THE BIBLE MEETS LIFE
What do the following have in common?
- Alexander Fleming found mold in a petri dish had killed all the bacteria around itself. We now have penicillin.1
- Percy Spencer walked in front of a magnetron and the peanut butter candy bar in his pocket melted. This led him to create the microwave oven.2
- On a hike, Georges de Mestral noticed burrs clinging to his pants. This gave him the idea for Velcro®.3
These may have been happy accidents, but we can’t approach the Christian life that way. Following Jesus does not mean stumbling around in the dark hoping for a good result; following Jesus is an intentional act of obedience. If we desire to be a welcoming people, we won’t get there by accident. We will only get there through intentional acts of love. It’s a standard of love that goes the extra mile.
WHAT DOES THE BIBLE SAY?
Luke 10:25-28
25 Then an expert in the law stood up to test him, saying, “Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” 26 “What is written in the law?” he asked him. “How do you read it?” 27 He answered, “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 “You’ve answered correctly,” he told him. “Do this and you will live.”
Jesus used a powerful story to teach us what it looks like to intentionally love others. But to fully understand the meaning of the story, we must understand the occasion when Jesus told it. The story of the good Samaritan was prompted by a question from an expert in the law.
Some questions are pure in their intent. A person typically desires to know a certain piece of information. That information may even be vital to their health or future. In those cases, just asking the question is an act of humility, for in asking we are admitting our shortcoming in not knowing the answer ourselves.
But that’s not the attitude that prompted this question. This expert of the law asked a critically important question, but his question was not born of a humble search. This was instead a prideful examination. He had no desire to hear truth from Jesus; instead, he “stood up to test him.” His question was meant to demean and discredit Jesus.
Jesus answered the question by asking one of His own, and knowing the man was an expert in the law, He asked the question in terms of the law. This gave the man what he really wanted: an opportunity to showcase his knowledge. In this man’s mind, he already knew the answer to his own question. To inherit eternal life, he must love God with his entire being, and love his neighbor as himself. Indeed, this was the right answer, though the young expert failed to understand the true implications of those commands.
One such implication is that these two great loves which summarize all the commands of Scripture are linked together. Our love for God comes first from the fact that He loved us (see 1 John 4:19), and that love drives and shapes our love for others. That means our love for others should have these qualities:
- We love others unreservedly. God is no respecter of persons. Nationality, ethnicity, education level, and social standing do not limit or regulate His love. We should not withhold our love for someone based on external appearance, familiarity, or any other reason.
- We love others sacrificially. How much did God’s love for us cost Him? It cost Him the life of His One and only Son. This is the highest price He could have paid; yet God was willing to back up His love with action.
- We love others proactively. God’s love is not an ivory tower kind of love. Rather, He got down in the muck and mire of a sinful world in the person of Jesus Christ. He did not wait for humanity to cry out to Him, but instead He took the initiative to come to us. We also must be the first movers.
Luke 10:29-32
29 But wanting to justify himself, he asked Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?” 30 Jesus took up the question and said: “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho and fell into the hands of robbers. They stripped him, beat him up, and fled, leaving him half dead. 31 A priest happened to be going down that road. When he saw him, he passed by on the other side. 32 In the same way, a Levite, when he arrived at the place and saw him, passed by on the other side.
Although Jesus answered the man’s question, he was not satisfied. He wanted a further qualification from Jesus. If this man were to love his neighbor, then he wanted to know specifically who that was.
The spirit behind his second question: “Who is my neighbor?” is one of minimalism. The man wanted to know how little he could do with this “love your neighbor” stuff and still be OK. Jesus calls us to love in a much different way. Jesus wants to move us from asking, “What’s the least I have to do?” to “What else can I do?”
Jesus doesn’t give us a glimpse into the thoughts behind the actions of the priest and the Levite, but we surely can imagine all the ways they might have justified their indifference and apathy.
The point is that both men found excuses not to help, and it probably wasn’t that difficult to do so. Indifference was the easier way—and it still is. Every day, we encounter people who are spiritually injured and bleeding on the proverbial roadside. We can always find an excuse for passing them by.
- It’s none of my business.
- I wouldn’t know what to say.
- I’ve got enough problems of my own.
- Someone else is better equipped.
At the bottom of any excuse we offer is a simple failure to love. This is the dirty truth of indifference—it is not an attitude of neutrality; it is an outright denial of the call to love others as God loves them.
We would do well to recognize our tendency to find excuses. Once we recognize our own internal pull toward indifference, then we will be more prepared to actively fight against such indifference. And we fight indifference through intentional—and many times uncomfortable—acts of tangible love.
Luke 10:33-37
33 But a Samaritan on his journey came up to him, and when he saw the man, he had compassion. 34 He went over to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on olive oil and wine. Then he put him on his own animal, brought him to an inn, and took care of him. 35 The next day he took out two denarii, gave them to the innkeeper, and said, ‘Take care of him. When I come back I’ll reimburse you for whatever extra you spend.’ 36 “Which of these three do you think proved to be a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of the robbers?” 37 “The one who showed mercy to him,” he said. Then Jesus told him, “Go and do the same.”
The lawyer whose questions led to this story had sought to justify himself by doing as little as possible for his neighbors. Jesus gave the Jews a hero they hated because of his race, and yet this Samaritan went above and beyond any reasonable expectation in order to help someone in need. As we look at the intentional acts of love and mercy the Samaritan showed, we are to do the same.
- Be people of awareness. We must make it our business to be people of awareness. We must educate ourselves on the lives and issues facing the individuals we encounter each day. Until we do so, we will always simply be passing on the other side of the road.
- Be people of compassion. The Samaritan in the story wasn’t motivated because a crowd was watching him. He was internally motivated by compassion. We should be asking God to fill us with the same love and compassion that motivated Jesus to be the friend of the friendless.
- Be people of margin. The reason the Samaritan was able to give of his resources is because he had built in some margin. This is a good lesson for us because most of us have zero margins in our lives. We should assume God will bring needs into our path every day that will cost us and arrange our schedules, finances, and other resources to have room to meet those needs.
LIVE IT OUT
We might accidentally stumble upon a situation that requires our help, but none of us are going to accidentally love and serve someone else. We only do this with intention. Choose one of the following applications.
- Get to know someone. How intentional are you when you come to worship? This week, intentionally seek someone out you aren’t familiar with and ask that person a few questions to get to know him or her.
- Trim your schedule. How much margin is in your life? Evaluate your finances and schedule, and cut back so that you have room to meet the needs of others God brings your way.
- Encourage someone. Who is one person you know that is struggling, but to whom you have been indifferent? Schedule a time to sit down with that person this week.
Let’s gear our lives so that we are ready to intentionally take advantage of opportunities God brings our way to express His love to others.
Hope to see you on Sunday!
In His Love,
David & Susan
Teacher's Notes:
Hope to see you on Sunday!
In His Love,
David & Susan
Teacher's Notes:
Click Here to Watch
Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood first aired in 1968. 50 years later, 2018 has seen a resurgence of interest about the show and its host, Fred Rogers, who passed away in 2003. This year saw Mister Rogers on a USPS forever stamp, the release of a successful biographical documentary, Won’t You Be My Neighbor? which will be released on DVD this month, and the scheduled filming of a new movie, You Are My Friend, starring Tom Hanks as Mister Rogers. An ordained Presbyterian minister, Fred Rogers worked to teach children the importance of love. He invited people from diverse backgrounds to be his neighbor while modeling what it looked like to be a good neighbor to others.
Following Jesus does not mean stumbling around in the dark hoping for a good result; following Jesus is an intentional act of obedience. If we desire to be a welcoming people, we won’t get there by accident. We will only get there through intentional acts of love.
Luke 10:25-28
25 Then an expert in the law stood up to test him, saying, “Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” 26 “What is written in the law?” he asked him. “How do you read it?” 27 He answered, “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 “You’ve answered correctly,” he told him. “Do this and you will live.”
Why do you think Jesus connected love for God to love for others?
What does it actually look like to love God in the ways described in these verses?
Lesson: Our love for God comes first from the fact that He loved us (see 1 John 4:19), and that love drives and shapes our love for others. That means our love for others should have these qualities:
- We love others unreservedly. God is no respecter of persons. Nationality, ethnicity, education level, and social standing do not limit or regulate His love. We should not withhold our love for someone based on external appearance, familiarity, or any other reason.
- We love others sacrificially. How much did God’s love for us cost Him? It cost Him the life of His One and only Son. This is the highest price He could have paid; yet God was willing to back up His love with action.
- We love others proactively. God’s love is not an ivory tower kind of love. Rather, He got down in the muck and mire of a sinful world in the person of Jesus Christ. He did not wait for humanity to cry out to Him, but instead He took the initiative to come to us. We also must be the first movers.
Point: Loving God completely leads to loving others compassionately.
Luke 10:29-32
29 But wanting to justify himself, he asked Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?” 30 Jesus took up the question and said: “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho and fell into the hands of robbers. They stripped him, beat him up, and fled, leaving him half dead. 31 A priest happened to be going down that road. When he saw him, he passed by on the other side. 32 In the same way, a Levite, when he arrived at the place and saw him, passed by on the other side.
How can our treatment of church visitors be similar to the actions of the priest and Levite?
Lesson: The spirit behind his second question: “Who is my neighbor?” is one of minimalism.
- The man wanted to know how little he could do with this “love your neighbor” stuff and still be OK. Jesus calls us to love in a much different way.
- Jesus wants to move us from asking, “What’s the least I have to do?” to “What else can I do?”
- Indifference was the easier way—and it still is. Every day, we encounter people who are spiritually injured and bleeding on the proverbial roadside. We can always find an excuse for passing them by.
- It’s none of my business.
- I wouldn’t know what to say.
- I’ve got enough problems of my own.
- Someone else is better equipped.
At the bottom of any excuse we offer is a simple failure to love. This is the dirty truth of indifference—it is not an attitude of neutrality; it is an outright denial of the call to love others as God loves them.
Point: We fail to show love when we fail to take action on behalf of others.
Luke 10:33-37
33 But a Samaritan on his journey came up to him, and when he saw the man, he had compassion. 34 He went over to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on olive oil and wine. Then he put him on his own animal, brought him to an inn, and took care of him. 35 The next day he took out two denarii, gave them to the innkeeper, and said, ‘Take care of him. When I come back I’ll reimburse you for whatever extra you spend.’ 36 “Which of these three do you think proved to be a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of the robbers?” 37 “The one who showed mercy to him,” he said. Then Jesus told him, “Go and do the same.”
What are we in danger of losing when we make an intentional choice to love others?
- Time, resources, and effort
Lesson: The lawyer whose questions led to this story had sought to justify himself by doing as little as possible for his neighbors.
- Be people of awareness. We must make it our business to be people of awareness. We must educate ourselves on the lives and issues facing the individuals we encounter each day. Until we do so, we will always simply be passing on the other side of the road.
- Be people of compassion. The Samaritan in the story wasn’t motivated because a crowd was watching him. He was internally motivated by compassion. We should be asking God to fill us with the same love and compassion that motivated Jesus to be the friend of the friendless.
- Be people of margin. The reason the Samaritan was able to give of his resources is because he had built in some margin. This is a good lesson for us because most of us have zero margins in our lives. We should assume God will bring needs into our path every day that will cost us and arrange our schedules, finances, and other resources to have room to meet those needs.
Point: Acting with love can be costly and inconvenient, but neither is justification for not loving or taking loving action.
Because the good man was a Samaritan, Jesus is drawing a strong contrast between those who knew the law and those who actually followed the law in their lifestyle and conduct.
1. By ending the encounter in this manner, Jesus is telling us to follow the Samaritan’s example in our own conduct; i.e., we are to show compassion and love for those we encounter in our everyday activities.
2. We are to love others (vs. 27) regardless of their race or religion; the reason is need. If they have a need and we have the supply, then we are to give generously and freely, without expectation of return.
What an example of loving others this Samaritan is. Loving others is more than a feeling, a word, a good thought, or even an organized church program. It is seeing an opportunity and being so moved by love that one will go out of his way to take action to bring relief to someone in distress and need. The priest and the Levite saw the injured man, but they did not see an opportunity. Even if they felt sorry for him, apparently it was not enough to move them to action.
The Samaritan had no more reason to stop than the priest or the Levite. All the excuses the other two might have made, he might have made as well. But he didn't. The Bible says that when he saw the man, he pitied him. The nameless Samaritan did something. The others passed on by, but he stopped and helped the man. Love means nothing unless it moves us to action.
Here is the kicker: The two religious men who should have shown compassion—didn’t! And the one who wouldn’t have been expected to—did!
Conclusion: A man was standing at a construction site. A large hole had been dug as part of the excavation. Many workers were in the hole removing dirt when the walls collapsed around them. Rescuers began running from everywhere, but the man stood by and watched the scene with detachment. Suddenly a woman called out from the construction office trailer: “Jim, your brother is in the hole!” Instantly the man stripped off his coat and began digging for dear life. Why? His brother was in mortal danger, and he must get him out.
Who is my neighbor? He is my brother. My brother is anyone in danger, anyone in need, anyone in pain, anyone in trouble. Look! Your brother is sick; your brother is dying; your brother has lost his job; your brother is homeless; your brother is lost; your brother is discouraged? When will you help? Tomorrow may be too late. Today is the day. Now is the time. Why is now the best time to express love? Because you don’t know how long you will have the opportunity. Circumstances change. People die. Children grow up. You have no guarantee of tomorrow. If you want to fulfill Jesus command to love your neighbor as yourself, you had better do it now.
Let’s gear our lives so that we are ready to intentionally take advantage of opportunities God brings our way to express His love to others.
