Luke 10

Auto-generated from the audio — may contain errors.

0:00 I do want to look deeper at the story of the Good Samaritan in Luke chapter 10 is where they assign it to us, Luke chapter 10. Of course, not of course, but may know or may not, that Samaritans have this life. Percariest relationship with Israel at the time, that's why Jesus pulls out the story of Samaritan. But to give you some context,

0:31 remember that when we look at the story of Scripture, the God of creation and life is motivated to return humanity to a relationship where they let the God be God and they recognize that they're people. This is like the driving goal of the God who destroyed Scripture and to restore that dynamic because that's how humanity was made to live. Everything operates better than humanity that they recognize they're not God, that is the God that's not them and they got it for them and they trust the God.

1:01 For God is like moving, trying to get into back in that relationship to the humanity. And when he pulls out a drum from around and sends him into intro, he's changing his strategy a little bit from what it's been in the first 11 chapters of the story of Scripture. And the idea is that there would be this nation of people that through the work of God have established close relationships and then all the world would see what life of God looks like and be drawn back to God.

1:33 So at critical points in the history of Israel is very clear when you read closely that the job of Israel was always one of servants to the world, not exclusively. And so even when Solomon dedicates the temple, he praises the temple door that all the nations of the world would come and praise with a God of Abraham as in Jacob, a God of creation and life here at the temple where he ties. And so it's a really tragic when Israel, after the time of Solomon, split into two kingdoms, the southern kingdom has two tribes,

2:05 Benjamin and Judah, the northern kingdom has 10 of the 12 tribes and they get conquered first. This is sometimes called Israel, it's sometimes called Temerian. And what happens with the 10 tribes with their conquered, the people that conquered and have a strategy because they're trying to build empires all over the world, they're conquering all these different countries, they selectively repopulate the countries that they conquer to try and assimilate all the people into one nationality.

2:36 And so if you ever hear the phrase, the 10 lost tribes of Israel, because when they conquered the northern kingdom, they repopulated it with people from other countries and then moved some of the Israelites out so that the 10 northern tribes intermaried with all these other countries and the 10 tribes are lost from it. And so Temerian is northern kingdom. By the time we don't get the word do and so they're coming back from Babylon,

3:08 it's a shortened word for Judah. And so the Jews actually determine the term that develops in the ! And it's referred to the remnant that comes back. So when the Jews, the remnant of Judah, come back after the relief from Babylon, repopulate Jerusalem, rebuild the temple, there's this severe and distinct disdain for the Temerians. Because the Temerians are synchronized with it. They integrated with the other countries

3:39 and they integrated their worship and the Jews have not, quote unquote. As they were in Babylon, much of the holiness cult of Judaism developed where they were in exile in Babylon because they were working hard to distinguish themselves from the Babylonians. So all of them, 613 laws began to develop then. And so much of the Judaism that Jesus is realting against in the first century arose in the intercontinental period. It really solidified.

4:10 And so by the time that Jesus is walking around, the worst thing you could be a comparison to is you. Call me a Roman, don't call me a Samaritan. That's the worst. I am the few. I'm the Jew. I'm still the chosen. The remnant of Judah. Okay. Now it's probably more background that you needed, but now you get some context for me. Luke's Crafted 10, verse 23 is where they start us.

4:42 I just want to give you, okay, we can, let's start that verse 23. Jesus is talking to disciples in verse 23. He says, venturing to the disciples. He said privately blessed are the owls to see what you see. For I tell you that many prophets and kings decided to see what you see and did not see it. And to see what you hear and did not hear it.

5:13 We'll catch that up in a minute here, but first let's get to the story. Verse 24, and behold, a lawyer stood up and put him to the test. Now this could be a church lawyer because the Israelites were governed wholly by Rome and they had their own system. The knowledge and the laws that the Israelites, the Jewish people value were the laws of the Torah.

5:45 So he might have been Pharisee or something, the church lawyer. And he said, keep your what shall I do to inherit eternal life. It's the kind of question that you would ask, and I can remember my question here in college. This will tell you a little bit about me and me and my freshman year at college. We were going to the Bible page for a couple of times. I was trying to find a church to be a part of it.

6:16 And I had gone to a couple of different Bible page and I had a couple of questions. I can't remember what they are now. A couple of questions I would ask the guys to see how they responded because I was grading them in my head if they were worth me coming to. And Dr. Tanaszina, that this Pharisee and his chris lawyers doing here with Jesus, he's not like periodist. He figures he knows he wants to see Jesus' name. Teacher, what shall I do in here in eternal life? The other things you notice here is sometimes

6:46 there's some conversation about whether or not there was an understanding of an eternal life in the Old Testament. And I think like what we see is that the community that comes out of this already driving towards each question and has an understanding around this question that yes there would be. It's a thing that he's looking for. And he has a set answer in every grade in Jesus' song. So this is something that everybody should know. If you want to turn a light, this is how it happens. And the system that they're working with in first century is real.

7:17 And the whole of the lawyers stood up and put them to the test saying, teacher, what shall I do to adhere to eternal life? And Jesus said to him, what's written in the law? How do you read it? Verse 27 on the lawyer answered, you so loved the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind and your neighbor as your son. And he said to him, yeah, he did. Do this in your life. I like that being doesn't push back at all.

7:50 Like, yeah man, you got it. Nailed it, right? And he just leaves it there. I think it's like, you probably noticed the guy was messing with him. And so he's not gonna push to say, how well are you doing with that? How hopeful are you that you can live that way? He doesn't like, he just was like, yeah,

8:20 if you want to adhere to eternal life, do those things. Love the Lord and God with all your heart and soul strength and mind, love your neighbor as your son. Verse 29, but he desired to justify himself, said to Jesus. Now, look at John, it's exactly the foundation. And who is my neighbor? Let me just qualify it a little bit so I can make sure that I've got all the right things done. And this is where Jesus in his answer expands the answer

8:54 and that one of the shortcuts here is Jesus is all the way to the deeper. But the rule is there to get to an attitude or a position of the heart. He's always doing that. Certainly mountain people's act, right? He uses always doing that. He does that here. The church lawyers tried to circumscribe in his obligation so that he can cut off and convince himself that he's actually done it and not have to worry about eternal life. And he says, he's my neighbor and Jesus replies.

9:25 He even says, let me tell you stories. It goes right into the story. I love that. A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho and fell along the robbers to Christian and beaten and departed even after. Without going too much into the process, this would not be like imaginative leap for a church lawyer in Jerusalem or around Jerusalem. This is a regular walk.

9:55 We think of that when Jesus is coming in from Passover, like right before the triumphal entry, that he does this walk backwards. He goes from Jericho outside Jericho and he goes flying by the mail, coming into Jericho via the New York Library, and he goes with a big crowd from Jericho to Jerusalem. And remember that when they need Jerusalem for Passover and Jesus little, they go in a big crowd, and they're not going to be able to get them to the church. And they're not going to be able to get them to the church.

10:26 And they're not going to be able to get them to the church. And they're not going to be able to get them to the church. And they're not going to be able to get them to the church. And they're not going to be able to get them to the church. And they're not going to be able to get them to the church. And they're not going to be able to get them to the church. And they're not going to be able to get them to the church. And they're not going to be able to get them to the church. And they're not going to be able to get them to the church. And they're not going to be able to get them to the church.

10:56 And they're not going to be able to get them to the church. And they're not going to be able to get them to the church. And they're not going to be able to get them to the church. And they're not going to be able to get them to the church. And they're not going to be able to get them to the church. And they're not going to be able to get them to the church. And they're not going to be able to get them to the church. And they're not going to be able to get them to the church. And they're not going to be able to get them to the church. A couple years ago, I'm looking around for loads of parties. I'm here, but we went through several of these parables. And the context was telling us about that. So that it would have been hard to know the nationality of this guy

11:30 because he would have trouble speaking to you. You wouldn't hear his offense. So you wouldn't know. So that loads up even more of these rebates and parodies coming down the road. But how said is a term that would have recognized this guy's not moving very much, right? Or speaking. Okay. Now, by chance, a priest was going down that road. And when he saw him, he passed on the other side. So likewise, the Levite when he came to the place and saw him pass by on the other side.

12:06 You know, they have the reasons, right? One, it's a problem. And they're on the road, right? Two, there's a dude who's not dead. He didn't get himself half dead. The guys might still be around him. Probably smart to keep moving. Three, they're a Levite and a priest. They have jobs at temples and synagogues. If they handle somebody who's dead, they don't know if this guy is dead.

12:37 They might be like, then they have to go through a whole system to be able to go back to work. They've got to like do the purification thing that takes place and there's rituals and calamity. It's a big hassle. And you can make the argument actually that they're like following the law better to not deal with it. Especially if he's a foreigner. But a Samaritan, as he journeyed, came to where he was and when he saw him have complexity.

13:14 He went to him and bound up his wounds for an oil and wine and then set him on a dome and morn, wrong to an ailment or care. And the next day he took out food in their eye and gave them to the inn. He said, take care of him and whatever more you spend on will repair you when I come back. Which of these three do you think were to be a neighbor to the man who fell among the rivals? Mr. Mark.

13:45 He said, the one who's throwed a mercy. So then you go into the like line. Interesting. A couple of things. One that gets me the most though. When it says that the Samaritan had compassion on him. And because I think of compassion as an emotional position.

14:17 But this compassion drives to acting. Like I can imagine that maybe the Levi's have compassion but not to get him to do anything. I remember several years ago when I went through some of you know Phil Hissam move doesn't go class. It's called Didn't These Turders is truly cool. I remember. One of the first times I went through that talk again and it points out the way to start with dignity in neighborhoods and not to.

14:55 Move the way from toxic charity and I realized how little I actually cared about people other than myself. I mean I think if we're honest this ought to be a very genuine concern of people in the position of most of the folks in the room. Like we have enough of our own things to take care of.

15:26 That if we're honest. Not much or energy goes to be cool. And the Levi and the priest had good reasons that they were doing God's work but they were taking care of the church. They were shooting their money and their time. And also they were not neighbors. They did not love their neighbor.

15:57 The thing that the reason I dig me through is put that button on me is because I realized that authentic care for the neighbor looks like working for lasting realistic meaningful ways to address collaboratively the issues of someone just that they're going through. What got me when I saw the compassion that the Americans that are driving towards asking. And there's this thing in the story of scripture that authentic emotion is always evident in often.

16:33 One of the things that I think about the most is whenever you see the call for God to remember something it's the call for God to do something. If God remembers you he actually will be active on your behalf. If you want God to remember you you're asking him to do something. That emotional positions are evident by asking in the story of scripture. This is important because the Samaritan apparently is a neighbor to the dude on the road which means that he loves him.

17:12 That compassion comes from a place of love and love died through asking me. Maybe a year ago I was kind of why I can't remember why but I was like I think I was talking about the values of the culture of the brain of God of which love is this core one and wanted a definition because it's such a loaded word. You have an idea of what love means.

17:43 I have an idea of what love means. One of the great values of doing people of scripture and tradition is that there's a truth that rests outside of us that forms us. So I kind of think of what's the truth that love is that rest in the tradition and the story of our people that can state my notion. And the best definition is held up for a year so we'll see is solidarity and self-taught for Christ. The Samaritan moved towards the person on the road with constant solidarity and self-sacrifice.

18:16 If I want to love somebody to side myself how do I stand with them at my own expense? Love is something. It moves me outside of yourself and calls me something. The Samaritan moved towards the person on the road in solidarity and self-sacrifice. That church folk do not. Then Jesus said very gradually right?

18:52 Imagine the setting. He's just teaching. There's a whole group of people. And he's taught something and then the little question comes up. Hey, how do I, what do I have to do to inherit eternal life? Jesus says, hey, smart guy, what is the law say? How did you read it? He says the law says I should love the Lord of God with all my heart's whole strength and mind and love my neighbor as my stuff. That's good. Good answer to everybody else. The guy said, well, wait, wait, wait.

19:23 How do I know who my neighbor is? Jesus launched it right in this story. Everybody goes with them because it's within the scope of their imagination. It's the story they could see happening right down the street from where they are. They launched it into this story and when the hero of the guy passing by, they're actually probably not that alone. It's a reasonable response to them. The Levite and the priest couldn't probably do that because it's going to contaminate them. And this is a, we don't know who the guy is.

19:55 And he might be a foreigner in which he is. That's the poor thing. According to the law. So they're not, this is surprising when the Levite and the priest walked off. Then the Samaritan comes by and the Samaritan helps them as that blows them on at that point. And then Jesus is like, yeah, oh, this is okay now. He's like, oh, this is a guy who acted in the neighborhood and he can't even bring himself to say the Samaritan. But Jesus called him the Samaritan.

20:26 This is the one who heard in mercy. That's the guy. Yeah. Jesus said, so you're going to do that. Very cavalier than that. The Levite. And this is interesting. Jesus, sometimes I want Jesus to be the future or like. Hyperbolic. I really haven't found the spot yet where he is. I think Jesus often has higher expectations of his people than we have of ourselves.

20:59 I don't think he's being cavalier. I think he's genuinely saying to the church lawyer, go and love some folks with solidarity and self-doubtless. You can do it. And so the first level for this parable for you and I today is we can do it. You can do it. Do it.

21:30 But the next thing I was thinking about this, remember that this story happened. Jesus told the choice, but then Luke arranges the story of the good Samaritan in a narrative. And I think that Luke is doing a second thing here. It's a terrible. I think he's inviting his readers to see something else in a victim. Right? So just quickly, look up to 10. Jesus holds together a group of followers.

22:03 And it says there's 72 of them and it sends them out two by two to go announce the reign of God here. So long as somewhere else is no longer coming, it has a ground. Right? The reign of God is here to me. And then he talks about how bad it will be if he's a donor. And then in verse 17, the 72 return. The 72 return with joy saying, Lord, even the demons are subject to us in your name.

22:35 And it says to them, it's all saying, fall like lightning from heaven. Behold, hold, give him your authority to tread on the surface and scorpions and over all the power of the enemy. And nothing to hurt you. Nevertheless, do not rejoice in this. The first of the sudden, you will be okay. He's like, hey, you guys are out there operating in the reign of God. Jesus is in charge. You go out. You are now thinking of happening in the reign of God. Come to meet you. Jesus is very special. This is a demonstration of sincere emotions from Jesus. He's like, who read this thing is working.

23:07 We are getting somewhere. Right? Now, look at verse 21. And the thing I already did was in the whole experience that I thank you Father, Lord of Heaven and Earth, that you have hidden these things from the wild and understanding and revealed them to the little children. Yes, Father. Processed with your grace is true. All these things have been handed over to me by my father. And no one knows when the sun is accepted, Father, no one knows when Father is accepted. And anyone to whom the sun is able to reveal him. You have reserved these things from the wise and learning and given to little children.

23:40 The way I read that, he's referring to these 72-year-olds like the little kids. These are not the wise and the varnish. These are like the little kids. Jesus, you know, when he gathers together the first 12 of which the 72 are a larger subset, he goes seeming almost that random to the compernum and pulled a task collector, a couple of fishermen, all these people who were not good enough to be disciples of any other rabbi, he brings them together.

24:11 Then he has a couple other people who begin to follow, so he pulls together 72. And he sends them out in groups and low in the holds. These 72 do with something that may be seen in prior areas. Processed were able to do a small version of with the divine directed of the gowns. But he sends these 72 out. These nobodies, these little children who are not good enough to be an emissary of the church or a Rome or a church lawyer, anybody, other rabbis, sends them out, and they carry the weight and authority of the reign of God.

24:49 Such that the spiritual ground listens, six nices listens. They carry the authority of the king with them. And Jesus says, look, you know what you're doing. You have picked these zung and little ones. I think Luke is the only one telling us the story of the 72. And then right after that, he goes into the part that we read, then turned into a disciple. He said, blessed are the eyes of the king. You see, for I tell you that many prophets and kings longed and desired to see what you're seeing did not see it.

25:20 I think it's part of Luke is looking at it and going, hey, if you feel like after command of loving the Lord your God, follow your heart, go online and send love your neighbor as yourself. So feel like it beats you up, leaves you on solid above. If you feel like in the face of the question of what must I do to adhere to the term of life, you are next to death. You are chomched dead on the side of the grave. So I'd like to look at the same.

25:50 The laws of the church will not thank you, then. I mentioned Phil, he likes to tell this parable. I say the best way to read this parable is that you are the one on solid right, and the good Lord uses is the trinity. Come to the to bind up wounds through steel and disorder. I think Lucas is laying this story of the good American right where it is.

26:22 Just the two new ones that are, hey, the laws won't get you there. This is a grace way. Repeat that and then go and do likewise. If you have the courage to ask yourself honestly, what do I actually care about my neighbor?

26:55 And in some quiet moment that you admit, mostly through your science, the answer is less than I would like to say on my mind. Answer is not really to try my heart. Or to erect some rules or bark on some behavior change. It's to realize how much you have been learned.

27:31 By relationship with gall-tanged, when I realized honestly, really, I've beaten up my system. Any good thing, any favorable relationship grip I have with gall, any security I have in the future comes at his un-oriented fate. Come do, just walk down to all the road.

28:04 Put me together. I'm able to identify with that too deeply the capacity, the courage, the patience, the optimism, the hopefulness, the careful somebody who starts in the middle. Move in action out of that care.

28:36 I pray both those things for us. Let's pray to both those things. Hey, good Lord. Good spirit. Move in our hearts to believe and to believe that you have saved us. That we cannot save ourselves. That you have, that we are busted up and broken but for your grace.

29:08 And then the Lord's Jesus as we heal, he just had to love our neighbor about solidarity and such sacrifice. My model, what it looks like to live in that model and get to experience the life that you bought for us from the cross. And Jesus in me pray. Amen.