Luke 10

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." 

This man had an amazing understanding of the meaning of the Law, and Jesus commended him for his knowledge, but having knowledge is not enough, you have to apply that knowledge to your life. This man was not willing to do this. Just look at the next verse:

29 But he, wanting to justify himself, said to Jesus, "And who is my neighbor?"

Just so you would not mistake this lawyer’s question for a sincere inquiry, Luke made sure we understood that the man was trying to justify himself. He was looking for a way to excuse his lack of action in loving his neighbor. Let me remind you that the same thing the lawyer said was exactly what Jesus taught.

Mark 12

28 Then one of the scribes came, and having heard them reasoning together, perceiving that He had answered them well, asked Him, "Which is the first commandment of all?"

29 Jesus answered him, "The first of all the commandments is: 'Hear, O Israel, the LORD our God, the LORD is one. 

30 And you shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.' This is the first commandment. 

31 And the second, like it, is this: 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.' There is no other commandment greater than these." 

Loving God and loving our neighbor are the two most important things we can do. The message we are about to learn from the story Jesus is going to tell is this:                                          

We have no excuse for

not loving our neighbor

So, let’s hear what Jesus taught a man who knew what to do, but was trying to find justification for not doing it:

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.

Look at the condition of this man:

Robbed

Stripped

Wounded

Half Dead

The condition this man was horrendous and repulsive.   

31 Now by chance a certain priest came down that road. And when he saw him, he passed by on the other side.

Look at the actions of the very religious priest: He saw…but did nothing! 

32 Likewise a Levite, when he arrived at the place, came and looked, and passed by on the other side.

Look at the actions of the very religious Levite: He Came and Looked…but did nothing!

In these two cases being religious got in the way of loving. We can be so concerned about how we appear to others that we are hindered from reaching out to the needy.

33 But a certain Samaritan, as he journeyed, came where he was. And when he saw him, he had compassion.

You will recall that the northern kingdom of Israel was invaded and carried into captivity in about 721 b.c.. Some Israelites were left in the land and ended up inter-marrying with the people that the king of Assyria brought into the land. The strangers brought in every kind of pagan religion and idolatrous practice. The Samaritans had some Jewish blood, but were despised by the people of the southern kingdom of Judah who even though they had been carried into captivity kept themselves of pure Jewish blood.

The Samaritans were even more despised than the Romans.

Look at the actions of the despised Samaritan:

Came where he was

He saw him

He had compassion

The story doesn’t end there…

·       Loving your neighbor is more than just coming to were they are…

·       Loving your neighbor is more than seeing them in their condition…

·       Loving your neighbor is more than having compassion on them…

Look at what the Samaritan did… 

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.'

Let’s look at the:

The 7 actions of the Samaritan:

1. Went to him

He went out of his way. He went to where the wounded man was.

2. Bandaged his wounds

He reached out and touched him. It was more than giving a donation; it was giving of himself and his time.

3. Poured in oil and wine

He brought cleansing into his life. What he gave him cleansed his wounds and helped the healing.

4. Set on his animal

He allowed the hurt man to ride on his animal while he walked. He inconvenienced himself.

5. Brought him to an inn

He took him to a safe place.

6. Took care of him

He stayed personally involved in his life, just didn’t drop him off.

7. Provided for him when he was gone

He gave of what he had to make sure that the wounded man was provided for even after he left.

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."

The call of Jesus for us

to love our neighbors is a

call to show mercy!

What will happen if we decide to live a life of mercy?

Back in November we began praying for our neighbors. In December, we took actions to break the ice with them.

We talked about the condition the man in the account of Good Samaritan being horrendous and repulsive. There may be some in your neighborhood who are in that kind of condition. But remember:

We have no excuse for

not loving our neighbor

We cannot deny the application of Jesus’ words:

"Go and do likewise."

We looked at the 7 actions of the Samaritan, and now let’s look at those seven one more time as we look at:

The 7 actions of a Good Neighbor:

1. Go to them

Go out of your way. You have to be intentional which means you may have to rearrange your schedule.

2. Bandage their wounds

As your reach out to your neighbors, look for opportunities to serve them.

3. Pour in oil and wine

The message of Jesus brings cleansing and forgiveness into lives. The oil of the Holy Spirit and the wine of the new life will make amazing changes. 

4. Set them on your animal

Allow yourself to be inconvenienced. Take prayer walks around your neighborhood.

5. Bring them to an inn

When we bring people to the fellowship of the church, we are bringing them to the safest place.

6. Take care of them

Become personally involved in the lives of your neighbors. Don’t bail on out on them, make.

7. Provided for them when you’re gone

You are bringing your neighbors into God’s kingdom into a permanent relationship with God that will have an eternal impact on them.

Let me conclude with some words that Paul wrote to Titus from the Message Bible

Titus 2

11 God's readiness to give and forgive is now public. Salvation's available for everyone!

12 We're being shown how to turn our backs on a godless, indulgent life, and how to take on a God-filled, God-honoring life. This new life is starting right now,

13 and is whetting our appetites for the glorious day when our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, appears.

14 He offered himself as a sacrifice to free us from a dark, rebellious life into this good, pure life, making us a people he can be proud of, energetic in goodness.

Those last words need to be our theme when it comes to serving our neighbors.

Energetic in goodness!