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THEME: The Radical Neighbor
TEXT: Luke 10:25-37
THEME: The citizen of the realm is a compassionate neighbor to one in need.
OPENING
SENTENCE: The parable of the Good Samaritan is probably one of the best known stories in the
Bible.
INTRODUCTION: Whether in Christian circles or non-Christian circles, people know about this
parable. But most people only know the bit that says, “A man was going down from Jerusalem to
Jericho,” and so on. That then leads to the teaching to “Love God; love your neighbor.” And that
means helping someone when his car is broken down by the side of the road. That’s what a
Christian is.
While not wrong it is incomplete. The problem is that this misses a key part of the story. For
example, at this point in Luke’s narrative, Jesus is on his way to the cross and the resurrection.
Loving God and loving your neighbor is not the full picture. There’s something more going on in
the account than this. This passage is a vital transition from the completion of the teaching
ministry of Jesus to His going to the cross. Hidden in this story is the message that we are the
traumatized Jewish man on the road and Jesus is the Samaritan who delivers us from our
hopeless plight.
TRANSITION
SENTENCE: What I want to discuss this morning is what we can learn from the larger context,
and then think through what it should mean to us today
TRANSITION: In the context a man asks Jesus a question about “What must I do to get eternal
life?” It implies eternal life is gained by something we do. Instead of answering the man Jesus
replies with his own question and the man answers Jesus’ by quoting two biblical verses. And
then Jesus says in verse 28, “You have answered correctly. Do this and you will live.”
That same pattern is repeated all over again. But, whereas in the first question the man is trying
to trap Jesus in the second question Jesus turns it all around and Jesus instead entraps the man by
telling the story of the Good Samaritan.
SAY WHAT YOU AR GOING TO SAY: This morning I want us to look at the three questions
around which this account is built. We will see that you are called to be a radical neighbor but
you will never be a radical neighbor until a radical neighbor has shown you compassion.
THEME: The citizen of the realm is a compassionate neighbor to one in need.
I.
The First Question: What must I do to inherit eternal life? (25-28)
25 On one occasion an expert in the law stood up to test Jesus. “Teacher,” he asked, “what must I
do to inherit eternal life?” 26 “What is written in the Law?” he replied. “How do you read it?”
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27 He 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.’” 28 “You have
answered correctly,” Jesus replied. “Do this and you will live.”
A. A trap is set: The question was intended to expose Jesus. The man is a called a lawyer. This
was a religious position- much like a theologian who was an expert in Old Testament Law.
He was trying to trap Jesus so he could discredit Him. He was convinced Jesus was a man
without scruples and was guilty by association with the sinners He hung out with. By asking
Him, “What must I do to inherit eternal life?” he is hoping Jesus will say something that he,
and everyone around will condemn Him for- that Jesus will incriminate Himself.
What this man is trying to do is not uncommon in the Gospels. For example, Luke 20:20 says of
the Jewish leaders, “Keeping a close watch on him (Jesus), they sent spies who pretended to be
sincere.” They hoped to trap Jesus in something he said so that they might hand him over to the
power and authority of the governor. Reporters do this today when they ask politicians questions.
They’re trying to trap the man they are interviewing.
B. Jesus avoids the trap with a question, “What does the Law say?” Jesus answers the question
with a question. Jesus asks what’s in the law- how do you read it. Give me a summary of
the law as you see it.
C. Jesus affirms the lawyer’s summary- Love God and Neighbor. The answer the man gives is
two- fold. First he cites Duet. 6 where we are called to love God will all our heart, soul,
strength and mind. He then says to love your neighbor as yourself with all the power, force
as your own (Leviticus 19:18)-. If you look at what the character the law is after it will save
you- give you eternal life. The law outlines a way of life that is right and tells you how you
should be, but though the law is a way of life but it is not the way to life. Needless to say
fulfilling it is an awesome and impossible task. It cannot produce what it requires.
His answer reminds us that your true religion is what you do with your solitude. Where does
your mind automatically go when you are sitting alone in isolation or at home? That is your real
religion/faith? The command is to love God so much that he dominates your solitude.
ILLUSTRATE: Randy Newman, has written a book called “Questioning Evangelism”. It talks
about doing evangelism by asking questions- like Jesus did. For instance, imagine that someone
comes to you and says, “You don’t really believe that everybody’s going to hell except those
people who trust, do you?” It’s your question. Now what do you do with it? Do you say, “Well,
yes, but this needs to be put within a broader theological perspective, and let me try to explain
what the gospel is.” But, the person is not going to sit still long enough to listen to you. So, in
reply, you could ask, “Oh, do you think that nobody should go to hell then?” The chances are
high that they’ll say something like this in return: “Maybe some people do. Hitler maybe. I mean
… I suppose there are some people who deserve to go to hell.” You could then follow up with
this: “On what basis then do you make the decision on who goes to hell and who doesn’t?”
APPLY: And suddenly you’re getting into questions of the place of God in the realm of things
and what right and wrong is and what holiness looks like. But the step you’ve taken to ease into
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it has been your question. It’s a questioning evangelism, and the master of it is Jesus himself.
(D.A. Carson, “The Parable of the Good Samaritan.")
THEME: The citizen of the realm is a compassionate neighbor to one in need.
II.
The Second Question: Who is my neighbor? (29-35)
29 But he wanted to justify himself, so he asked Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?”30 In reply
Jesus said: “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, when he was attacked by
robbers. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him and went away, leaving him half dead. 31 A
priest happened to be going down the same road, and when he saw the man, he passed by on the
other side. 32 So too, a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other
side. 33 But a Samaritan, as he traveled, came where the man was; and when he saw him, he
took pity on him. 34 He went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he
put the man on his own donkey, brought him to an inn and took care of him. 35 The next day he
took out two denarii[a] and gave them to the innkeeper. ‘Look after him,’ he said, ‘and when I
return, I will reimburse you for any extra expense you may have.’
A. The man asks this to justify himself. The man understands it is impossible to fully live up to
his two fold summary and he knows Jesus can turn the issue back to Him. So in order to
justify himself he asks the question, “Who is my neighbor?” He is trying to whittle it down
to what is doable. It is in response to this question that Jesus will give this prominent story.
B. Jesus answers with a story of radical neighboring. The nature of the true neighbor that Jesus
will outline is quite radical. It fits the bigger picture of his theme of Luke 10 which
addresses the question, “What is a true disciple?” The two go hand in hand. His definition
will not follow the expected norms of the Jewish leaders. Notice what he does say.
C. A neighbor is not defined by:
1. Racial or ethnic divisions. Notice the hero was a Samaritan. The hostility
between the Jews and Samaritans was fierce. They despised each other. To the
Jews the Samaritans were half breeds who compromised the Old Testament law.
This man’s blood would begin to boil just at the mention of the name. Jesus
could not have picked a more controversial character to cite as the stories hero.
2. Geographical boundaries. Samaritans and Jews had a very clear geographical
separation. In fact traveling Jews would walk miles out of their way to avoid
walking in a Samaritan neighborhood.
3. Religious or political alignments. Samaritans did not follow or honor the Jewish
leadership. They blended pagan religions with the worship of Yahweh and set a
new place of worship on Mt Gerizim in Damascus.
D. A neighbor is defined by:
1. The risk he is willing to take for others. Notice Jesus tells us that a Levite and a
priest saw the injured man and passed him by. They were smart. They saw he was
still alive meaning the thieves were still close. They knew this Jericho pass was
known as the “blood road” for the killings that took place there. They knew the
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risk and avoided it. Yet the Samaritan risked everything to help. He too knew the
risk and we know he had money- making him a target himself.
2. The compassion he has for others. The hero meets basic human needs through
deeds. He meets a whole range of needs, including transportation, emotional,
physical, shelter, feeding, etc. What is the absolute core of what God means for
us to be a good neighbor or disciple’s life? It is to meet the needs of those around
you- even if they don’t believe like you do.
3. The sacrifice he makes for others. The Samaritan has used his own money to help
the Jewish man in need. It says nothing about whether he was rich or could afford
it. The theme of sacrificial compassion is a regular theme of Jesus.
In another account in Matthew 25 Jesus repeats this theme. “31 “When the Son of Man comes in
his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his glorious throne. 32 All the nations will be
gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates
the sheep from the goats. 33 He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left.
34 “Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take
your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. 35 For I was
hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I
was a stranger and you invited me in, 36 I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you
looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’
37 “Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or
thirsty and give you something to drink? 38 When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or
needing clothes and clothe you? 39 When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’
40 “The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers
and sisters of mine, you did for me.” It should be noted Matthew 10 gives more clarity to this.
The extent of the Samaritans care is significant. We can say, “There are certain kinds of people I
don’t mind helping but people who are irresponsible or reckless seldom fit my list. I may help
when their plight is not their fault.” Yet think about it. The Samaritan finds a Jew in the road
that, in his mind, absolutely deserves dying. We help someone whether they deserve it or not.
ILLUSTRATE: John Edwards, in one of the greatest sermons of all time is recorded in his book,
“The Duty of Charity to the Poor” and asks, “Should we help our neighbor only in extreme
destitution? Is that “loving one as we love ourselves?” We only help those who deserve it? But,
who deserves it really?” Christ loved us in spite of our own folly.
Edwards later reminds us of Galatians 6:2 “Bear one another’s burdens.” He says, “We may by
the rules of the gospel be a help others even when it is a burden to ourselves and even when we
say we cannot afford it.”
APPLY: Yes, helping does require sacrifice. If you can afford to help maybe you are not helping
enough. Jesus says there is no such thing as a person who cannot afford to help.
THEME: The citizen of the realm is a compassionate neighbor to one in need.
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III.
The Third Questions: “Who is the neighbor?” (36-37)
36 “Which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of
robbers?” 37 The expert in the law replied, “The one who had mercy on him.” Jesus told him,
“Go and do likewise.”
A. Jesus sets his own trap with this question. The story itself lays out a trap for this lawyer by
forcing him to consider the two main characters.
1. Jesus makes the hero the one who is despised by this man. Yet, would a Jewish man near
death, not welcome help and compassion from anyone- including a Samaritan?
2. Jesus makes the lawyer the one in need. Notice the Jew is not the hero. His very life
depends on help and yet his fellow Jews, his supposed neighbors, refused to
inconvenience themselves or take a risk on his behalf.
3. Any other answer would not do. The man could only give one answer to Jesus’ question.
Clearly the Samaritan was the neighbor and the Priest and Levite were not.
B. The neighbor is the one who shows compassion. What Jesus is asking us to do is to help
even people you hate the sight of, or who can’t help themselves. It is a radical requirementdon’t limit it. But we must ask, “How do you get anyone to live like this?” It is not a popular
concept. Nobody lives like this? What would motivate a person to be this kind of neighbor?
There are two ways- the first is inadequate.
1. Guilt: Jesus puts into the parable two people who are extremely religions- the priest and
Levite. These are people who out of duty and morality and should risk something yet they
did not act as a good neighbor. The point- the law does not really change your life? Guilt
will not take you where you want to go. If Jesus had put the man in the story as the hero he
would have laughed at Jesus. Jesus is trapping Him. He put the Israelite in the road and the
hated man in the saddle. He is asking, “What if you were the injured man and your only
hope was someone who you hated?” If Jesus said you are in the saddle and the Samaritan is
one the ground it would be a “do it” and not a dynamic. By putting the hated one in the
saddle it changes the story. You are saved by someone who did not owe you that.
2. You will never be a radical neighbor until you are radically neighbored. Where would you
get something like that?
Notice when Jesus asks, “Who is the neighbor?” The lawyer knew the answer- the one who
provided care. In the broader context of the story Jesus is that person. We are all self-justifiers.
But this approach beats you up. It will enslave you and fill you with fears. Jesus came into our
world, onto our place in the road where we were desperate and spiritually injured and He had
compassion on us. In a few days He will go to the cross and risk everything for us and became
sin, who knew no sin. Jesus is demanding a kind of love that cannot be demanded and requires
the love that cannot be required. It is not humanly possible. Only free grace can give that
motivation- only having been radically neighbored can we be radical neighbors ourselves.
ILLUSTRATE: The Roman Emperor Julian writes in a letter within a few centuries after Christ
and said, “The religions of the Greeks does not prosper, why do we not observe that the charity
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of Christians to strangers has done the most to advance their cause, it is disgraceful that these
Christians support our poor as well as help their own. While everyone can see that our coreligionist lack aid from us.”
APPLY: There has never been a group in history that has one this until Christianity.
THEME: The citizen of the realm is a compassionate neighbor to one in need.
SAY WHAT YOU HAVE SAID: This morning we have seen that eternal life comes from
fulfilling the two fold requirements of the law which is love God and love your neighbor- a task
impossible for us all.
TIE INTO OPENING SENTENCE: The Good Samaritan is among the most well know stories of
the our faith yet one of its key points is often missed. It is only by the radical neighboring of
Jesus who shows us compassion in our hopeless state that we can radically neighbor others.
APPLY TO SPECIFIC AUDIENCE: Three things to be a gospel neighbor:
1. The priest and Levite we in the geological vicinity and saw him but looked away. The
Samaritan thought about the needs of the man- in contrast to the others deliberately avoided him.
You can be a geographical neighbor but not a true neighbor.
2. We must reweave the gospel message and the gospel neighbor. When Jesus says, “I want you
to be fearless proclaimers of the gospel the conservatives feel good and the liberals get nervous.
When Jesus says, “I want you to radically give help to the poor the liberals feel good and the
conservatives get nervous. Jesus weaves them together and when Christianity flourishes they
have been together. Truth and love go hand in hand.
3. Jesus assumes the lawyer was a racist because he has a self-justifying heart. Nobody assumes
they are a racist. White people who went to college say I am not a racist because I took all those
courses that taught otherwise. The black say I am a victim of races and hate the whites who
oppressed them. So where is racism? We all must look deep within ourselves and see our
bigotries and biases that need to corrected in light of this story.
HAYMAKER: Gary M. Burge shares a story told about a theology professor who spoke Arabic,
so he had access to the Arab Christian community. Over the course of numerous conversations,
he heard the same moving story of a modern-day Good Samaritan:
Not long ago in Jerusalem's famed Hadassh Hospital, an Israeli soldier lay dying. He had
contracted AIDS as a result of his gay lifestyle and was now in the last stages of the disease's
terrible course. His father was a famous Jerusalem rabbi, and both he and the rest of his family
had disowned him. He was condemned to die in his shame. The nursing staff on his floor knew
his story and carefully avoided his room. Everyone was simply waiting for his life to expire.
The soldier happened to be part of a regiment that patrolled the Occupied West Bank, and his
unit was known for its ferocity and war-fighting skills. The Palestinians living in occupation
hated these troops. They were merciless and could be cruel. Their green berets always gave them
away.
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One evening the soldier went into cardiac arrest. All the usual alarms went off, but the nursing
staff did not respond. Even the doctors looked the other way. Yet on the floor another man was at
work—a Palestinian Christian janitor—who knew this story as well and also knew the meaning
of the emergency. Incredibly, he was a man whose village had been attacked by this soldier's
unit. When the Palestinian heard the alarm and witnessed the neglect, his heart was filled with
compassion. He dropped his broom, entered the soldier's room, and attempted to resuscitate the
man by giving him cardiopulmonary resuscitation. The scene was remarkable: a poor Palestinian
man, a victim of this soldier's violence, now tried to save his enemy while those who should have
been doing this stood on the sidelines. …
When you understand what it means for an enemy to love an enemy—and for the righteous to
show neglect—then you will have a picture of the power of God's grace at work in a person's
heart. (Gary M. Burge, Jesus, the Middle-Eastern Storyteller (Zondervan, 2009), pp. 24-25)
THEME: The citizen of the realm is a compassionate neighbor to one in need.
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