Message for THE LORD'S DAY MORNING, July 22, 2018 Christian Hope Church of Christ, Plymouth, North Carolina by Reggie A. Braziel, Minister TOPIC: Parables of Jesus, Love, Christian Living The High Cost of Love LUKE 10:25-37 (NKJV) In today's message we are going to be looking at one of Jesus' most familiar and most popular parables; The Parable of The Good Samaritan. Please open your Bibles to the Gospel of Luke, chapter ten. And let's read verses 25-37. LUKE 10:25-37 (NKJV) 25 And behold, a certain lawyer stood up and tested Him, saying, Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life? 26 He said to him, What is written in the law? What is your reading of it? 27 So he answered and said, You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, and with all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself. 28 And He said to him, You have answered rightly; do this and you will live. 29 But he, wanting to justify himself, said to Jesus, And who is my neighbor? 30 Then Jesus answered and said: A certain man went down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell among thieves, who stripped him of his clothing, wounded him, and departed, leaving him half dead. 31 Now by chance a certain priest came down that road. And when he saw him, he passed by on the other side. 32 Likewise a Levite, when he arrived at the place, came and looked, and passed by on the other side. 33 But a certain Samaritan, as he journeyed, came where he was. And when he saw him, he had compassion. 34 So he went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine; and he set him on his own animal, brought him to an inn, and took care of him. 35 On the next day, when he departed, he took out two denarii, gave them to the innkeeper, and said to him, Take care of him; and whatever more you spend, when I come again, I will repay you.
36 So which of these three do you think was neighbor to him who fell among the thieves? 37 And he said, He who showed mercy on him. Then Jesus said to him, Go and do likewise. ********************************************************************** Introduction GOD'S WORD makes it very clear that LOVE is neither free or cheap. LOVE always comes with a high price tag. It cost GOD the life of His only begotten Son in order to demonstrate the depth of His love for us. It cost JESUS blood, sweat, and tears, and ultimately His very life in order to demonstrate the depth of His love for you and me. The Parable of The Good Samaritan teaches us a valuable lesson on The High Cost of Love. In this parable we see a very distinct contrast between those who are willing to pay the high cost of love and those who aren't. As we study this parable this morning we can't help but see ourselves in one of the three men who encountered the beaten and robbed man. And I want each of us to ask ourselves a soul-searching question: How much does it cost to love my neighbor?
First of all... I. Love Means Taking Some Great RISKS (vs. 30-33) 30 Then Jesus answered and said: A certain man went down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell among thieves, who stripped him of his clothing, wounded him, and departed, leaving him half dead. 31 Now by chance a certain priest came down that road. And when he saw him, he passed by on the other side. 32 Likewise a Levite, when he arrived at the place, came and looked, and passed by on the other side. 33 But a certain Samaritan, as he journeyed, came where he was. And when he saw him, he had compassion. 1. The eighteen mile stretch of road between Jerusalem and Jericho is one of the most dangerous roads in Israel. From an elevation of 3,000 feet above sea level in Jerusalem the road descends to 1,000 feet below sea level by the time one reaches Jericho. 2. The Jericho road was filled with many twists and turns and if one got too close to the edge of the road he could plummet hundreds of feet to his death in the gorges below. 3. But the rugged terrain wasn't the only danger one faced when traveling the Jericho Road. The greatest danger was that one would be ambushed by bandits and thieves hiding in the rocks and crevices alongside the road. This is why people rarely traveled alone on the Jericho Road.
4. But apparently the victim in Jesus' parable did just that. He traveled alone. And at some point along his journey he was attacked by thieves and beaten, stripped, and robbed of everything he had, and left to die alongside the road. 5. For someone to stop and help this dying man would involve a tremendous risk to their own safety and well-being. In verses 31 and 32 Jesus tells us about two men who were NOT willing to take that risk. 31 Now by chance a certain priest came down that road. And when he saw him, he passed by on the other side. 32 Likewise a Levite, when he arrived at the place, came and looked, and passed by on the other side. PRIESTS occupied the most important and most well-regarded position in the ancient Jewish society. They were well-trained not only in religious matters, but also in Jewish law, literature, and tradition. They conducted and oversaw all aspects of the Jewish temple worship. LEVITES were like a lower-level of priests. They manned the Temple gates, served as janitors of the Temple, slaughtered some of the sacrificial animals, and played instruments during the Temple worship.
The Priest and the Levite were both deeply religious men who placed a high priority on observing the religious laws and traditions. It would seem that if anyone would stop and help this dying man it would be either one of these devoutly religious men. 6. But Jesus tells us in verse 31 that when the Priest saw the dying man lying alongside the road he passed by on the other side. And in verse 32 Jesus tells us that when the Levite saw the dying man he came and looked and passed by on the other side. The implication here is that the Priest saw the victim and wouldn't dare get close to him, while the Levite saw the victim and went over to take a closer look at the man, but he too decided to go on without helping the man. 7. Why wouldn't these two religious men stop and help this victim? One obvious reason would be they feared that the thieves who had attacked this man might still be lurking nearby and do the same to them as they had done to the victim. But perhaps the real reason they wouldn't help him was actually a religious reason. According to Numbers 19 a priest was prohibited by Mosaic Law from touching a dead or dying man. In fact, if he even waved his hand over the man to see if he was still breathing the priest would become ceremonially unclean and unable to perform his temple duties for seven days.
The point is this: Neither the Priest or the Levite was willing to risk showing love and compassion to the dying man. They put their own personal safety and ceremonial purity above the welfare of the dying man. 8. But then look closely at verse 33... 33 But a certain Samaritan, as he journeyed, came where he was. And when he saw him, he had compassion. Notice that little three letter word BUT. BUT a certain Samaritan... That little three letter word indicates a sharp contrast between the Samaritan's actions and the actions of the Priest and Levite. -The Priest saw the man and passed by on the other side. -The Levite saw the man and he came and looked at the man, then passed by on the other side. -BUT the Samaritan, when he saw the man had compassion on him. The Priest and Levite knew what the law said about loving one's neighbor...the Samaritan simply put the law into practice. To do is far greater than to know. 9. Jesus doesn't tell us anything about this Samaritan being a religious man. In fact, I believe the inference is that he was anything but a religious man.
Wasn't he taking a tremendous risk in stopping to help the dying man? Absolutely! He was placing himself in grave danger of being attacked, beaten, robbed, or even killed. And yet out of love and compassion, the Samaritan was willing to risk his own safety...his own well-being... and perhaps even his own life...in order to help the dying man. 10. Listen carefully! Showing love to others always involves a great risk! -The day you said I do you took a great risk that your mate would remain faithful and true to you until death. -When you stop to help a complete stranger who is broken down alongside the highway you may be risking putting yourself in a dangerous situation. -When you give money to someone in need there is always the risk they will use the money to buy alcohol or drugs rather than what they claim they need the money for.
ILLUSTRATION Many years ago I heard about a family in need in the Church where I was ministering to at that time. I took the matter to our elders. We were well aware that this husband and wife were very irresponsible in the way they handled their finances, but at the same time there were children involved and we didn't want the family to go hungry; so the elders and I decided to use some benevolence money to buy them some groceries. I took the groceries by their trailer while the husband and wife were at work and I left a note on their kitchen table that simply read: Because we love you. Rather than being grateful and appreciative for the groceries, word quickly got back to us that the couple was very angry with us for not giving them cash instead of buying them groceries. We showed love and compassion to this family in their time of need and rather than being appreciative, they turned on us. We risked showing love and it blew up in our faces. That's the way it is some times when we risk showing love and compassion. Should that keep us from taking the risk? Absolutely NOT! 11. Did it ever occur to you that JESUS took a great risk when He went to the cross? Out of His love for us He was willing to lay down His very life for the sins of the world knowing that the vast majority of the people in this world would reject His love and sacrifice and refuse His free gift of eternal life. If Jesus had not been willing to take that risk you and I would still be lost in our sins and have no hope of eternal life!
12. Perhaps this week you might have the opportunity to help someone in need...someone who is hurting...someone who has been beaten up and robbed along life's road. WILL YOU BE WILLING TO RISK LOVING THAT NEIGHBOR? But not only does LOVE mean TAKING SOME GREAT RISKS... II. Love Means REACHING Beyond Our PREJUDICES 1. In all likelihood the victim in this parable was a Jewish man. And yet in his time of dire need he could not count on the Priest and Levite, two fellow Jews. Instead, he received love and compassion from the man who was most unlike him, the Samaritan. 2. The racial prejudice that existed between the Jews and the Samaritans is well-documented in the New Testament as well as in the historical records. In John 4 the Samaritan woman was shocked that Jesus even spoke to her, noting the Jews have no dealings with Samaritans.
The Jews had strong racial and religious prejudices towards the Samaritans. Religiously speaking, the Samaritans practiced a blend of Judaism and idolatry. They even built their own Temple on Mount Gerazim and insisted that is where Moses said they should worship rather than in Jerusalem. Racially speaking the Samaritans were half-breeds or bi-racial. They had intermarried with foreigners and were despised by the Jewish people because they weren't fullblooded Jews. 3. The Jews held such strong prejudice towards the Samaritans that if a Jew needed to travel from Judea to Galilee or from Galilee to Judea, they would go miles and miles out of their way over into the region of Decapolis rather than to take a much shorter route through Samaria. 4. Do you get the significance of what is going on in this parable. Under normal circumstances the man who stopped to give help and the man who needed help would have been bitter enemies. But in the hour of need the walls of hatred and prejudice came down.
5. And that is the point Jesus is making in this parable. LOVE looks beyond one's racial...social...political...or religious biases and prejudices and sees only a man's need. It is very easy to love those neighbors who are the most like us isn't it? But the real test of our love is whether we can love those who are the least like us. Sometimes to love our neighbor we must tear down the walls that stand between us. ************************************************************ C O N C L U S I O N When Fred Rogers received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, he wore a sweater and tie, just as he had for over 30 years as host of his children's TV show, Mister Rogers Neighborhood. Instead of focusing on his career in public television, he talked to reporters about why we are on this earth not to amass fortunes or win competitions or make great names for ourselves. The important things, he said, are the small, daily acts that make our world a better place. When someone is in need do we consider it important enough to interrupt our plans, rearrange our schedules, tap into our bank accounts? Today, we will undoubtedly have an opportunity to show God s love, mercy, and kindness to someone in need. Let s do it, and make it a beautiful day for a neighbor. ---- David C. McCasland To love our neighbors as ourselves, Is not an easy task, But God will show His love through us, If we only ask!