A Tiny Box of Neighbors —Luke 10:25-37
Key Scripture
Luke 10: 25- 37 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?”
Parable of the Good Samaritan
30 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.
31 “By chance a priest came along. But when he saw the man lying there, he crossed to the other side of the road and passed him by. 32A Temple assistant walked over and looked at him lying there, but he also passed by on the other side.
33 “Then a despised Samaritan came along, and when he saw the man, he felt compassion for him. 34 Going over to him, the Samaritan 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. 35 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.’
36 “Now which of these three would you say was a neighbor to the man who was attacked by bandits?” Jesus asked.
37The man replied, “The one who showed him mercy.”
Then Jesus said, “Yes, now go and do the same.”
To prove His point Jesus chose someone that no one would ever have put in their box of neighbors.
The point of the story is that the box isn’t big enough.
This is IMPOSSIBLE
‘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.’”...“Do this and you will live!”
Every single thing God asks us to do, He promises to do with us.
Our biggest challenge is to get ourselves out of the way.
The Problem with Justification/Shrinking
Luke 10:29 The man wanted to justify his actions, so he asked Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?”
You’re not enough…but He is.
2 Corinthians 12:9b… “My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness.”...
Romans 8:26a…the Holy Spirit helps us in our weakness…
Isaiah 40:29 He gives power to the weak and strength to the powerless.
You’re not enough but He is and He’s promised to journey this with you.
Current Events -
Regardless of who I agree or disagree with, my loyalty to Jesus means I can't say “you are not my neighbor”.
2 Corinthians 10:5b…we take captive every [OPINION] to make it obedient to Christ.
This parable along with countless other teachings in the Bible make sure we know that infinitely higher and of greater consequence is the eternal Kingdom of Heaven.
Colossians 1:15 Christ is the visible image of the invisible God. He existed before anything was created and is supreme over all creation, 16 for through him God created everything in the heavenly realms and on earth. He made the things we can see and the things we can’t see—such as thrones, kingdoms, rulers, and authorities in the unseen world.
Jesus is above it all.
John 8:31 Jesus said to the people who believed in him, “You are truly my disciples if you remain faithful to my teachings.”
2 Peter 3:9 The Lord is…not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.
All of us are made in the image of God
Everyone is someone that God is inviting to come to Him
Jesus died for all
And the gospel needs to be preached to everyone in every nation
My tiny box doesn’t reflect the heart of God.
Luke 10:36 “Now which of these three would you say was a neighbor to the man who was attacked by bandits?” Jesus asked. 37 The man replied, “The one who showed him mercy.” Then Jesus said, “Yes, now go and do the same.”
When everyone else is choosing sides and you pick love, it’s not the easy option.
But it’s the call for everyone who declares Jesus is Lord.