The Expert and the Neighbour • Luke 10:25-37

1:14:38 Teaching begins

Notes

Today we see an expert take down a guy who thinks he’s hot stuff.

An expert in the law of Moses is sure that Jesus Christ is a fake, a sham, a hypocrite. He’s going to debunk Jesus once and for all, prove that He doesn’t measure up to the standard.

He finds out that Jesus is more than an expert. He is a real neighbour.

I’m reading in Luke 10 from verse 25.

1. A belligerent expert tries to debunk Jesus.

A. He’s a lawyer, which means he is combination of religious teacher and civil magistrate. He’s an expert in the Law of Moses, interpreting, teaching, and applying it to the situations of everyday life.

B. I call him “belligerent” because he’s out to get Jesus.

1. The phrase “stood up” has the sense of prepare for attack.

2. Putting to the test means, does Jesus measure up to his expectations? Does Jesus satisfy him with his performance and knowledge of the Law of Moses?

3.“They call Him Rabbi? Great One? He does miracles? What kind of garbage is going on? Some people will believe anything. He has no connection to our education that I know of. What kind of self-appointed poobah does He think He is?”

4. This expert in Moses is pretty sure that Jesus won’t measure up. He’s putting Jesus to the test expecting Him to flunk.

C. So this lawyer doesn’t mess around with preliminary chit-chat. His first question is like Novak Djokovic serving at Wimbledon, 125 miles an hour, he’s going to part Jesus’ hair: “What shall I do to inherit eternal life?” 613 laws. Take Your best shot. What do You got?

2. Jesus doesn’t return the shot. He lobs it back.

A. Jesus isn’t tense, He’s not defensive, He’s not offensive.

B. He defers to the expert. “What is written in the law? How does it read to you?” Wow, interesting question. What do you think?

C. The expert knows the answer to his own question: Deuteronomy 6:5 and Leviticus 19:18.

D. Jesus says, “You have answered correctly. Do this and you will live.” That’s quoting Leviticus 18:5. See, knowing something is not the same as doing that thing. You’re judged by your actions, your thoughts, what you have done.

3. The expert wants to justify himself.

A. His mindset is that doing the law is the means where you prove yourself qualified, fit, to inherit eternal life.

B. That’s a natural understanding.

1. He has already worked hard to fulfill the requirements to be a lawyer. He has read, studied, memorized. He has learned the opinions and discussions of teachers throughout history. He fulfilled the requirements and is a duly constituted official, an expert in the law of Moses.

2. This is what you do with God. I learn what He requires, I fulfill the requirements, God is obligated to give me what is earned as a just claim. It would be unjust of God to refuse me when I meet His requirements for eternal life.

C. So now the lawyer asks Jesus to define “who is my neighbour?” Give me the rules clearly and exactly. How close does he have to be? How far away can he be and then he’s none of my business? It’s like tennis lines: what’s in bounds and I have to play that ball, or out of bounds and I don’t have to worry about it?

D. Then you can know if you have done what was required and know you have a just claim on eternal life. Just like you qualify to be an expert in the law of Moses, you meet the requirements, you’re qualified.

4. Jesus tells a story and asks for a conclusion: what do you think?

A. This man is going down from Jerusalem to Jericho. Robbers jump him, strip him of everything, beat him up, leave him for dead.

B. Two men come, and neither one helps the man.

1. A priest comes down the road in the same direction. He moves to the other side of the road and keeps going.

2. A Levite comes down the road, moves to the other side, keeps on going.

3. Both these men are consecrated to serve and worship God. But they don’t help this guy who’s in trouble. You could wonder what they’re thinking, but it doesn’t matter. Any excuse will do if you don’t want to do something. These guys don’t want to help the man in trouble.

C. A third guy comes and helps the man.

1. He’s a Samaritan, the wrong guy to be the hero of this story because he’s all wrong. He’s only half-Jewish, he is wrong in his beliefs, he’s wrong about what constitutes Scripture. He’s wrong.

2. However, this guy has compassion on the half-dead man. The word means it impacts you in the guts. It goes right to his heart, and he says, “Oh no! You poor guy!”

3. He is sympathetic to the point where he immediately stops what he’s doing and cares for the man. He pours on wine and olive oil to prevent infection, because there are no antibiotics and he could die if his wounds are not cleaned right away. So he bandages him, saves his life right there.

4. But he also takes responsibility for the man. Puts him on his own animal, walks him to an inn, spends the night taking care of him. He has to get going in the morning and get back to his business. But he pays for two more days for the man to recover. If he is any more trouble to you, I’ll cover that the next time I come through. And the innkeeper knows this guy will do what he says. There’s no protest, like, “What if I never see you again?” It’s, “Okay, sure thing.”

5. This has cost the Samaritan time, money, trouble. It’s taken him out of his way. Why does he do it? Well, what if he were lying half-dead in the road? What would he like someone to do? It makes perfect sense.

D. So Jesus asks, “Which of the three was a neighbour to the man who fell into the robbers’ hands?”

E. The lawyer sees the answer clear as day: “The one who showed mercy to him.” He gets what Jesus is saying.

5. Jesus says, go and do the same. But this is not so easy.

A. Jesus defined “neighbour” by the attitude of your heart. It’s not how near you are, there are no physical boundaries. It’s not how much you know. It’s how much you care about others, even perfect strangers.

B. Go and do are commands. Do this and you will live. And if you don’t care, you don’t qualify for eternal life.

C. The guy that was going to debunk Jesus and prove that He is a fake is real quiet now.

1. Does he identify with the priest? With the Levite? Those religious professionals that pass by on the other side and make a lame excuse? Or does he identify with the Samaritan?

2. He knows a lot. But does he care for others like that?

D. The lawyer is real quiet because he knows he doesn’t qualify.

6. So what?

A. Our problem is not that we don’t know. We know, but we don’t do. What we don’t do is just as bad as what we do do. No one fulfills the requirements to inherit eternal life.

B. We do fulfill the requirements for eternal punishment. There is none righteous, no, not one. Romans 3:19-20 Now we know that whatever the Law says, it speaks to those who are under the Law, so that every mouth may be closed and all the world may become accountable to God; because by the works of the Law no flesh will be justified in His sight; for through the Law comes the knowledge of sin.

C. But if you know that you fail the requirements for eternal life, what do you do? The answer is that you need someone who is qualified to save you.

D. Jesus is the only one who is qualified, because only He has fulfilled every requirement of God, and is perfect in God’s sight.

1. He fulfilled all righteousness, literally. Any and all commandments of God were fulfilled by Jesus. He went around like that Samaritan, finding people half-dead in the road, it hit Him in the gut, and with compassion He healed them.

2. He fulfilled the curse of the law. Non-performance means death. He died for non-performers.

3. Having risen from the dead He has become the source of everlasting salvation. He qualifies those who depend on Him to inherit eternal life.

E. In particular Jesus gives a new heart of compassion. You are enabled to feel for others in your guts. But then you want to do something about it, too.

F. 1 John 3:16-22 We know love by this, that He laid down His life for us; and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren. But whoever has the world’s goods, and sees his brother in need and closes his heart against him, how does the love of God abide in him? Little children, let us not love with word or with tongue, but in deed and truth. We will know by this that we are of the truth, and will assure our heart before Him in whatever our heart condemns us; for God is greater than our heart and knows all things. Beloved, if our heart does not condemn us, we have confidence before God; and whatever we ask we receive from Him, because we keep His commandments and do the things that are pleasing in His sight.

G. Jesus is our neighbour. You’re a neighbour. Right?

H. Everyone is kind of quiet. If you don’t think you’re much of a neighbour, you can pray for Jesus to work in you.

Let’s pray.