THE GOOD SAMARITAN
Prayer
Among the Jews, the QUESTION, "Who is my neighbour?" caused endless dispute. They had no doubt as to the heathen and the Samaritans. These were strangers and enemies. But WHERE should the distinction be made among the people of their own nation, among the different classes of society?
Whom should the priest, the rabbi, the elder, regard as neighbour? They spent their lives in a round of ceremonies to make themselves pure. Contact with the ignorant and careless multitude, THEY TAUGHT, would cause defilement that would require wearisome effort to remove. Were they to regard the UNCLEAN as neighbours?
This question Jesus addressed in the parable of the Good Samaritan.
In the eyes of the Jewish leaders, there were NO GOOD Samaritans. The great difference between the Jews and the Samaritans was a difference in RELIGIOUS belief- a question as to ' WHAT CONSTITUTES TRUE WORSHIP?" The Pharisees would say nothing good of the Samaritans, and pour contempt and curses upon them.
Remember the story of Jesus and His conversation to the Samaritan woman at the well?
So strong was the ANTIPATHY between the Jews and the Samaritans, that to the Samaritan woman, it seemed a strange thing for Jesus to ask of her a drink. "HOW IS IT", she said, " that Thou being a Jew, asks drink of me, a woman of Samaria? For the Jews have no dealings with Samaritans."
The incident was well known to the Jews thereafter.
When they were so filled with murderous hatred against Jesus that they rose up in the temple to stone Him and they could find no better words by which to express their hatred. Let's look at John 8:48.
"Then answered the Jews, and said unto him, Say we not well that thou art a Samaritan, and hast a devil? "
And verse 59 says "Then took they up stones to cast at him: but Jesus hid himself, and went out of the temple, going through the midst of them, and so passed by. "
And NOW let's read Luke 10:25-37-the Parable of The Good Samaritan.
SO WHAT is this Parable all about?
The reason it is recorded is that an "expert" in the Law of God didn't know how to be saved. Look at verse 25.
And, behold, a certain lawyer stood up, and tempted him, saying, Master, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?
Doesn't receiving eternal life have to do with salvation?
And doesn't that seem to be an unusual question from a "Teacher of the Law", particularly when Jesus answers the lawyer's question with a question of His own?
Jesus said in verse 26 ", What is written in the law? how readest thou? And what answer did the Lawyer give Jesus?
Our Scripture reading this morning- Matthew 22:37-39
Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.
This is the first and great commandment.
And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.
End of conversation? NO!
The lawyer, attempting to make himself look "good", then asked Jesus this question, "WHO is my neighbor?"
And now the rest of the story!
Upon close inspection, this story is about "salvation! Remember the Lawyer's leading question? "What must I do to inherit eternal life or What must I do to be saved?
Do SDA's have a messsage to tell the world? Yes! It's the Good News of Salvation is it not, wrapped up in The Three Angel's Messages of Revelation 14:6-12, and Jesus tells His disciples in Matthew 28:19-20 "Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:
Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.
Jerusalem is corrrectly identified as "Jeru-shalom- which means "City of Peace". God's people lived in Jerusalem, after all, this is the "Headquarters of God". The temple is here- a magnificent structure.
Jericho , on the other hand, was described as a "City of Sin". Past history tells us that it was in the land of Moab, and Joshua's rag-tag army of the children of Israel had to go through this place enroute to the Promised Land. And we all know the song, Joshua at The Battle of Jericho, and the walls came a tumblin down.
THIS PARABLE is about YOU AND ME living in a world of sin- a modern description of Jericho.
"As YOU travel along...ON THE JERICHO ROAD
Does the world seem all wrong...and heavy your load?
Just bring it to Christ...your sins all confess
On the Jericho road...your heart He will bless
On the Jericho road...blind Bartimeus sat
His life was a void...so empty and flat
But Jesus appeared...one word brought him sight
On the Jericho road...Christ banished his night.
O brother to you...this message I bring
Though hope may be gone...He'll cause you to sing
At Jesus command...sin's shackles must fall
On the Jericho road...will YOU answer His call?
On the Jericho road, there's room for just TWO
No more, and no less...just JESUS AND YOU
Each burden He'll bear...each sorrow He'll share
There's never a care...FOR JESUS IS THERE.
When "we" FALL as did the man in the Parable, we fall into sin. The devil beats us up, and leaves us wounded. We are fallen from grace, and we need Jesus to lift us out of the miry clay, and set us ON THE ROCK.
Psalms 40:1-3 says I waited patiently for the LORD; and he inclined unto me, and heard my cry.
He brought me up also out of an horrible pit, out of the miry clay, and set my feet upon a rock, and established my goings.
And he hath put a new song in my mouth, even praise unto our God: many shall see it, and fear, and shall trust in the LORD.
Jesus like the Samaritan-100 percent man, and 100 percent God was despised by his fellow citizens.
Matthew 13:57 says, So the people were very unhappy because of what he was doing. But Jesus said, "Prophets are honored by everyone, except the people of their hometown and their own family."
Jesus comes to us where we are , clothes us with His Robe of righteousness, pours the oil of the Holy Spirit upon us, and cleanses our wounds with His blood , represented by "wine". 1 Cor. 11:25 says (CEV) After the meal, Jesus took a cup of wine in his hands and said, "This is my blood, and with it God makes his new agreement with you. Drink this and remember me."
1 John 1:9 says "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness."
And verse 7 says, But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.
Jesus bandages our wounds because His mission for this earth IS to heal the broken-hearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised." Luke 4:18
The Parable says, the Samaritan then puts the man on his own animal.
Jesus takes our place, in walking in our steps AND puts us on a higher level to be cared for. Jesus takes our place, and puts us IN His place.
2 Peter 1:4 says, Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.
The good Samaritan took the wounded man to an inn, where he took care of him.
JESUS takes us where we are, and brings us to His Inn- the Church, where fellow-believers edify and restore NEW believers to become sons and daughters of God.
The next day, the Samaritan took out two silver coins and gave them to the Inn-keeper. 'Take care of him,' he told the inn-keeper, 'and when I come back this way, I will pay you whatever else you spend on him.
JESUS wants us to rest in Him, to share the Good News of Salvation to everyone. Jesus is coming back REAL SOON, and not only that, HE is going to pay those who have been faithful to Him. THE PAY? Eternal Life.
This is IN essence the story of the Good Samaritan!
The Bible says in 1 Peter 2:21 "For even hereunto were ye called: because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that ye should follow his steps:
ARE WE REALLY WILLING TO FOLLOW IN THE STEPS OF OUR MASTER?
Jesus gave His all for you and me. He wants us totake up our cross DAILY and follow Him.
My friends! We will have to do in hard times what we should have been doing in easier times. This world is not going to become any safer. all we need to do is look at Holy scripture. In Luke 21:25-28 are these words " And there shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars; and upon the earth distress of nations, with perplexity; the sea and the waves roaring;
Men's hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth: for the powers of heaven shall be shaken.
And then shall they see the Son of man coming in a cloud with power and great glory.
And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh.
Matthew 11:28-30
Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.
Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.
For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.
This is the gospel call; Whoever will, let him come. All who thus come will receive rest as Christ's gift, and obtain peace and comfort in their hearts. But in coming to him they must take his yoke, and submit to his authority. They must learn of him all things, as to their comfort and obedience. He accepts the willing servant, however imperfect the services. Here we may find rest for our souls, and here only. Nor need we fear his yoke. His commandments are holy, just, and good. It requires self-denial, and exposes to difficulties, but this is abundantly repaid, even in this world, by inward peace and joy. It is a yoke that is lined with love. So powerful are the assistances he gives us, so suitable the encouragements, and so strong the consolations to be found in the way of duty, that we may truly say, it is a yoke of pleasantness. The way of duty is the way of rest. The truths Christ teaches are such as we may venture our souls upon. Such is the Redeemer's mercy; and why should the labouring and burdened sinner seek for rest from any other quarter? Let us come to him daily, for deliverance from wrath and guilt, from sin and Satan, from all our cares, fears, and sorrows. But forced obedience, far from being easy and light, is a heavy burden. In vain do we draw near to Jesus with our lips, while the heart is far from him. Then come to Jesus to find rest for your souls.
Here He shows to whom He is pleased to reveal these things to the weary and heavy laden; ye that labour - After rest in God: and are heavy laden - With the guilt and power of sin: and I will give you rest - I alone, Jesus says, (for none else can) will freely give you (what ye cannot purchase) rest from the guilt of sin by justification, and from the power of sin by sanctification.
Won't YOU come to Jesus TODAY, and allow Him to find rest for your souls?
BROTHERS AND SISTERS! Keep "the" FAITH as it is in Jesus. My prayer for you is that WE all will be ready and waiting for Him when he comes again.
AMEN!
This is a "new sermon" to be preached in my church June 5/04. It's not totally original as I had ideas from Shawn Boonstra (IIW), but I adlibbed as needed! (LMe)
