo called Compassion Weekend. Many of you know about it. We've canceled services, - 8 -

9 and that one weekend, we all serve together in our cities. It's made a big difference for thousands of people. We've been hearing some feedback from both our congregation and, more importantly, from our mission partners, our ministry partners, who are on the front lines that doing work that one weekend is great, but more ongoing rhythm of actual investment and service would make even more of a difference. We've listened, and we're changing it up. This year we're not just taking one weekend out of the year to serve. At each campus, there will be opportunities for you to get into your neighborhoods and make a difference in so many ways, starting with the Serve Your City day on April 1. At every campus, you'll hear about more ways you can not pass by. You can do something. This weekend, folks from Café are up in the Tenderloin in San Francisco serving together. This weekend with all the floods in San Jose, the community in San Jose is working with Cityteam to be a first response to the needs that are on the front lines there. All of these things are right within your reach. You pass them by all the time. You can start where you are. You don't have to change the world. You can just start with one thing, but you have to ask God to give you compassion. You have to ask God to break your heart. You have to ask God for the grace and strength to do that thing that, in many ways, you're not going to want to do. You're going to want to keep passing by. I promise if you ask him, he will. I promise he will! You know, in the story, we're not really told what the expert in the law does next. We don't know. Maybe he did nothing. Maybe he thought Jesus was kind of crazy. Maybe he stuck with his knowledge, his rules, his regulations. We don't know. What's more important is not really what he does next but what you do next. Love God. Love your neighbor. Love God means love your neighbor. Love God means love your neighbor! Now you know. Now you know! The question is simply this What will you do? Let's pray. Jesus, these words are challenging words, and I know personally that I fall short of this story, that I am so often much more like the priest or the Levite. Today I just want to confess that. We just want to confess that. We don't live like you. We don't love like you. We're doing risk management in a whole different way. God, we confess in this moment we need you to change our hearts, because without you, this is impossible. Without you, we can't do this. Yet, Jesus, we know because of what you did for us that you can change us. You can transform us. You can empower us. You can give us the courage. You can equip us to do just one thing even this week just one thing out of our way out of compassion for someone else. Jesus, we ask you would give us the eyes to see and the strength to stop and the compassion to care this week like never before. Help us take a step where you're calling us. Help us to see even if it's just with one person that we can make a difference for eternity. Be with us as we go. We're so grateful you are indeed the true Good Samaritan who finds us, who didn't pass by, who cared for us, who redeemed us, who sacrificed for us. You, Jesus, are coming back. Until then, we are committed as a community right now that we want to go and do likewise. Help us do that this week, this month, this year. We pray this in your name, amen