Luke 10

The Good Samaritan

41:50

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.”

• Who is the Lawyer?
  • The Lawyer is a scholar and teacher of the Law
  • They were some of the very stringent people who lived and preached according to the letter of the law
• "Stood up and tested Him"
  • He had bad intentions
• What shall I do to inherit eternal life?
  • This is the most important question one should ask
  • The rich man also asked this question
  • The Pharisees had different answers for this... different schools of thought. This lawyer wants to know which school of thought the Lord Jesus is subscribed to and will teach. In this way, he can go and say "this teacher follows rabbi x"
• What is written in the law? What is your reading of it?
  • What is YOUR reading of it
  • If it's just "what is written" then he will just say what he has memorized... but the Lord wants to know what he understands
  • HOW are you reading it?
    • Are you reading it with a humble spirit?
    • Are you reading with open ears to hear the Lord speak to you?
    • Are you reading it with a prideful spirit?
    • Are you reading to find mistakes?
  • The man doesn't answer the question but answers "what is written in the law"
• The Ten Commandments
  • He responds with what we find in Deuteronomy 6 and in Leviticus
  • Love the Lord your God (first tablet with four commandments)
  • Love your neighbor as yourself (second tablet with six commandments)
  • Do this and you will live
    • Despite the fact that he is testing Him, He tells him that he has answered correctly and he will have eternal life if he does it.
    • This is all that's needed to inherit eternal life
      • This doesn't get rid of or even discount Baptism, Confirmation, Repentance and Eucharist of course
      • But in the course of daily life: Love God, and love your neighbor as yourself
• Do this and you will live
  • The man knew the law but didn't do it
    • Love the Lord your God with ALL your heart, ALL your soul, ALL your strength, ALL your mind
      • We all love God... but who of us has reached the word "ALL"
      • With ALL my heart
        • The lawyer's heart was full of pride and testing and legalism
      • With ALL my strength
        • Tiring for the Lord day and night
      • With ALL my mind
        • Having the Lord on my mind in every thought
    • Love your neighbor AS YOURSELF
      • We all love our neighbors... but who of us has reached the word "AS YOURSELF"
  • The Lord is helping him to see that even though he knows the Law, he is not doing it.
    • We attend Bible Study and read and study and focus on the sermons and lessons and we can answer all the questions. Even if we go to heaven and the Lord asks us a question, we'll be able to answer... but are we practicing? Are we doing? Or are we just learning?
    • We memorize verses, but do we do them?
    • The Lord will ask us "Did you practice what you preach? Did you practice what you learned?"
• He wanted to be justified
  • He didn't want to go and obey the commandment
  • He didn't want to do more work
  • He wanted to be justified that he was already doing the commandments
  • There are some who want to know the truth and do it... but some who just want to feel or know that they are right
    • Some come to a sermon and want to hear what they need to do or how they can grow
    • Some others want to hear all the things they are doing right and be justified
      • Sermon about giving, and he doesn't give, he won't listen to the sermon or he won't go
      • Sermon about anger or reconciliation, and he's angry at someone, then he tunes out the sermon
• The Lawyer had two good qualities
  • He is asking about eternal life - this is something that pleases God
  • He has studied the Scriptures and has the Law memorized
  • He's not perfect as he intends to test the Lord, but he has good qualities
• Who is my neighbor?
  • Again, he wants to test the Lord
  • Different Pharisees had different teachings for your neighbor...
    • For some it was immediate family.
    • For some it was family and friends.
    • For some it was those who lived near you.
    • For some it was your tribe or city.
    • The most that any Pharisee would preach is that your neighbor is your fellow Jew.
• The Good Samaritan
  • This story is only in the Gospel of Luke
  • Literal Interpretation
    • A Jewish man is going from Jerusalem to Jericho and he is robbed and attacked and left for dead. 
    • A priest walks by and sees him and does nothing, continues to walk by
    • A Levite walks by and sees him and does nothing, continues to walk by (Levite is like a deacon)
    • A Samaritan walks by and sees him and mends his wounds and clothes him and takes him to an inn on his own dime and even offered to pay as much as was needed for him.
      • The Samaritans were hated by the Jews
      • The Jews did not consider Samaritans to be Jewish. They were enemies. They cursed each other. And even sometimes if you wanted to curse someone you would call them a Samaritan.
      • "Then the Jews answered and said to Him, 'Do we not say rightly that You are a Samaritan and have a demon?'" (John 8:48)
    • Who was his neighbor?
      • The Samaritan who wasn't from his religion, or his nation, or his language, or his family, and whose family hates his family.
      • If the Jew had been awake he would have cursed the Samaritan.
  • Moral Interpretation
    • We are called to love all people - and not a superficial love, but a love of servitude and effort
    • The Good Samaritan
      • The Samaritan had other things to do... he wasn't aimlessly walking
      • This would cost him a lot
        • He would have to walk since the Jew would be on his animal
        • He would pay at the inn
        • He would promise the owner of the inn that he would pay any additional expenses
        • He used his own oil and wine
      • The Samaritan would lose time and money and effort
    • Sometimes we go as far as to "feel bad" for someone like the priest or Levite... but not further
      • "dang that sucks"
      • "I'm sorry to hear that"
      • "That's so sad"
    • Someone else may offer love and companionship and help him get up... but to take him to a hotel? To pay for him? Not so...
    • Someone else may have red tape around their love...
      • If he's from my nation or my religion
      • I'll help him as long as it doesn't affect me
      • I'll help him and love him but I can't pay for him
    • The Lord is asking us for a full and complete love for all people
  • Allegorical Interpretation
    • The injured Jew is Adam who was going from Jerusalem (paradise) to Jericho (the world)
      • Jerusalem means "city of peace" which was the city of the King - the city of God
      • Going from Jerusalem means getting further from God
      • What happens when we get further from God? We become easy targets for the devil!
    • The robbers are devils
      • Stripped him
        • Most robbers would wound first, and then would strip him to steal his clothes and items... but these robbers stripped him first.
        • Since the day of our baptism, we have a vestment of righteousness clothing us. The Devil wants to remove it from us and strip us of it. To make you naked of the righteousness of baptism and Myron... and from there, they can wound you as they like
        • Adam, when he fell, was naked... but the Fathers say that he was clothed in grace and in righteousness. But when he sinned, he felt naked because his garment of righteousness was removed.
      • Wounded him
        • Sins and vices
      • Left him for dead
        • Someone who is far from the Lord - we don't know if he's dead or alive...
    • The Priest is the Law
      • The Law that would judge that "this person is dying" but could not save
      • God had sent the Law for the people to follow it and adjust themselves... but instead it became a judge for them because no one could do it.
    • The Levite is the Prophets
      • The Prophets who came to preach to the people to "get up!" but could not help them get up
    • The Samaritan is the Lord Jesus Christ
      • Christ who took our place on the Cross and in wounds and sufferings. We sinned and He took our place.
      • When God looks at us in the midst of sin and in the sufferings of this life, He doesn't say "they deserve it" but He has compassion
      • He went to him = He came from heaven to earth
      • Bandaged his wounds = As the True Physician
      • Oil comforts and Wine purifies
        • Sometimes God sends us oil: Someone to comfort us
        • Sometimes God sends us wine: Something that will hurt, but will be good for us
        • Sometimes God will send us both
      • The animal usually symbolizes flesh - putting him on his animal symbolizes that He gave us His flesh in the Eucharist. He took what is ours and gave us what is His.
    • The Inn is the Church
      • The Innkeeper is the Shepherds of the Church - the Bishops and Priests
      • The Two Denarii are the Old and New Testament; or they are the two commandments: Love of God and the Love of Man
        
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    • The Samaritan promises to return as the Savior's Second Coming
      • I will repay you - this is the promise to those who are serving others
• Go and do likewise
  • Let us be transformed from the legalism of the lawyer to the spirit of love of the Good Samaritan

Mary and Martha Worship and Serve

31:15

³⁸ Now it happened as they went that He entered a certain village; and a certain woman named Martha welcomed Him into her house. ³⁹ And she had a sister called Mary, who also sat at Jesus’ feet and heard His word. ⁴⁰ But Martha was distracted with much serving, and she approached Him and said, “Lord, do You not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Therefore tell her to help me.”

⁴¹ And Jesus answered and said to her, “Martha, Martha, you are worried and troubled about many things. ⁴² But one thing is needed, and Mary has chosen that good part, which will not be taken away from her.”

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