Scripture:
Luke 10:30-37 NKJV
[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 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.”
Observation:
Jesus always used stories for a teaching moment, and it’s no different in this case. In the verses just before the ones chosen this morning. A young man had come to Jesus with a question. He wanted to have eternal life and knew that Jesus had the answer to how to obtain it. So he asked him, ” How can I inherit eternal life.” But I’m not sure he was prepared to hear the answer. You can tell by the way that the question was asked that the young man thought that there was something he could do or buy that would give him what he was looking for. His question was phrased like this,” Teacher, what must I ‘DO” to inherit eternal life. So Jesus, knowing the man’s heart went quickly to the law. Conveniently leaving out the first few commandments about having no other gods before YAHWAH. The young man’s answer was out of an attempt to justify himself… all these I have kept from my youth. That’s where the story comes in. Jesus knew the condition of this man’s heart. HE knew that the love that he had for himself, his money, and his possessions was greater than the love he had for his fellow man. So he starts telling this parable about a man who had been robbed, beaten, and left for dead. Now, one thing we need to know is that the road that the man had gotten robbed on was known as a shady road. Let’s just say it was the equivalent of being caught in the hood after dark all by yourself with a pocket full of money. So the man who had been robbed was probably up to no good to begin with. Along came a priest who did not want to be any part of what had happened to the man. Then, a Levite whose reaction was much the same. They both crossed the road to get away from the man. Then, a Samaritan cane by, and having compassion on the man, he cleaned his wounds and put him on his animal and took him to an inn paying for the man to have a place to stay and telling the inn keeper. To change any extra to him, not the man who had been robbed. Now, before we move on, I want us to look back on the question the rich young ruler asked Jesus before the story was told… “Who is my neighbor?” Now, thinking about that, let’s look at the question Jesus asked the crowd. In verse 36, Jesus asks, “Who do you think was this man’s neighbor. Let me remind you that HE is talking about the man who had been robbed, beaten, and left for dead. My point to this is to show you that Jesus knew the broken condition of the rich young ruler… and HE showed him compassion. The story was to point out his broken condition to him.
Application:
All too often, we can start to think we are justified by what we do yet forget to have compassion on those around us. Going to church and serving being altogether good people but never wanting to get our hands dirty. Maybe even forget where exactly we came from. After sitting in church for a long period of time, it’s pretty easy to think we got this and walk past those who need us the most. I’m telling you this because I have been guilty of it. After walking with GOD for a number of years, it’s easy to think… I don’t see why they don’t just get it… I did. I never want to forget where I came from. Because I never want to go back. Having compassion on the broken helps me to remember that I am just as broken without Jesus. HE is the glue that holds me together. I remember being the man who was in the wrong place at just the right time… and honestly, I don’t want to forget it. It seems like when I do… I’m a lot closer to going back than I think. There is not one of us that has not been broken in one way or another. Whether it’s from being caught in addiction or the Cynicism that may come from breaking free from it, perhaps sitting in church all our lives thinking that we are better than those addicts because we would never put ourselves in that position. No matter the condition. We have all been broken at some point, and Jesus has shown us compassion. My point to this SOAP is that it’s pretty easy to look at where we are and forget what it took to get there. It’s remember that we would not be here if ut were not for Jesus. HE did the work on the cross. Now that being said, let’s also not be afraid to reach into the mud, get our hand dirty, and pull someone out. Remember someone pulled you out with his arms stretched wide on the cross. HE went the extra mile so that you would not have to carry the burden of your sin. HE got HIS hands dirty building a bridge so that you could have a way to the father. You can not earn your way to heaven. HE bought your ticket with HIS compassion. Show those who struggle the sane compassion HE showed you.
Prayer:
Father, we just want to thank you for loving us when we were unlovable. Your word says, yet while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Help us to see that we are no different. Had you not pulled us out of the mud, we would still be there. Without you, we have no hope. We want to be the kind of people who see others as those whom you have created. No matter their current situation or condition. No matter how broken they may appear, we know that you can put them back together. Because you did it for us. Show us how to let our compassion lead our actions. We do not want to cross the street to get away. We want to be the one who is not afraid to love them all and allow you to be the judge. We never want to forget our broken state before you found us, and we want our compassion to give others hope. It’s in the mighty name of Jesus I pray amen.