The Parable about
the Good Samaritan
LUKE 10:25-37
25. Then a man skilled in the Jewish Laws came to test Jesus and asked, "Teacher, what must I do to get eternal life?"
26. Jesus asked the man, "What is-written in the Law? What do you read?"
27. The man answered, "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your life and with all your strength and with all your mind, and love your neighbor the same-as you love yourself."
28. Jesus told the man, "You are right. Do that and you will live forever."
29. But the man wanted to prove himself right. The man asked Jesus, "And who is my neighbor?"
30. And Jesus told a story to the man, "A man travelled from JERUSALEM to JERICHO, and some robbers came and tore-off his clothes, punched the man, and began leaving. The man was-almost dead.
31. And it happened the same time that a Jewish priest travelled on that road, but happened the priest saw the man, the priest went across the road and passed-by.
32. Also on that road came a LEVITE, a temple worker, and he saw the man lying on the road, and also he passed-by.
33. Then came a man from the country named SAMARIA, and he saw the man and felt sorry for him. That man came and wrapped-his-body and poured OIL and gave-him some wine and put the man on his donkey and carried the man to an INN and took-care of that man.
34. The next day the man from SAMARIA took-out some money and gave the money to the INN keeper.
35. 'Please take-care-of my friend, and any more money you need I will pay you after I come again.'
36. Jesus asked the man, "Which of those three men became a good neighbor for that man beaten-up by the robbers?"
37. The man said, "The one man that was kind enough to help." Jesus said, "You go now and do the same thing."
Then a man skilled in the Jewish Laws came to test Jesus and asked,
"Teacher, what must I do to get eternal life?"
How would you answer that question?
The Bible clearly teaches that there is NOTHING we can do that will save us.
More than once the Bible says:
All of our "holy works" are like dirty rags.
If we want to save ourselves, what must we do?
If we want to become good enough for satisfying God,
how good must we become?
Jesus Himself answered that question long before He met the Law Teacher in today's story. Jesus said:
"Teacher, what must I do to get eternal life?"
How would you answer that question?
The Bible clearly teaches that there is NOTHING we can do that will save us.
More than once the Bible says:
All of our "holy works" are like dirty rags.
If we want to save ourselves, what must we do?
If we want to become good enough for satisfying God,
how good must we become?
Jesus Himself answered that question long before He met the Law Teacher in today's story. Jesus said:
"You must be perfect,
same as your heavenly Father is perfect." (Matthew 5:48)
Who of us is perfect? No one!
So how can we become saved?
One time Paul got the same question.
While he was in prison –
happened an earthquake and the prison doors opened.
The prison officer shouted, "What must I do for becoming saved?"
Paul answer simply:
So how can we become saved?
One time Paul got the same question.
While he was in prison –
happened an earthquake and the prison doors opened.
The prison officer shouted, "What must I do for becoming saved?"
Paul answer simply:
"Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ,
and you will become saved." (Acts 16:30-31)
That is true for all of us.
The Bible says:
The Bible says:
God saved you by His grace.
You received that grace, how? Faith [trust]
You did nothing for saving yourself.
Salvation – that is God's gift, not your works.
You can brag about nothing. (Ephesians 2:8-9)
BUT… In our story today, Jesus didn't answer the Law Teacher's question. Like every good counselor and every good teacher, Jesus sent the question back to him:
"What is-written in the Law? What do you read?"
The man answered from the Old Testament Law of Moses:
"(1) Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your life and with all your strength and with all your mind, and (2) love your neighbor the same-as you love yourself."
That's a good answer.
Those two sentences summarize all Ten Commandments.
Jesus told the man, "You are right. Do that and you will live forever."
PROBLEM!
We don't do that.
None of us love God with all our hearts and all of our lives.
None of us truly love all other people as God loves them.
And that man knew that.
He hoped that God's Law offered him a "loop hole."
So he asked Jesus:
Those two sentences summarize all Ten Commandments.
Jesus told the man, "You are right. Do that and you will live forever."
PROBLEM!
We don't do that.
None of us love God with all our hearts and all of our lives.
None of us truly love all other people as God loves them.
And that man knew that.
He hoped that God's Law offered him a "loop hole."
So he asked Jesus:
"Who is my neighbor?"
Jesus answered by telling him this story about the Good Samaritan.
You know that Samaritans hated Jews
and Jews hated Samaritans -- RACISM
Since 2000 years, today they don't like each-other.
Why? They had no good reason.
You will find the reason for their conflict in Old Testament history.
Remember Jesus tells this story to a Jewish Law teacher.
That Law teacher sees himself as
better than most Jewish people,
and better than ALL Samaritan people.
Notice who are the "bad boys" in this story –
The Jewish priest and the temple worker.
Both "holy men."
Why didn't they stop and help the poor man?
Too busy? …hurrying to do the Lord's Work. (Ha!)
Helping that hurt man, that's really the Lord's work.
Maybe the priest and Levite felt afraid.
"This place is dangerous!
If I stop and help, the robbers can attack me!
I must hurry!"
Yes, doing God's work includes risk.
See the risk that Jesus accepted when He volunteered to become our Savior.
Now notice who is the "good guy" in this story –
that terrible Samaritan.
You know that Samaritans hated Jews
and Jews hated Samaritans -- RACISM
Since 2000 years, today they don't like each-other.
Why? They had no good reason.
You will find the reason for their conflict in Old Testament history.
Remember Jesus tells this story to a Jewish Law teacher.
That Law teacher sees himself as
better than most Jewish people,
and better than ALL Samaritan people.
Notice who are the "bad boys" in this story –
The Jewish priest and the temple worker.
Both "holy men."
Why didn't they stop and help the poor man?
Too busy? …hurrying to do the Lord's Work. (Ha!)
Helping that hurt man, that's really the Lord's work.
Maybe the priest and Levite felt afraid.
"This place is dangerous!
If I stop and help, the robbers can attack me!
I must hurry!"
Yes, doing God's work includes risk.
See the risk that Jesus accepted when He volunteered to become our Savior.
Now notice who is the "good guy" in this story –
that terrible Samaritan.
He saw the man and felt sorry for him. That man came and wrapped-his-body and poured OIL and gave-him some wine and put the man on his donkey and carried the man to an INN and took-care of that man.
Then the Samaritan drafted the inn-keeper to help care for this man by paying his (the Samaritan's) own money for that expense.
Now Jesus challenges the Law Teacher:
Now Jesus challenges the Law Teacher:
"Which of those three men became a good neighbor for that man beaten-up by the robbers?"
The Law Teacher answer:
"The one man that was kind enough to help."
It is interesting that the Law Teacher could not say that word "Samaritan (Yuck!)"
We saw that the Samaritan asked the inn-keeper to help that man for the things he needed.
In the same way, Jesus challenged the Law Teacher:
"You go now and do the same thing."
And do it, not for money, like the inn-keeper did.
But do it for love, like the commandment said:
We saw that the Samaritan asked the inn-keeper to help that man for the things he needed.
In the same way, Jesus challenged the Law Teacher:
"You go now and do the same thing."
And do it, not for money, like the inn-keeper did.
But do it for love, like the commandment said:
"(1) Love the Lord your God with all your heart and
(2) love your neighbor the same-as you love yourself."
Who is our neighbor?
That person who has a need, that God brings to us.
That's our neighbor.
Remember Jesus' teaching about Judgment Day:
That person who has a need, that God brings to us.
That's our neighbor.
Remember Jesus' teaching about Judgment Day:
Then the King will say to the people on the right: "You are blessed by MY Father! Come and receive the kingdom HE prepared for you, since the beginning of the world.
I was hungry and you fed ME; thirsty and you gave ME drink.
I was a stranger and you welcomed ME into your homes.
I was naked and you gave ME clothes.
I was sick and you take-care-of ME
I was in prison and you visited ME."
The righteous people will then answer HIM: "Lord, when did we see YOU hungry and feed YOU, or thirsty and give YOU drink?
When did we see YOU a stranger and welcome YOU into our homes, or naked and give YOU clothes?
When did we see YOU sick or in prison and visit YOU? Truly we don't remember!"
The King will answer: "I tell you honestly, these people may seem not important to you, but you did these good things to them. And therefore, you did those good things to ME."
(Matthew 25:34-40)
Question: If we do all those good things to help people,
will give you eternal life?
Will all that make you good enough for heaven?
No. Remember what the Bible says that our good works
are never good enough.
But Christ already saved us.
He already forgave all of our sins.
He already reserved our place in heaven.
And now He comes to live in us.
He continues doing His good work on earth through us.
Helping people doesn't win eternal life for us.
But people who already have eternal life,
they naturally do what? Help people!
Previously I read Ephesians 2:8-9, that says:
will give you eternal life?
Will all that make you good enough for heaven?
No. Remember what the Bible says that our good works
are never good enough.
But Christ already saved us.
He already forgave all of our sins.
He already reserved our place in heaven.
And now He comes to live in us.
He continues doing His good work on earth through us.
Helping people doesn't win eternal life for us.
But people who already have eternal life,
they naturally do what? Help people!
Previously I read Ephesians 2:8-9, that says:
God saved you by His grace.
You received that grace, how? Faith [trust]
You did nothing for saving yourself.
Salvation – that is God's gift, not your works.
You can brag about nothing.
Now see what the next verse says:
God made us, and He connected us with Christ Jesus.
God made us for doing good works that HE planned already in advance [before] for us to live and do.