"My Brother's Keeper"

My Brother’s Keeper

Scripture Luke 10:25-37 (NLT)

One of the most familiar and well-loved stories in the Bible is that of the Good Samaritan.

However, we must ask ourselves whether we leave it in the past, thinking of it as merely a good story, or look at it from a modern-day perspective. We certainly live in days when the spirit of the Good Samaritan is needed, and the place it should be evident is in the lives of Christians.

Before we examine the story of the Good Samaritan, we must understand the context.

Luke 10:25-29 (NLT)
One day an expert in religious law stood up to test Jesus by asking him this question: “Teacher, what should I do to inherit eternal life?” 26  Jesus replied, “What does the law of Moses say? How do you read it?” 27  The man answered, “‘You must love the LORD your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your strength, and all your mind.’ And, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’” 28  “Right!” Jesus told him. “Do this and you will live!”

29  The man wanted to justify his actions, so he asked Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?”

In this passage, Jesus is not discussing how to be saved, but is helping the lawyer see a problem in his heart. He thought that being good and keeping the law was the most essential issue, but using a simple story, Jesus shows him that it’s a matter of the heart. It’s who you really are deep down inside. And he got to the point to where he said who is my neighbor?

This how Jesus answered the question

The Traveler

Luke 10:30 (NLT)

Jesus replied with a story: “A Jewish man was traveling from Jerusalem down to Jericho, and he was attacked by bandits. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him up, and left him half dead beside the road. The road from Jerusalem to Jericho was 17 miles of rugged and dangerous territory. The altitude decreased 3,000 feet, and there were many caves and rocky places for thieves to hide.

Travelers were continually in danger, which explains why this Jewish man was attacked. Now that was not an uncommon thing in those days because that strip of road was very unsafe.

 Like some of the cities and neighborhoods

 High crime rate, shootings, poverty, homelessness

The Religious Passers-By

On the same day, two other men were also going down this road. The first one was a priest who served in the temple, offering sacrifices to the Lord. When he saw the man lying in the road, he passed by on the other side. Now here is a person who was offering sacrifices and being very religious in the synagogues. But when he saw this man, half dead, stripped and naked, he just looked and kept going.

The next man was a Levite whose responsibility it was to take care of the temple. He too saw the dying man but passed by on the other side. Now, if I was the lawyer that asked this question, I would be getting real uneasy where Jesus was headed.

Because here are two religious leaders, people who serve the Lord every day. Both of them should have went over to check on the man to see how they could help, but they just kept going.

 Those that are spiritually dying due to life’s circumstances

 Church leaders or Christians that are focused self- preservation instead of life restoration What does it mean to have a genuinely real and intimate relationship with others?

 Relationship vs. Religion is a true statement

 Relationship has been God’s plan since the beginning of time. Look back at Abraham

James 2:23 (NIV)

“And the scripture was fulfilled that says, ‘Abraham believed God and it was credited to him as righteousness,’ and he was called God’s friend.”

Although they were both religious men, they didn’t stop to help. Since the man on the road is described as being half dead, they may have thought he’d already died and didn’t want to defile themselves by touching a dead body. So they just looked, went around him, and kept going.

The Samaritan

The next person to come down the road was a Samaritan who was on a journey (he had some place to be). The Jews and Samaritans wanted nothing to do with each other, yet when he saw the injured Jewish man, “he felt compassion for him” (v. 33). He “soothed his wounds with olive oil and wine and bandaged them. Then he put the man on his own donkey and took him to an inn, where he took care of him.” (v. 34).

 Remember all three men looked

 Two looked and kept going, one man stopped; he felt compassion

This was amazing kindness, yet the Samaritan man did even more.

Luke 10:35 (NLT)

The next day he handed the innkeeper two silver coins, telling him, ‘Take care of this man. If his bill runs higher than this, I’ll pay you the next time I’m here.’

At the end of the story, Jesus asked the lawyer which of the three proved to be a neighbor or brother to the man who’d been robbed. The lawyer had to admit that it was the Samaritan because he’d shown mercy. Jesus’ command to the lawyer is one we should take to heart today, “Yes, now go and do the same” (v. 37).

Our country has no shortage of needy people, but are we as God’s people willing to help? The Christian life is not something we merely do on Sundays by going to church. Our Christianity should be on display in our daily lives. Therefore, we must ask ourselves if we are merciful and compassionate to those in need.

Now, I want us to look at this Good Samaritan and I’m going to share with you 5 ways to be your Brothers Keeper. And I want us all to ask ourselves the question of would that fit me? Is that what I would do? What am I really like as a Christian every day? Not just on Sunday, but every day.

Think about what the Good Samaritan really did. He was a Samaritan. The man was a Jew. They hated each other. He could have very easily let him die and it would have been acceptable. But Jesus chose the Samaritan and the Jew to get his point across.

The Characteristics of the Good Samaritan As we study the characteristics of the Good Samaritan, let’s ask ourselves if these qualities are true of us as well.

He opened his eyes – Although all three men physically saw the critically wounded man, only the Samaritan looked and stopped to help. Before we can meet needs, we must be aware of them.

 He looked and saw this man in dire need of help; he acknowledged him

 He didn’t look to see if he was a fellow Samaritan

 He just saw someone that was in great need; not worrying about himself he stopped; dangerous road

 But he not only opened his eyes, but he saw something; he saw another person that could have been him.

He opened his heart – The difference between the priest and Levite’s gaze and the Samaritan’s action was compassion. The Samaritan saw the helplessness and suffering of the dying man, and his heart went out to him. Even though he knew that pausing on this dangerous road could result in being attacked and robbed himself, his compassion overruled his caution. Instead of being preoccupied with his own safety, he focused on the suffering of another

 His heart was beating faster, his heart was pumping blood, but his spirit was pumping compassion.

 His spirit knew no prejudice; his spirit was Godly

He opened his hands – The Samaritan didn’t just feel sorry for this poor man, he relieved his suffering by pouring oil and wine on his wounds and bandaging them.

But if he had merely treated the wounds and left him on the road, it wouldn’t have been much help. The Samaritan didn’t leave him behind, but lifted him onto his donkey, brought him to the nearest inn, and took care of him.

 He stopped the bleeding/pain physically

 He didn’t say well I’m sorry for you and left

 He did the very best he could, but wasn’t going to leave the man to die. He is the Good Samaritan

He opened his purse – Since the Samaritan was on a journey, he needed to continue traveling even though the injured man needed time to recover. Instead of simply dropping him off and leaving, the Samaritan paid the innkeeper to look after him. Then he promised to return and repay him for whatever more he had to spend for this man’s care.

 He invested in this man; gave 2 denarii (3 weeks)

 He followed up on his care; he shared his resources

 What we have, we have to remember where it comes from; the Source

 Everything comes from God; not us

 He is the source of every good and precious gift, source of our salvation, source of our good health

 We are so blessed and it’s easy to forget about those who need a blessing

 Don’t ever forget where you came from (give example)

 The Samaritan had the right attitude. He opened his eyes, his heart, his hands and his possessions

He opened his schedule – The Samaritan was willing to have his trip interrupted in order to offer aid to a needy, helpless man. He put his journey on hold for a while in order to do that which was more important—show compassion and care to someone in need

There was a need… He saw the need and the felt the need. It is one thing to see it, but can we feel the need. Can I feel it deep enough to forget what’s mine and my agenda. He felt something that would not let his brother stay in a state of helplessness and hopelessness

What we see in the Good Samaritan is a genuine Christlike relationship. We are living in a time where those relationships do not prevail. I wonder when I read this passage how many people we pass every day who are in need. Some won’t tell us when they are in need.

But sometimes that person is trying to get our attention on a deeper level than we hear at first. The reason they keep telling us is because they want to feel that they have been heard. When you feel it, you’ll do something to help. That is the beginning of healing for a lot of people, when they feel you feel what they are going through. A Good Samaritan has feelings. Listen carefully, when your heart can’t break you are in trouble. As we allow the love of Jesus to flow through our hearts, we will understand more and more what it means to be your Brothers Keeper.

So I ask you to think in your own heart

 Would you fall into the category of my Brothers Keeper?

 Could it be said of you that you feel? That you understand?

 And knowing, feeling and understanding, you have helping hands, open eyes and a heart that really and truly goes out.