Luke 10:25-37

Luke 10:25-37

Faith That Works

I. True saving faith is faith that truly desires to serve God and others; but we must understand that our works won’t earn our salvation (Vv. 25-28)

a. As a lawyer, or Scribe, this man was a studied expert in the Jewish law, who understood and interpreted it for the people. He would have been devout and rigorous in adherence to the law, and would have naturally assumed that as part of God’s chosen people, he was already saved. So, he didn’t ask Jesus how one was saved because he wanted to know, he asked because he wanted to see if Jesus knew, all with the goal of the discussion showing everyone listening how smart and righteous he was. But Jesus directed the Scribe to God’s Word as the conclusive authority for how we come to know true life and practice it. The Scribe gave Jesus the correct answer, love God with all you are, and love your neighbor as yourself. But as many times as the Scribe had likely recited those statements, and discussed and debated what they meant, Jesus turned his world upside down when he told the Scribe that all he had to do was obey perfectly, and he’d live eternally. There’s an enormous chasm between answering Jesus’ question theologically and philosophically, and actually practically and perfectly living it out. The reality of his guilt settled in heavy; that’s the real purpose of God’s law, to demonstrate the unobtainable perfection required to be in relationship with Him, and teach us that we need a Savior. We need the One who satisfied the whole law on our behalf through His perfect sinless life, shed blood on the cross, and victory over the grave! Being broken in our own sin is the moment where God opens our hearts to our desperate need for the Savior, and begins the process of freeing us to live in and for Him through Christ. (Vv. 25-28; Deut. 6:5; Lev. 19:18; Mic. 6:8; Matt. 5:17-20, 48; 22:36-40; Rom. 3:19-26; 6:23; 8:1-4; 13:8-10; 2 Cor. 5:21; Gal. 3:10-13; 5:6, 13-14; Jas. 2:10)

II. True saving faith is faith that truly desires to serve God and others; so our love for others must transcend all obstacles (Vv. 29-37)

a. Confronted with the reality that he had just convicted himself with the law, the lawyer attempted to justify himself by lessening its requirements. But instead of being baited into a doctrinal discussion on who the man’s neighbor was, Jesus told him a story to demonstrate that he was asking the wrong question, revealing the true nature of his heart. A man was traveling from Jerusalem to Jericho, and along the way he was attacked, robbed, and severely beaten. As he lay helplessly in the ditch, several people passed by. The first two men who came along, a priest and Levite, both similar in public stature, but slightly different in office, saw the man in need, and redirected their course to pass by on the other side. Perhaps they were afraid the attackers were still nearby? Maybe they were concerned with ritual purity? Perhaps they supposed the man had committed some sin for which God had punished him? Perhaps they were concerned for keeping their schedules? No matter, because Jesus shocked everyone by stating that the next guy who came along, a despised Samaritan, saw him and didn’t pass by. He felt love and compassion and bandaged his wounds, poured oil and wine on his wounds to sooth and disinfect them, gave up not only his schedule and time, but also the comfort of his ride in order to convey the man to an inn, where he stayed with him overnight to care for him, gave up two days wages for their stay, and promised to pay anything else required for the man’s recovery on his return. So Jesus asks, which one was a neighbor to the man? The Scribe reluctantly answered correctly. Then Jesus really made him uncomfortable, telling him to go and do the same. Anyone in need that God places in our path is our neighbor. The correct question isn’t, “who is my neighbor”, but “who has God brought to my door?” (Vv. 29-37; Exod. 28:1-3; Lev. 18:1; 19:33-34; Numb. 18:1-5; 19:11-19; 1 Sam. 15:22; Ezra 4-6; Neh. 2-4; Isa. 1:11-17; Matt. 7:12; Luke 9:51-56; John 4:9, 20-21; Rom. 5:6-11)

b. We’re accountable for the light we’ve received, and we’ll be called into account first for what we see and don’t see. Jesus isn’t going to be physically standing on the street corner, calling us to serve Him; but those in need are standing there, and they represent Him. Anyone who truly loves others, must be prepared to have their plans interrupted. We must be on the look out for the opportunities God puts in our paths, trust Him, and be flexible. Jesus never said the at following Him would easy, and He never promised convenience. But Jesus Himself became our good Samaritan. He spared no expense of time, royalty, or even His own humiliation and blood, to pull us out of the ditch and save us. We must go and do the same. (Isa. 53:3-11; Matt. 25:31-46; John 3:16; Gal. 2:20; Eph. 2:8-10; Phil. 2:5-8; Jas. 2:12-20; 1 John 3:17-18)