Text – Luke 10: 33-35 (read vv. 30-37)
“30. And Jesus answering said, A certain man went down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell among thieves, which stripped him of his raiment, and wounded him, and departed, leaving him half dead. 31. And by chance there came down a certain priest that way: and when he saw him, he passed by on the other side. 32. And likewise a Levite, when he was at the place, came and looked on him, and passed by on the other side. 33. But a certain Samaritan, as he journeyed, came where he was: and when he saw him, he had compassion on him, 34. And went to him, and bound up his wounds, pouring in oil and wine, and set him on his own beast, and brought him to an inn, and took care of him. 35. And on the morrow when he departed, he took out two pence, and gave them to the host, and said unto him, Take care of him; and whatsoever thou spendest more, when I come again, I will repay thee. 36. Which now of these three, thinkest thou, was neighbour unto him that fell among the thieves? 37. And he said, He that showed mercy on him. Then said Jesus unto him, Go, and do thou likewise.”
Luke 10:30-37 KJV
INTRODUCTION –
We are constantly hearing about Home Invasions, Child and Elder Abuse, Abductions and Kidnappings. And so many acts of violence that it is almost too many to count. Some of us were brought up in a time when you knew your next-door neighbors, and you lived in a “COMMUNITY” where people didn’t just look out of their windows and watch what was happening around them (expound).
Many of you have read, and/or heard the parable of “The Good Samaritan.” We love taking notice and learning from the things that the Good Samaritan showed us about being a “Good Neighbor.” But today, I want us to not only take note of some of those things, but I also want us to take note of some of the things we “DID NOT” see the Good Samaritan doing.
POINTS –
- Not the Roman Catholic priest, or the Hebrew Rabbi stopped to help the man, but a Samaritan man who is not given any special religious distinction felt sorry for this man who was attacked. (vv.33-34) He “DID NOT,” look around to see if, or WHEN someone was going to do anything.
- The Good Samaritan “DID NOT” waste time asking WHO will do what he was capable of doing. I do not know what kind of wounds this man had sustained, but I read that they required a type of bandage and medication, and apparently this Samaritan had what was required (v.34). (Expound).
- The Good Samaritan “DID NOT” waste time asking WHAT was the reason for the man’s attack. The Good Samaritan saw a man in dire straits who needed help that he was able to give, and he gave it (expound).
- The Good Samaritan “DID NOT” waste time asking WHY the man was left the way he was, or WHERE was his attackers. The only thing that seemed pertinent to the Good Samaritan is that the man was in obvious peril and he needed to be helped (expound).
- The Good Samaritan “DID NOT” waste time asking HOW much would it cost, or would he be reimbursed for the money he spent (expound).
CONCLUSION –
As many of us are looking through our windows, listening through the safety of our doors, or just watching what is going in our world on the Television or other mediums, we should remember what our parents did or what we USED to do when we saw someone in obvious need . . . WE ACTED! I know of some of the precautions and deterrents that are necessary today, but where is the COMPASSION? Is there even a desire to genuinely help someone in need today?
We keep looking to the world to provide answers to questions which we already have the answer. We know that the world needs to be saved! We know that the Believers need to be busy doing that which the Lord has commanded and commissioned them to do. We know that every Believer needs to be doing what we used to do; doing what our parents did, and doing what the Good Samaritan did . . . Be a GOOD NEIGHBOR!