Rev. David Holwick B
First Baptist Church [Very similar to May 24, 1992, sermon]
Ledgewood, New Jersey
January 12, 2003
Luke 10:25-37
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I. Lakeland's law code.
Most of you remember the Seinfeld show, which finished in 1998 but
has gone into syndication heaven.
In its final episode, Jerry, George, Elaine, and Kramer are stuck
in Lakeland, Massachusetts.
Killing time wandering around on the sidewalks in this quaint New
England town, they become witnesses of a car jacking.
Being New Yorkers and the kind of people they are, they make fun of
the guy who is being robbed.
Kramer, who has a camcorder in his hands, films the incident as a
curiosity.
They never lift a hand, never shout out; they are 10 yards away,
and couldn't care less.
They just stand there and casually watch!
The robber speeds off with the car and the police arrive on the
scene.
With the excitement over, and the poor victim standing dazed in
the street, Jerry turns to his friends and suggest they go get
something to eat.
They turn to walk off when the officer stops them and says,
"Hold it right there."
Jerry: Wha'?
Officer: You're under arrest.
Jerry: Under arrest? What for?
Officer: Article 223 dash 7 of the Lakeland county penal code.
Elaine: What, we didn't do anything.
Officer: That's exactly right. The law requires you to help or
assist anyone in danger as long as it's reasonable to do so.
George: I never heard of that.
Officer: It's new, it's called the Good Samaritan Law. Let's go.
#19527
A. I don't know if Ledgewood has such a law code.
1) Most "Good Sam" laws protect you if you help and mess up.
2) It's a little different to be REQUIRED to help.
B. Are you guilty of breaking such a law?
1) Get specific - what have you done for someone in the past
year, someone you're not related to?
II. The forest or the trees.
A. This parable has been allegorical spaghetti up to modern times.
1) Origen's (AD 184-254) four interpretive points:
a) Literal meaning of text.
b) Moral.
c) Spiritual.
d) Allegorical.
2) His allegorical interpretation of the Good Samaritan:
a) The man going to Jericho = Adam.
b) Jerusalem = Paradise.
c) Jericho = the world.
d) Man's wounds = disobedience or sins.
e) Priest = the Old Testament law.
f) Levite = the Old Testament prophets.
g) Good Samaritan = Christ.
h) Donkey = the body of Christ.
i) Inn = the Church.
j) Two denarii = knowledge of the Father and the Son.
k) Return of the Good Samaritan = second coming of Jesus.
3) This style of interpretation was popular until 1900's.
a) Some add that oil = anointing with the Holy Spirit.
b) The wine = the blood of Christ's death.
B. Not christological, but an example parable.
1) Allegory is only limited by interpreter's imagination.
2) In an example parable, the one key point is what is
important.
3) This parable is supposed to teach us how to live.
III. Question by Jewish lawyer: "What is required for salvation?"
A. Great question, lousy motives.
1) In reality, he is trying to trip up Jesus. 10:25
2) He was a religious lawyer and people like Jesus threatened
his earnings.
B. Jesus turns his question around.
1) What does Old Testament say?
a) Love God, love neighbor. Deut 6:5-6
b) Important theme in Jesus' teaching, repeated 10x.
2) Jesus: "Correct. Go and do it."
C. Clarification: Just who is my neighbor?
1) Typical lawyer response.
a) Our problem is with people.
b) (Love of God is a given - or is it?)
2) His real question: What are the limits to my love?
a) Jews discussed who qualifies as a neighbor.
b) Other Jews are usually considered neighbors.
c) Gentiles and evil people usually are not.
IV. Jesus' parable addresses question of who is a neighbor.
A. Details of parable.
1) Common story with a twist.
a) Usually, cold religious leaders are showed up by a
layman.
1> (Just like you enjoy jokes at the expense of a
pastor, so did they.)
b) Twist - a Samaritan is the hero.
2) Samaritans were not like the "Good Sam" club.
a) They were despised, not admired.
b) Originated as remnants of "10 Lost Tribes" in North.
c) Intermarried with pagans, religion became corrupted.
d) Ezra wouldn't let them build temple. Ezra 4:1-3
e) Jews avoided their territory. John 4
B. Punchline - Who was a neighbor to the man in need?
1) Note that original question is not answered.
2) Jesus comes up with a better question.
V. Who is worthy of your love?
A. Most of us still ask, "Who's my neighbor?"
1) We tend to find people who don't fit the category.
a) Different races.
b) Different economic classes.
c) Different religions.
2) Even without hatred, we stick to our own, put up walls.
a) The world is full of limits on love.
B. Jesus begins with ourselves.
1) Am I a neighbor to someone who needs me?
Jeff Kramer was sent by his newspaper to report on the
reaction of people in Los Angeles to Rodney King trial.
At the intersection of 53rd and Normandie, gang members
surrounded his car and shattered the windshield.
One ordered him to get out of the car.
When he didn't, they beat him and shot him three times.
For several minutes he played dead, slumped over the
steering wheel.
Then he managed to put the car in gear and made a U-turn.
A final gunshot from behind caught him in the back.
Kramer turned down a side street and asked some small
children for help.
Marie Edwards tried to call an ambulance while her son
held a bandage on the wounds.
After 40 minutes they were still there.
No ambulance. No police.
Gang members were slowly cruising down the street, staring
at the smashed car.
Rather than running away, these neighbors cranked down
Kramer's seat so he wouldn't be noticed and covered him
with a blanket.
Finally another neighbor brought her car over and they
drove until they found help.
In most of the cases where television cameras showed
innocent people being victimized, a common person
came to their aid.
Often it was at great personal risk.
Would you have done the same? #2128
2) Jesus goes against the attitudes of the world.
a) Most religions call for love, but emphasize love
for fellow believers.
b) Jesus goes beyond this - we are to LOVE EVERYONE.
1> One of clearest indications Christianity is unique.
2> Also an indication that few Christians really follow
Jesus.
Roy Lloyd, a Lutheran minister, once interviewed Mother
Teresa.
He said that one of his questions and her answer stands
out as "a bright sun burning in my mind."
He had asked her, "What's the biggest problem in the world
today?"
And she had answered, without hesitation, "The biggest
problem in the world today is that we draw the circle
of our family too small.
We need to draw it larger every day." #22060
C. The real question is, "To whom can I be a neighbor?"
1) Our neighbor is someone with needs, not someone who offers
us something.
2) Crosses racial boundaries, religions and nations.
VI. Being "neighborly" doesn't require heroics.
A. Usually it is the little acts of kindness that make the
difference.
1) What are you doing to break out of your tight little circle?
2) What is our church doing? (Deacons' fund, Haiti trip)
B. Genuine faith makes an impact on other people's lives.
1) No opportunities to help others?
2) Then you are ignoring them. Opportunities are there.
C. You can't love God if you don't love people.
1 John - you can't love God, whom you haven't seen, if you
don't love those you do see.
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SOURCES FOR ILLUSTRATION USED IN THIS SERMON:
# 2128 "Delivered By Angels," by Jeff Kramer, People Magazine, May 25,
1992, p. 55.
#19527 "Seinfeld's Last Episode," by Rev. Brett Blair, Blair's Illustr-
ations by Email, www.sermonillustrations.com, July 15, 2001.
#22060 "We Draw The Circle Too Small," by Rev. Brett Blair, Blair's
Illustrations by Email, www.sermonillustrations.com,
January 13, 2002.
These and 23,000 others are part of a database that can be downloaded,
absolutely free, at http://www.holwick.com/database.html
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