A Story To Condemn
Luke 10:25-37
March 10, 2019
As you know we are in the middle of Luke 10 and it is a chapter which we have said has one main theme and that is: “The Necessity of Jesus”
We see that in the sending of the 70
• 70 evangelists sent ahead of Jesus to make sure that people don’t miss Him when he comes.
We see that in the response of Jesus to the 70
• The reminder that no one can know the Father unless the Son reveals Him
We see that at the end of the chapter
• Jesus specifically tells Martha that only one thing is necessary
AND WE SEE THAT HERE.
Now, at first that may surprise you
Because we are clearly looking at a familiar parable.
To say the term “Good Samaritan” is not a foreign term.
We even have good Samaritan laws in our legal system.
Our world is familiar with the parable.
Unfortunately most people have no clue why Jesus preached it.
• Most assume it is a story meant to inspire humanitarian aid.
• Most assume it is a story meant to encourage compassion.
• Most assume it is a story meant to shame people into action for the poor.
Let me just go ahead and tell you:
THAT IS NOT THE PURPOSE OF THIS PARABLE.
Every parable Jesus preached was for the purpose of salvation,
And this one is no different.
The parameters of the story make that clear.
We are faced with a man who approaches Jesus and asks this question: “Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?”
This story is part of Jesus’ answer to that man.
It is a story about eternal life (i.e. salvation).
But this story is not so much a “how to be saved” story.
The purpose of the story of the Good Samaritan is to condemn.
The purpose of the story is to render this self-righteous lawyer a violator of God’s perfect Law, and therefore a sinner in need of salvation.
Don’t miss the point.
• It is NOT a warm example of the compassionate human condition that we can all learn from.
It is an unreachable explanation of obedience
Meant to show how far men fall from God’s holy standard.
It is a story to condemn.
It is also another example of Jesus at work in personal evangelism.
This is Jesus witnessing.
• Just like He did with Nicodemus
• Just like He did with the Rich Young Ruler
This is how Jesus preached to the lost in personal evangelism.
There is obviously something to be learned simply from His example.
But at the core, it is not even a story meant for evangelistic training.
IT IS A STORY MEANT TO CONDEMN SINNERS.
Or perhaps I should say it is a story meant TO EXPOSE SINNERS
That that they are condemned.
WHY DO I SAY THAT?
Because here we have a man with the worst spiritual problem known to man.
What is the problem?
THE PROPENSITY TO JUSTIFY YOURSELF.
(29) “But wishing to justify himself, he said to Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?”
• He is a man who seeks to be his own judge and justifier.
• He acts as his own defense attorney.
That is the worst spiritual problem man can have.
It leaves you under a sense of false assurance,
And yet still headed for judgment.
What could be worse than to be headed for eternal judgement and yet to have convinced yourself that you are fine?
It rears its head in places like:
Matthew 7:21-23 “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter. “Many will say to Me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?’ “And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; DEPART FROM ME, YOU WHO PRACTICE LAWLESSNESS.’”
What a terrifying reality.
To be internally convinced that you are fine based upon your own criteria,
Only to have the real Judge tell you otherwise.
And yet, Jesus knew that self-justification
Was a major problem with the nation of Israel.
Luke 16:15 “And He said to them, “You are those who justify yourselves in the sight of men, but God knows your hearts; for that which is highly esteemed among men is detestable in the sight of God.”
Or certainly we are familiar with the Pharisee who went to the temple boasting in his own goodness.
Luke 18:9 “And He also told this parable to some people who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and viewed others with contempt:”
And yet this man, despite his own judgments was not justified.
Luke 18:14 “I tell you, this man went to his house justified rather than the other; for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but he who humbles himself will be exalted.”
John the Baptist exposed the issue:
Matthew 3:7-10 “But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming for baptism, he said to them, “You brood of vipers, who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? “Therefore bear fruit in keeping with repentance; and do not suppose that you can say to yourselves, ‘ We have Abraham for our father’; for I say to you that from these stones God is able to raise up children to Abraham. “The axe is already laid at the root of the trees; therefore every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.”
Those of you who are working through the book of Romans in that Mission Malawi workbook.
This is the entire point of Romans 2.
• It is to take a people who have justified themselves and prove to them that in spite of their own evaluations, they are not acceptable to God.
Romans 2:17-29 “But if you bear the name “Jew” and rely upon the Law and boast in God, and know His will and approve the things that are essential, being instructed out of the Law, and are confident that you yourself are a guide to the blind, a light to those who are in darkness, a corrector of the foolish, a teacher of the immature, having in the Law the embodiment of knowledge and of the truth, you, therefore, who teach another, do you not teach yourself? You who preach that one shall not steal, do you steal? You who say that one should not commit adultery, do you commit adultery? You who abhor idols, do you rob temples? You who boast in the Law, through your breaking the Law, do you dishonor God? For “THE NAME OF GOD IS BLASPHEMED AMONG THE GENTILES BECAUSE OF YOU,” just as it is written. For indeed circumcision is of value if you practice the Law; but if you are a transgressor of the Law, your circumcision has become uncircumcision. So if the uncircumcised man keeps the requirements of the Law, will not his uncircumcision be regarded as circumcision? And he who is physically uncircumcised, if he keeps the Law, will he not judge you who though having the letter of the Law and circumcision are a transgressor of the Law? For he is not a Jew who is one outwardly, nor is circumcision that which is outward in the flesh. But he is a Jew who is one inwardly; and circumcision is that which is of the heart, by the Spirit, not by the letter; and his praise is not from men, but from God.”
Paul was dealing with a people who had convinced themselves that they were justified because they had the Law, and because they had circumcision.
And Paul reminded that those were faulty hopes.
It’s the problem of self-justification.
And rest assured that problem is not just limited to the religious.
If you looked at your bulletin this morning.
All I had to do was type in “good enough” in search engine and it was flooded with books about how you are “good enough” and reminders that you are “good enough”.
I can’t think of a more Satanic deception in our world
Than the deception that you are “good enough”.
Good enough for what?
Heaven?
Just to make sure your theology is in order let me remind you that
None are good enough to go to heaven.
Matthew 19:17 “And He said to him, “Why are you asking Me about what is good? There is only One who is good; but if you wish to enter into life, keep the commandments.”
Romans 3:12 “ALL HAVE TURNED ASIDE, TOGETHER THEY HAVE BECOME USELESS; THERE IS NONE WHO DOES GOOD, THERE IS NOT EVEN ONE.”
Make sure you grasp that. You are not good enough to go to heaven.
If you think you are, then this parable is for you.
We’ll just break it down into 3 points.
#1 A DOCTRINAL TEST
Luke 10:25-28
Now, I will go ahead and tell you that this man has problems,
BUT IT IS NOT the fact that He asked Jesus about eternal life.
Many people take issue with that statement. “Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?”
Many complain that it is a works-based theology
Because he is asking about something he should do.
Well, what else is he supposed to ask?
The first church members asked that:
Acts 2:37 “Now when they heard this, they were pierced to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, “Brethren, what shall we do?”
The Philippians jailor asked that:
Acts 16:30 “and after he brought them out, he said, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?”
The Apostle Paul asked that:
Acts 22:10 “And I said, ‘What shall I do, Lord?’ And the Lord said to me, ‘Get up and go on into Damascus, and there you will be told of all that has been appointed for you to do.’”
That’s the RIGHT QUESTION.
And he asked the RIGHT PERSON.
There’s no problem there.
In fact, we would not be aware of the problem, except Luke, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, is able to SHOW US THIS MAN’S MOTIVES.
That’s where we find THE PROBLEM.
“And a lawyer stood up and put Him to the test”
That gives us the information we need to know here.
• This isn’t a sincere question.
• It is a question meant to stump Jesus or discredit Jesus or embarrass Jesus,
or perhaps even to condemn Jesus as a heretic.
This man is “a lawyer”
Not an attorney in the sense that we think of a lawyer.
This man is an expert on the Law of Moses. He’s a scholar.
And here in the crowd, he stands up and determines to interrogate Jesus,
No doubt to discredit Him before the people.
THAT’S THE PROBLEM.
AND THE REALM OF DISCUSSION IS SALVATION.
This man wants Jesus’ answer on how to go to heaven.
“And a lawyer stood up and put Him to the test, saying, “Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?”
Well here is Jesus in “Personal Evangelism 101”
But His answer may surprise you.
We would expect something like:
• “Believe in Me”
• Or “Deny yourself and take up your cross and follow Me”
• Or “Come to Me all you who are weary and heavy laden”
But Jesus doesn’t do that, and there’s a very good reason.
That message is only for one type of person,
And this man is not that type of person.
THAT MESSAGE IS FOR one who is poor in spirit, and mourning over sin,
And who is hungering for righteousness that they know they don’t have.
The message to that person is believe, trust, run to Jesus.
This man is NOT in that condition.
• This man is not poor in spirit,
• This man is not mourning over sin,
• This man is not hungering for righteousness.
• This man thinks he is already righteous.
Telling him to believe in Jesus is not the right message,
And Jesus doesn’t give it.
What does Jesus preach to this man?
Get this: THE LAW
Now Jesus doesn’t have to preach the Law, because He lets the expert on the Law do it, but that is what Jesus appeals to.
THIS IS IMPORTANT IN EVANGELISM.
You don’t preach mercy to a person who is convinced they are righteous.
Mercy doesn’t interest them.
What do you preach to a person who thinks they are righteous?
You preach the Law.
Why?
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.”
Galatians 3:22 “But the Scripture has shut up everyone under sin, so that the promise by faith in Jesus Christ might be given to those who believe.”
• It is the Law that exposes men.
• It is the Law that condemns men.
• It is the Law that drives men to Jesus.
This man was self-justified, he needs to be exposed;
Jesus runs to the Law.
And He does it in an interesting way:
(26) “And He said to him, “What is written in the Law? How does it read to you?”
That is to say: “You’re asking me how to inherit eternal life, well aren’t you the expert on the Law? What do you think?”
And the man answers:
(27) “And he answered, “YOU SHALL LOVE 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 YOURSELF.”
• The man quotes from Deuteronomy 6 and Leviticus 19.
• It is the same passages preached by Jesus as the 1st and 2nd greatest commandments.
1. So this man asks how to go to heaven.
2. Jesus says, “What do you think?”
3. He said, “Love God with all your heart, and love your neighbor as yourself”
And Jesus said, “Correct!”
(28) “And He said to him, “You have answered correctly; DO THIS AND YOU WILL LIVE.”
And everyone gets a puzzled look on their face.
Wait! What?
At Camp REGEN this past year John MacArthur preached on the Rich Young Ruler where Jesus in essence tells him the same thing.
Jesus told him:
Matthew 19:17 “And He said to him, “Why are you asking Me about what is good? There is only One who is good; but if you wish to enter into life, keep the commandments.”
And MacArthur noted that there’s not a seminary professor in the country
Who wouldn’t fail Jesus for that answer.
It’s the same thing here.
• This man wants to know how to go to heaven.
• Jesus asked him what he thought.
• He said, to keep these 2 commandments.
• And Jesus said, “You have answered correctly; Do this and you will live.”
HOW CAN THAT BE?
Because the Law outlines the very righteous requirement of God.
God says, “You shall be holy, as I am holy”
And then God gives the Law to spell out what that would look like.
And if a person fully obeys that Law, then yes, they will inherit eternal life.
John 5:28-29 “Do not marvel at this; for an hour is coming, in which all who are in the tombs will hear His voice, and will come forth; those who did the good deeds to a resurrection of life, those who committed the evil deeds to a resurrection of judgment.”
Romans 2:6-11 “[God] WILL RENDER TO EACH PERSON ACCORDING TO HIS DEEDS: to those who by perseverance in doing good seek for glory and honor and immortality, eternal life; but to those who are selfishly ambitious and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, wrath and indignation. There will be tribulation and distress for every soul of man who does evil, of the Jew first and also of the Greek, but glory and honor and peace to everyone who does good, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. For there is no partiality with God.”
• Righteousness is required to inherit heaven.
• God’s Law reveals what that righteousness looks like.
• If you perfectly keep God’s Law you inherit heaven.
And, we are taught in the New Testament that
If you want to fulfill the whole Law,
You can sum it up in two commands.
Matthew 7:12 “In everything, therefore, treat people the same way you want them to treat you, for this is the Law and the Prophets.”
Matthew 22:36-40 “Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?” And He said to him, ” ‘YOU SHALL LOVE THE LORD YOUR GOD WITH ALL YOUR HEART, AND WITH ALL YOUR SOUL, AND WITH ALL YOUR MIND.’ “This is the great and foremost commandment. “The second is like it, ‘YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF.’ “On these two commandments depend the whole Law and the Prophets.”
Paul later would write:
Romans 13:8-10 “Owe nothing to anyone except to love one another; for he who loves his neighbor has fulfilled the law. For this, “YOU SHALL NOT COMMIT ADULTERY, YOU SHALL NOT MURDER, YOU SHALL NOT STEAL, YOU SHALL NOT COVET,” and if there is any other commandment, it is summed up in this saying, “YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF.” Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfillment of the law.”
SO YES, if you are able to love God with all your heart,
And to love your neighbor as yourself, you will inherit eternal life.
That’s all you have to do.
But the problem is that people don’t do that.
And Jesus is about TO PROVE IT to this man.
A Doctrinal Test
#2 AN ELEVATED STANDARD
Luke 10:29-35
Clearly you see the problem.
(29) “But wishing to justify himself, he said to Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?”
Now let me tell you why he said this.
He was part of a Jewish system that was able to justify themselves
Because of their convenient reading of the Law.
Let me give you an EXAMPLE:
Matthew 5:43-44 “You have heard that it was said, ‘YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR and hate your enemy.’ “But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you,”
Where did the Jews get that type of theology?
From:
Psalms 139:21-22 “Do I not hate those who hate You, O LORD? And do I not loathe those who rise up against You? I hate them with the utmost hatred; They have become my enemies.”
And so they would convenient take that passage and say,
• “Well clearly not everyone is my neighbor. Some people are my enemies,
• And so I am not expected to love my enemies, only my neighbor.”
Of course Jesus crushed that thinking in the Sermon on the Mount
That even your enemies are considered your neighbor.
BUT THAT IS WHY THIS MAN ASKS THE QUESTION.
He wants to check off the list
That he has loved everyone he is supposed to love.
He is self-righteous,
• Obviously convinced he loves God enough since he doesn’t even bring that up.
• And he just wants to know who his neighbor is so that he can prove to everyone that he is in fact good enough.
And to that undiscerning, self-righteous man Jesus gave this parable.
(READ Luke 10:30-35)
Well you know it, it’s not unfamiliar.
I would WARN YOU that people often try to allegorize it and turn everything into some sort of symbol.
You know:
The man is Adam, the robbers are sin, The priest is the Law, the Levite is the prophets, the Samaritan is Jesus, the donkey is His body, the oil and wine is the Holy Spirit, the inn keeper is the church, and the return is the second coming.
Don’t do that. That has nothing to do with the purpose for which Jesus preached this parable.
Jesus is preaching this parable to condemn this man.
Because here you have two people
Who had knowledge and religious activity,
But who did not love their neighbor as themselves.
• Perhaps they wanted to avoid being unclean
• Perhaps they wanted to avoid being late
• Perhaps they wanted to avoid danger
We aren’t told, and it doesn’t matter.
THE POINT IS that these men, although very religious,
Did not obey the simple command to love their neighbor as their self.
However, a Samaritan did.
• A Samaritan would have been considered an enemy.
• A Samaritan would have had no interest in aiding an injured Jewish man.
• It was not too long ago we saw Samaritans not letting Jesus lodge in their city.
But in Jesus’ story this Samaritan does the unthinkable.
(33-35) “But a Samaritan, who was on a journey, came upon him; and when he saw him, he felt compassion, and came to him and bandaged up his wounds, pouring oil and wine on them; and he put him on his own beast, and brought him to an inn and took care of him. “On the next day he took out two denarii and gave them to the innkeeper and said, ‘Take care of him; and whatever more you spend, when I return I will repay you.’”
And incidentally, the whole point is to show you that
THIS MAN DID WHAT NO ONE DOES.
• COMPASSION “he felt compassion for him”
• ACTION “and came to him”
• EFFORT “and bandaged up his wounds”
• COST “pouring oil and wine in them”
• INCONVENIENCE “put him on his own donkey”
• ENDURANCE “brought him to an inn and took care of him”
• RESPONSIBILITY “whatever more you spend…I will repay you”
With complete disregard for his own safety or plans,
This man uprooted his life to take care of an enemy
That even his own countrymen wouldn’t care for.
This is ONE example of ONE time when a person
Loved someone else like they would love themselves.
• Notice those with the Scriptural knowledge didn’t do it.
• Notice those with the religious training didn’t do it.
• It was an act of love fulfilled by a pagan.
Now, Jesus chose a pagan on purpose.
He did so to elevate the importance of obedience over knowledge.
Again, those of you working the Romans devotion.
Do you remember Romans 2?
Romans 2:12-16 “For all who have sinned without the Law will also perish without the Law, and all who have sinned under the Law will be judged by the Law; for it is not the hearers of the Law who are just before God, but the doers of the Law will be justified. For when Gentiles who do not have the Law do instinctively the things of the Law, these, not having the Law, are a law to themselves, in that they show the work of the Law written in their hearts, their conscience bearing witness and their thoughts alternately accusing or else defending them, on the day when, according to my gospel, God will judge the secrets of men through Christ Jesus.”
Paul was quick to point out that
“It’s not the hearers who are just…but the doers”
See it’s not people who know the right answer who go to heaven.
It’s the people who do what God commands.
So just because this lawyer knew the right answer,
That did not justify him.
He had to obey the command.
Which is why Jesus told him, “Do this, and you will live”
But when the man pushed Jesus,
• He gave an example of two men with knowledge who did not obey, and a man without knowledge who did.
And it elevates our understanding of
What it means to love our neighbor as ourselves.
Doctrinal Test, Elevated Standard
#3 A CONDEMNING COMMAND
Luke 10:36-37
You notice Jesus stops short of the full explanation.
Instead he turns back to the lawyer.
(36) “Which of these three do you think proved to be a neighbor to the man who fell into the robber’s hands?”
• Jesus is forcing this man to give an answer he does not want to give.
• Jesus is forcing this man to say whether knowing the command was the same as obeying it.
Earlier it was this lawyer who said that to go to heaven all he had to do
Was love God and love his neighbor.
Jesus gave a story and asked, “Who in this story did that?”
It wasn’t the one with Bible knowledge
And it wasn’t the one with the ministry position.
It was that detestable Samaritan.
(37) “And he said, “The one who showed mercy toward him.”
TRUST ME, THIS LAWYER JUST GOT THE POINT
“It is not the hearers of the Law who are just before God, but the doers of the Law will be justified.”
MAKE SURE YOU GET THE POINT:
• The Law presents an impossible standard.
• No one can fully obey it all the time.
And yet, notice the command.
“Go and do the same.”
Now all that is, is an explanation of the command Jesus gave him earlier.
(28) “And He said to him, “You have answered correctly; do this and you will live.”
What is Jesus saying?
If you will do for everyone you meet, every time you meet them, just like this Samaritan did, then you will inherit eternal life.
And that’s the truth.
That’s an example of what it means to “love your neighbor as yourself”.
And if you do that every time then you also can go to heaven.
Now, does that truth make anyone in here feel better about their chances to go to heaven?
If it does, you’re lying to yourself.
I don’t have time to go through all the times
I had the opportunity to do this and did not.
If what this Samaritan did for this man on this day
Is the standard for what I must do every time to inherit heaven,
Then I have already lost it.
• I can identify with the Levite; I have the Spiritual Pedigree…
• I can identify with the Priest; I have a religious job…
• I can identify with this Lawyer; I have Bible knowledge…
But as we see in this story,
None of those are good enough to earn you a place into heaven.
• It’s not the hearers of the Law…
• It’s not the quoters of the Law…
• It’s not the experts of the Law…
• IT’S THE DOERS OF THE LAW
This story doesn’t encourage me
This story doesn’t inspire me
This story condemns me
And if you measure your life by it, it condemns you too.
AND THAT IS WHAT IT IS SUPPOSED TO DO.
WHY?
Because, as we said, at the beginning.
• When you have a man who comes poor in spirit; that is he already knows he is not righteous…
• When you have a man who comes mourning over sin…
• When you have a man who comes hungering for righteousness he does not have…
Then yes, at that moment you simply tell them to believe in Christ.
It is Christ who did perfectly love God.
It is Christ who did perfectly love His neighbor.
It is Christ who perfectly fulfilled the Law in every way.
And when we believe in Christ,
The Bible says that His righteousness is credited to us.
Remember?
Matthew 5:17 “Do not think that I came to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I did not come to abolish but to fulfill.”
Jesus came to accomplish what we could not,
And He accomplished it on our behalf.
When a man is already convinced of his sin,
We just point them to Christ for the salvation and righteousness
That he so greatly desires.
But for a man like this:
• A man who already thinks he is righteous…
• A man who justifies himself…
• A man who sees no need for a change…
We don’t tell that man to take up his cross and follow Jesus.
He won’t see the need.
• For that man we use the Law.
• For that man we uphold the high standard of righteousness that God set
forth in His word.
The goal simply is to condemn that man in his own heart.
We seek to get him lost, that we might get him saved.
And if this man had really listened to what Jesus said,
He would have changed his motive and asked the same question again.
He should have looked at Jesus and said, but it’s too late, I’ve already blown it, “Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?”
And to that you know the answer.
Jesus would have told him to believe.
DO YOU SEE THAT THIS STORY IS ABOUT THE NECESSITY OF JESUS?
• Can you honestly make a claim to having fulfilled the Law?
• Can you honestly say you love your neighbor as yourself?
Well then, Jesus is necessary.
And whatever it costs to follow Jesus;
Well that’s a cost you should gladly pay.
We need Him so badly! He is so necessary!
We will never inherit heaven without Him.
