WEBVTT 00:00:17.660 --> 00:00:20.839 Welcome back to the Semi -Seminary Podcast, friends. 00:00:20.879 --> 00:00:23.300 Tonight, we're walking the road you thought you 00:00:23.300 --> 00:00:27.739 knew. It's dusty, dangerous, and it runs 17 miles 00:00:27.739 --> 00:00:30.760 downhill from Jerusalem to Jericho. They call 00:00:30.760 --> 00:00:34.780 it the Way of Blood and for good reason. Bandits 00:00:34.780 --> 00:00:39.159 hid in the gullies. Travelers kept their belongings 00:00:39.159 --> 00:00:44.039 close. Every step felt like a gamble. But Jesus 00:00:44.039 --> 00:00:46.740 takes that road and he turns it into a story 00:00:46.740 --> 00:00:52.409 so sharp it still cuts 2 ,000 years later. We 00:00:52.409 --> 00:00:55.390 think of the Good Samaritan like a children's 00:00:55.390 --> 00:00:58.609 church story. Softened edges, gentle smiles, 00:00:58.929 --> 00:01:01.409 maybe a donkey clip -clopping along. But the 00:01:01.409 --> 00:01:06.469 first crowd didn't smile. They gagged. They bristled. 00:01:06.950 --> 00:01:11.069 To them, Samaritan wasn't sweet. It was scandal. 00:01:11.950 --> 00:01:15.790 It was as if Jesus had said, your enemy, the 00:01:15.790 --> 00:01:19.170 one who desecrated your temple, the one you swore 00:01:19.170 --> 00:01:23.379 never to trust. That is the neighbor who saves 00:01:23.379 --> 00:01:27.200 you. This is the parable that exposes the gap 00:01:27.200 --> 00:01:30.760 between our economy of religion and God's economy 00:01:30.760 --> 00:01:35.560 of mercy. It's a story that asks not who is my 00:01:35.560 --> 00:01:38.939 neighbor, but will I cross the road when mercy 00:01:38.939 --> 00:01:43.379 calls my name? So lean in. Dust is still on the 00:01:43.379 --> 00:01:46.420 sandals. The flies still buzz over the wounded 00:01:46.420 --> 00:01:49.340 man. And the spirit still crackles through the 00:01:49.340 --> 00:01:52.280 static. We're not here for polished answers. 00:01:52.400 --> 00:01:54.879 We're building a porch. The light on that porch 00:01:54.879 --> 00:01:57.799 is meant to shine into the dark. So pull up a 00:01:57.799 --> 00:02:00.879 chair, share this space, pass it along. You never 00:02:00.879 --> 00:02:04.480 know who's still tuning in. Hoping Grace is still 00:02:04.480 --> 00:02:07.359 on the dial. I'll see you on the other side. 00:02:13.819 --> 00:02:19.340 Well, I'll tell you what. The time has come. 00:02:20.350 --> 00:02:24.569 Wayne is giving me the double thumbs. So let's 00:02:24.569 --> 00:02:28.050 pick up where we last left off. Tonight, this 00:02:28.050 --> 00:02:30.849 is parable number three. So we start, we're going 00:02:30.849 --> 00:02:32.370 to look at all the parables. We started with 00:02:32.370 --> 00:02:34.210 the vineyard owner. Then we looked last week 00:02:34.210 --> 00:02:37.030 at the parable of the talents. And then tonight 00:02:37.030 --> 00:02:39.210 we're going to look at the parable of the Good 00:02:39.210 --> 00:02:42.870 Samaritan. And again, I think context is key 00:02:42.870 --> 00:02:45.789 to understanding what's really being said in 00:02:45.789 --> 00:02:49.729 the parable. So we're going to try. diligently 00:02:49.729 --> 00:02:53.969 to put ourselves in the crowd listening to Jesus 00:02:53.969 --> 00:02:59.990 talk and suppose what the listener in the crowd 00:02:59.990 --> 00:03:04.729 might think as they hear Jesus speaking. So picture 00:03:04.729 --> 00:03:07.930 it with me. The sun hangs high above Jerusalem, 00:03:08.030 --> 00:03:12.330 pouring down heat like a hammer. The stones of 00:03:12.330 --> 00:03:15.370 the city shimmer in the air. carries the smell 00:03:15.370 --> 00:03:18.569 of dust and sweat and roasting bread from market 00:03:18.569 --> 00:03:22.289 stalls. Merchants call out their prices, children 00:03:22.289 --> 00:03:24.550 laugh and dart through the legs of pilgrims, 00:03:24.569 --> 00:03:27.969 and Roman soldiers keep their watchful eyes on 00:03:27.969 --> 00:03:31.370 the crowd, their armor glinting in the sunlight. 00:03:32.349 --> 00:03:35.469 The hum of life surrounds you, but in the middle 00:03:35.469 --> 00:03:39.509 of it all, there's a hush where Jesus is standing. 00:03:40.389 --> 00:03:43.280 You found a place. Among the people gathered 00:03:43.280 --> 00:03:45.659 close around him, your sandals pressed into the 00:03:45.659 --> 00:03:49.560 dirt. Feel the rough edge of stone at your feet. 00:03:49.620 --> 00:03:53.180 Farmers with calloused hands lean in. Mothers 00:03:53.180 --> 00:03:56.939 hush their children. Even the skeptical scribes 00:03:56.939 --> 00:03:59.060 crane their necks to hear what he has to say. 00:04:00.080 --> 00:04:03.919 There's a charged stillness as though creation 00:04:03.919 --> 00:04:08.780 itself is leaning forward. And then it happens. 00:04:09.800 --> 00:04:15.039 A lawyer. An expert in the Torah steps out of 00:04:15.039 --> 00:04:19.040 the crowd. His robe sways as he moves, his chin 00:04:19.040 --> 00:04:22.800 lifted with confidence, his eyes narrow with 00:04:22.800 --> 00:04:26.600 calculation. He's not here to learn, he's here 00:04:26.600 --> 00:04:31.560 to test. You sense the ripple through the crowd 00:04:31.560 --> 00:04:35.620 like a sudden gust of wind. The stage is set, 00:04:35.759 --> 00:04:40.750 not for an argument alone. but for a story that 00:04:40.750 --> 00:04:43.709 will change forever the way you see your neighbor. 00:04:45.589 --> 00:04:49.250 Beloved, lean your hearts towards the crackle 00:04:49.250 --> 00:04:53.449 of the Spirit. The Word is about to speak. It 00:04:53.449 --> 00:04:56.649 comes not as ink on paper, but as breath in your 00:04:56.649 --> 00:05:00.730 lungs. Still yourself, but your ears be tuned 00:05:00.730 --> 00:05:04.009 to the reading of Holy Scripture. Gospel account, 00:05:04.269 --> 00:05:08.689 according to John. Just then a lawyer stood up 00:05:08.689 --> 00:05:11.949 to test us. Teacher, he said, what must I do 00:05:11.949 --> 00:05:15.009 to inherit eternal life? He said to him, what 00:05:15.009 --> 00:05:18.189 is written in the law? What do you read there? 00:05:19.149 --> 00:05:21.870 He answered, you shall love the Lord your God 00:05:21.870 --> 00:05:23.829 with all of your heart and with all of your soul 00:05:23.829 --> 00:05:26.189 and with all of your strength and with all of 00:05:26.189 --> 00:05:31.230 your mind and your neighbor as yourself. And 00:05:31.230 --> 00:05:33.230 he said to him, you've given the right answer. 00:05:33.870 --> 00:05:38.100 Do this and you will live. Wanting to justify 00:05:38.100 --> 00:05:42.040 himself, he asked Jesus, And who is my neighbor? 00:05:43.639 --> 00:05:47.279 Jesus replied, A man was going down from Jerusalem 00:05:47.279 --> 00:05:49.579 to Jericho and fell into the hands of robbers, 00:05:49.720 --> 00:05:52.319 stripped him, beat him, and went away, leaving 00:05:52.319 --> 00:05:56.540 him half dead. Now, by chance, a priest was going 00:05:56.540 --> 00:05:59.480 down that road, and when he saw him, he passed 00:05:59.480 --> 00:06:02.899 by on the other side. So likewise, a Levite, 00:06:03.019 --> 00:06:06.639 when he came to the place and saw them, passed 00:06:06.639 --> 00:06:12.060 by on the other side but a samaritan while traveling 00:06:12.060 --> 00:06:16.279 came near him and when he saw him he was moved 00:06:16.279 --> 00:06:20.220 with pity he went to him and bandaged his wounds 00:06:20.220 --> 00:06:23.860 having poured oil and wine on them then he put 00:06:23.860 --> 00:06:26.819 him on his own animal brought him to an inn and 00:06:26.819 --> 00:06:30.180 took care of him the next day he took out two 00:06:30.180 --> 00:06:33.199 denarii gave them to the innkeeper and said take 00:06:33.199 --> 00:06:36.569 care of him and when i come back I will repay 00:06:36.569 --> 00:06:41.509 you whatever more you spend. Which of these three 00:06:41.509 --> 00:06:44.889 do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell 00:06:44.889 --> 00:06:50.089 into the hands of robbers? He said, the one who 00:06:50.089 --> 00:06:55.029 showed him mercy. Jesus said, go and do likewise. 00:06:56.329 --> 00:06:59.649 Friends, we just walked the dusty road where 00:06:59.649 --> 00:07:02.970 mercy meets flesh. These are not yesterday's 00:07:02.970 --> 00:07:06.160 words, but the living word. Sharp as lightning 00:07:06.160 --> 00:07:10.019 and soft as grace. Let all who have ears to hear 00:07:10.019 --> 00:07:15.920 say, thanks be to God. You're in that crowd that 00:07:15.920 --> 00:07:19.759 day. The air smells of sweat and dust. Jesus 00:07:19.759 --> 00:07:22.779 has been teaching his voice steady, his parables 00:07:22.779 --> 00:07:27.040 sharp and strange, each one cutting to the heart. 00:07:28.120 --> 00:07:31.160 Then a lawyer stands, not a courthouse lawyer 00:07:31.160 --> 00:07:34.750 like we might know, but a man who lives. and 00:07:34.750 --> 00:07:38.829 breathes the Torah. He has the scroll memorized, 00:07:38.910 --> 00:07:43.370 the verses cross -stitched in his mind, commandments 00:07:43.370 --> 00:07:48.029 tucked in his robe. He is sharp, trained, and 00:07:48.029 --> 00:07:53.250 precise. And he is here not for hunger, but for 00:07:53.250 --> 00:07:57.769 testing. Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal 00:07:57.769 --> 00:08:04.980 life? The crowd stills. Some... Nod at the boldness. 00:08:05.019 --> 00:08:10.459 Others smirk, waiting for Jesus to stumble. It's 00:08:10.459 --> 00:08:15.339 bait, a trap in question form, a courtroom trick 00:08:15.339 --> 00:08:20.759 disguised as theology. But Jesus refuses to be 00:08:20.759 --> 00:08:24.680 pinned down. He tosses the question back. What's 00:08:24.680 --> 00:08:29.660 written in the law? How do you read it? And you 00:08:29.660 --> 00:08:32.879 know the answer. Because every child in the crowd 00:08:32.879 --> 00:08:35.179 could sing it from memory. Love the Lord your 00:08:35.179 --> 00:08:38.259 God with all of your heart, soul, strength, and 00:08:38.259 --> 00:08:40.799 mind, and love your neighbor as yourself. The 00:08:40.799 --> 00:08:46.539 Shema and Leviticus stitched together like two 00:08:46.539 --> 00:08:51.460 cords of the same rope. Jesus nods, his eyes 00:08:51.460 --> 00:08:57.779 steady. Do this and you will live. But the lawyer 00:08:57.779 --> 00:09:03.470 isn't finished. He wants precision. He wants 00:09:03.470 --> 00:09:10.230 limits. He wants to know just how small the circle 00:09:10.230 --> 00:09:16.090 of love can be still past the test. And who is 00:09:16.090 --> 00:09:20.690 my neighbor? It's a loophole in the form of a 00:09:20.690 --> 00:09:25.070 question. And Jesus, with a smile that holds 00:09:25.070 --> 00:09:28.769 both kindness and fire, says, let me tell you 00:09:28.769 --> 00:09:34.320 a story. You're walking now, sandals on the stone. 00:09:34.419 --> 00:09:39.620 The road drops steeply out of Jerusalem, 17 miles 00:09:39.620 --> 00:09:45.259 through twisting, rocky wilderness towards Jericho. 00:09:46.440 --> 00:09:49.139 Locals at the time called it the Way of Blood. 00:09:49.940 --> 00:09:54.899 It's narrow. It's hemmed in by cliffs and gullies, 00:09:54.919 --> 00:09:59.820 full of caves where bandits would hide. You feel 00:09:59.820 --> 00:10:03.879 the heat press heavy on your shoulder. Your water 00:10:03.879 --> 00:10:06.519 skin sloshes light. You wish you had brought 00:10:06.519 --> 00:10:10.399 more. The stones bite into your sandals. Dust 00:10:10.399 --> 00:10:13.399 clings to your ankles. And then you see him. 00:10:13.820 --> 00:10:18.259 A man sprawled in the ditch. Robbers got him. 00:10:18.600 --> 00:10:22.279 His cloak ripped. His skin slashed. His body 00:10:22.279 --> 00:10:26.419 crumpled. He's half dead. The sound of flies 00:10:26.419 --> 00:10:31.039 buzz at his wounds. coppery smell of blood rises 00:10:31.039 --> 00:10:34.580 in the air your stomach tightens it could have 00:10:34.580 --> 00:10:40.820 been you just as easy but wait help is coming 00:10:40.820 --> 00:10:46.019 a priest flowing head lifted surely surely this 00:10:46.019 --> 00:10:51.039 man of god will stop you watch relief loosening 00:10:51.039 --> 00:10:59.759 your chest he slows he sees and then no He crosses 00:10:59.759 --> 00:11:04.799 to the other side, his sandals quick, his eyes 00:11:04.799 --> 00:11:09.919 diverted. Then a Levite, another temple man, 00:11:10.120 --> 00:11:15.360 keeper of holy things. He sees, you think, surely 00:11:15.360 --> 00:11:20.779 this time, but again the same. He veers, avoids, 00:11:20.779 --> 00:11:26.139 disappears down the road. And you're left. With 00:11:26.139 --> 00:11:28.860 the groaning man, your pulse beating in your 00:11:28.860 --> 00:11:33.679 ears, wondering if it were you, would you stop? 00:11:35.200 --> 00:11:41.379 Or would you pass by too? To us today, it sounds 00:11:41.379 --> 00:11:47.460 cold. But to a first century Jewish listener, 00:11:47.720 --> 00:11:52.340 the priest's and the Levite's actions make a 00:11:52.340 --> 00:11:57.509 bitter kind of sense. Holiness codes were strict. 00:11:58.809 --> 00:12:03.850 Blood could defile. A corpse could make you ritually 00:12:03.850 --> 00:12:08.090 unclean for a week. If that man in the ditch 00:12:08.090 --> 00:12:11.149 is already dead, one touch could mean forfeiting 00:12:11.149 --> 00:12:15.970 temple duty. Imagine walking all the way from 00:12:15.970 --> 00:12:19.629 Jerusalem on your rotation and then being barred 00:12:19.629 --> 00:12:21.769 from religious service because you touched a 00:12:21.769 --> 00:12:26.110 dead body. And to that danger, what if the robbers 00:12:26.110 --> 00:12:29.730 were still nearby waiting to spring upon anyone 00:12:29.730 --> 00:12:33.429 who might have stopped to try to help to a practical 00:12:33.429 --> 00:12:41.649 cautious mind that made sense it felt perfectly 00:12:41.649 --> 00:12:48.129 reasonable they're not monsters they're religious 00:12:48.129 --> 00:12:54.679 devout doing what the system had trained them 00:12:54.679 --> 00:13:00.659 to do. And yet, in their carefulness, mercy is 00:13:00.659 --> 00:13:04.960 lost. Their holiness becomes a shield against 00:13:04.960 --> 00:13:09.240 compassion. And the crowd listening to Jesus 00:13:09.240 --> 00:13:12.120 that day, and you too, you're in that crowd, 00:13:12.480 --> 00:13:16.720 would have nodded in agreement. Yes, of course, 00:13:16.720 --> 00:13:21.059 the priest avoided. Yes, of course, the Levite 00:13:21.059 --> 00:13:25.710 crossed over. they would have thought, that's 00:13:25.710 --> 00:13:30.909 how the world works. Protect yourself. Protect 00:13:30.909 --> 00:13:37.389 your purity. Protect your role. But here's where 00:13:37.389 --> 00:13:42.490 Jesus' parable slices deep. The people in the 00:13:42.490 --> 00:13:45.649 crowd would not have condemned the priest or 00:13:45.649 --> 00:13:47.850 the Levite. They would have understood, maybe 00:13:47.850 --> 00:13:54.210 even agreed. Their avoidance. made sense, the 00:13:54.210 --> 00:13:57.730 world in which they knew. And this is exactly 00:13:57.730 --> 00:14:02.129 why Jesus teaches in parables, to challenge the 00:14:02.129 --> 00:14:06.990 familiar patterns, to upend what feels natural, 00:14:07.250 --> 00:14:13.070 to rewrite the map of holiness. He shows that 00:14:13.070 --> 00:14:18.750 in God's economy, mercy triumphs ritual. Compassion 00:14:18.750 --> 00:14:23.759 can outrun caution. And love always outweighs 00:14:23.759 --> 00:14:29.879 law. Think about it. The empire, whether Roman 00:14:29.879 --> 00:14:34.759 or religious, teaches you to stay in line, keep 00:14:34.759 --> 00:14:38.080 your place, guard your role, obey the rules, 00:14:38.220 --> 00:14:42.440 and preserve the status quo. And the priest and 00:14:42.440 --> 00:14:47.570 the Levite are doing exactly that. They're functioning 00:14:47.570 --> 00:14:52.769 inside an empire of law and order, one that maintains 00:14:52.769 --> 00:14:57.690 control through rules and fear. But God's kingdom 00:14:57.690 --> 00:15:03.629 is different. Jesus dares to say, in God's economy, 00:15:03.929 --> 00:15:07.470 mercy is not just a side dish, it's the main 00:15:07.470 --> 00:15:12.330 meal. Compassion is not optional, it is the heart 00:15:12.330 --> 00:15:17.340 of the law itself. And that's why Jesus' parables 00:15:17.340 --> 00:15:22.940 sting. They force you to see what passes for 00:15:22.940 --> 00:15:26.820 wisdom in the world. Self -protection, ritual 00:15:26.820 --> 00:15:30.580 correctness, empire -approved obedience. And 00:15:30.580 --> 00:15:33.240 they see that that often leaves the bleeding 00:15:33.240 --> 00:15:39.279 man in the ditch. And what looks foolish, crossing 00:15:39.279 --> 00:15:43.720 over, kneeling down, touching blood, is actually 00:15:43.720 --> 00:15:48.009 the kingdom of God. Now, here it comes, right? 00:15:48.110 --> 00:15:52.649 The crowd now expects a third man. Pattern is 00:15:52.649 --> 00:15:58.129 obvious. Priest, Levite, surely this time it'll 00:15:58.129 --> 00:16:02.549 be a regular Israelite, a farmer, a merchant, 00:16:02.629 --> 00:16:08.129 and they will show compassion. But Jesus shatters 00:16:08.129 --> 00:16:17.340 the pattern. But a Samaritan. The word self is 00:16:17.340 --> 00:16:23.919 a hiss. It curdles the air. Samaritans are not 00:16:23.919 --> 00:16:28.919 neutral. They're the enemy. They're traitors. 00:16:29.679 --> 00:16:33.360 They're outsiders who claim to worship the same 00:16:33.360 --> 00:16:37.860 God, but in the wrong place, with the wrong people, 00:16:37.919 --> 00:16:41.919 and in the wrong way. And you can hear the crowd 00:16:41.919 --> 00:16:47.279 bristle. You in the crowd would remember the 00:16:47.279 --> 00:16:51.840 history. Centuries ago, after the Assyrian conquest, 00:16:52.299 --> 00:16:56.360 Samaritans intermarried with foreigners. The 00:16:56.360 --> 00:17:00.159 Samaritans were Jewish people that weren't taken 00:17:00.159 --> 00:17:02.960 in exile. They actually remained. Not everybody 00:17:02.960 --> 00:17:05.680 was removed in the exile. Some people stayed 00:17:05.680 --> 00:17:09.460 behind. And those people who once were the people 00:17:09.460 --> 00:17:15.039 of God waltzed. The captivity was happening intermarried. 00:17:15.779 --> 00:17:19.059 So the Israelites look at their now former cousins 00:17:19.059 --> 00:17:22.579 and say, you guys have messed it up. You are 00:17:22.579 --> 00:17:26.720 no longer a part of our group. They built their 00:17:26.720 --> 00:17:30.700 temple on Mount Gerizim and declared it their 00:17:30.700 --> 00:17:35.440 holy place. To Jewish people, they were half 00:17:35.440 --> 00:17:44.009 -breeds, idolaters, imposters. But, listening 00:17:44.009 --> 00:17:48.230 in the crowd, it's not just ancient history with 00:17:48.230 --> 00:17:53.509 these guys. In living memory, as this Jewish 00:17:53.509 --> 00:17:56.430 historian, Josephus, you may or may not have 00:17:56.430 --> 00:18:00.190 heard of him, he has a book called Antiquities. 00:18:00.369 --> 00:18:05.230 And in the book, Josephus records an event that 00:18:05.230 --> 00:18:08.750 took place when the Samaritans desecrated the 00:18:08.750 --> 00:18:13.279 Jewish temple itself. On the eve of Passover, 00:18:13.559 --> 00:18:18.779 this is believed to be in 6 AD, okay? So Jesus 00:18:18.779 --> 00:18:22.259 is born in zero and we're hearing this story 00:18:22.259 --> 00:18:27.480 in the crowd in say 30? We would have remembered 00:18:27.480 --> 00:18:33.339 the year that these Samaritan terrorists on the 00:18:33.339 --> 00:18:37.400 eve of Passover snuck into the temple and scattered 00:18:37.400 --> 00:18:42.500 dead bones all over the temple. It defiled the 00:18:42.500 --> 00:18:46.160 temple so much that they had to cancel Passover 00:18:46.160 --> 00:18:51.380 for that year. So what do you think? Best buddies? 00:18:52.140 --> 00:18:59.220 No way. Imagine pilgrims arriving with lambs, 00:18:59.220 --> 00:19:03.140 children rehearsing the story of the Exodus, 00:19:03.259 --> 00:19:08.740 only to find God's house polluted. Passover ruined. 00:19:09.470 --> 00:19:13.549 Worship defiled their covenant with God mocked. 00:19:14.369 --> 00:19:17.869 That wound would have still been raw in Jesus' 00:19:17.950 --> 00:19:23.569 day. For the people listening in the crowd, Samaritan 00:19:23.569 --> 00:19:29.289 wasn't just some theological category. It was 00:19:29.289 --> 00:19:37.150 a curse, a scar, a desecration. So, when Jesus 00:19:37.150 --> 00:19:43.549 said, But a Samaritan came near. It hits you 00:19:43.549 --> 00:19:48.309 like a slap across your face. It's nauseating. 00:19:49.470 --> 00:19:54.609 It's like him telling us, but Osama bin Laden 00:19:54.609 --> 00:19:59.269 stopped to help. That's what I'm talking about. 00:20:00.210 --> 00:20:04.609 The name alone makes you want to gag. You want 00:20:04.609 --> 00:20:07.089 to spit it out of your mouth. And yet Jesus. 00:20:08.000 --> 00:20:12.720 presses forward, forcing you to hear this. Now 00:20:12.720 --> 00:20:15.559 the Samaritan comes close. He doesn't skirt the 00:20:15.559 --> 00:20:18.279 body. He doesn't pretend he didn't see. He draws 00:20:18.279 --> 00:20:23.500 near. And watch what he does. He sees not an 00:20:23.500 --> 00:20:27.240 enemy, not a Jew, not a category, just a human, 00:20:27.339 --> 00:20:32.089 broken and bleeding. Pity. wells up in him he 00:20:32.089 --> 00:20:35.069 kneels down he pours oil and wine into the wounds 00:20:35.069 --> 00:20:39.210 you can smell the sharp tang in the air he tears 00:20:39.210 --> 00:20:42.930 his own cloth to bind the gashes his hands are 00:20:42.930 --> 00:20:48.130 stained with another man's blood then he lifts 00:20:48.130 --> 00:20:53.089 the body heavy limp awkward on to his own animal 00:20:53.089 --> 00:20:58.549 his muscles tremble under the strain And he takes 00:20:58.549 --> 00:21:03.369 the long walk to Jericho, step after dusty step, 00:21:03.529 --> 00:21:07.569 while the wounded man rides where he should have 00:21:07.569 --> 00:21:12.230 been. And at the inn, he tends him through the 00:21:12.230 --> 00:21:15.450 night. In the morning, he gives him two denarii, 00:21:15.450 --> 00:21:20.289 two full day's wages. He puts it into the innkeeper's 00:21:20.289 --> 00:21:23.109 hand, and if that wasn't enough, he promises 00:21:23.109 --> 00:21:27.720 more. When I return... I'll cover whatever more 00:21:27.720 --> 00:21:35.779 you spend. Mercy has a cost. And the Samaritan 00:21:35.779 --> 00:21:41.299 pays it in sweat, in coin, in risk, and in time. 00:21:42.819 --> 00:21:48.980 Notice the reversal. The empire trades you to 00:21:48.980 --> 00:21:55.150 see cost as a loss. God's economy... Sees cost 00:21:55.150 --> 00:22:00.250 as an investment in eternity. The Samaritan doesn't 00:22:00.250 --> 00:22:03.029 lose two denarii. He plants them in the soil 00:22:03.029 --> 00:22:08.470 of mercy. He doesn't waste his night. He spends 00:22:08.470 --> 00:22:13.289 it in God's kingdom. Now, Jesus looks back at 00:22:13.289 --> 00:22:15.970 the lawyer. The story is finished, but the test 00:22:15.970 --> 00:22:20.089 isn't. Which of these three was a neighbor to 00:22:20.089 --> 00:22:26.079 the man? And the lawyer solos hard. The trap 00:22:26.079 --> 00:22:31.220 he had set has now clamped on his own leg. He 00:22:31.220 --> 00:22:36.220 knows the answer. Everybody does. But he can't 00:22:36.220 --> 00:22:40.799 bring himself to say that name. He cannot let 00:22:40.799 --> 00:22:46.519 Samaritan pass his lips. His throat tightens. 00:22:47.019 --> 00:22:52.240 So he mutters instead, the one who showed mercy. 00:22:54.569 --> 00:23:00.869 And Jesus says, go and do likewise. And it's 00:23:00.869 --> 00:23:04.369 not a suggestion. It's not a theological point 00:23:04.369 --> 00:23:07.589 for you to ponder over a cup of coffee. It is, 00:23:07.589 --> 00:23:11.630 in fact, a command. And here's the hinge, the 00:23:11.630 --> 00:23:15.809 holy scandal. Grace doesn't come from where you 00:23:15.809 --> 00:23:19.829 want it to. It doesn't trickle down channels 00:23:19.829 --> 00:23:24.039 you've built for it. It doesn't stay tidy or 00:23:24.039 --> 00:23:28.960 safe or predictable. It bursts through the hands 00:23:28.960 --> 00:23:36.019 you hate most. It comes from Samaria. It comes 00:23:36.019 --> 00:23:40.940 from the face of your enemy. And eternal life? 00:23:41.839 --> 00:23:45.839 It's not found nailing down the right definitions. 00:23:46.380 --> 00:23:50.059 It isn't locked up in ritual purity or religious 00:23:50.059 --> 00:23:54.839 roles. It's found in whether you can recognize 00:23:54.839 --> 00:23:57.059 mercy when it comes from the hands of someone 00:23:57.059 --> 00:24:00.779 you despise. Whether you would cross the road 00:24:00.779 --> 00:24:05.380 yourself. Friends, this is the scandal of the 00:24:05.380 --> 00:24:10.180 gospel. God's mercy breaks in through the ones 00:24:10.180 --> 00:24:14.440 you would have never chosen. Through a foreigner, 00:24:14.619 --> 00:24:18.099 through an enemy, through a crucified carpenter 00:24:18.099 --> 00:24:22.250 on a Roman cross. Grace comes from outside of 00:24:22.250 --> 00:24:25.950 our categories. And if you can't stomach it yet, 00:24:26.130 --> 00:24:30.730 you probably don't understand it yet. Jesus uses 00:24:30.730 --> 00:24:33.509 parables because they sneak past our defenses. 00:24:34.609 --> 00:24:37.390 They break the world that we know and replace 00:24:37.390 --> 00:24:41.630 it with the world as God dreams it. They shake 00:24:41.630 --> 00:24:45.549 the empire's economy of fear and control, and 00:24:45.549 --> 00:24:47.990 they replace it with God's economy of mercy and 00:24:47.990 --> 00:24:51.529 grace. They remind us that God's kingdom is in 00:24:51.529 --> 00:24:54.930 fact upside down. Because the last are first, 00:24:55.150 --> 00:24:58.230 the meek inherit the earth, and your enemy becomes 00:24:58.230 --> 00:25:02.990 the teacher of love. So let's bring it to a close. 00:25:03.910 --> 00:25:08.970 Who is your Samaritan? Who's the one whose very 00:25:08.970 --> 00:25:13.700 name makes your stomach churn? Who's the last 00:25:13.700 --> 00:25:17.319 person you'd ever want Jesus to hold up as your 00:25:17.319 --> 00:25:23.019 teacher in love? Maybe it's a politician you 00:25:23.019 --> 00:25:26.859 despise whose face on the screen makes your blood 00:25:26.859 --> 00:25:31.579 boil. Maybe it's a neighbor who has betrayed 00:25:31.579 --> 00:25:35.700 your trust. Another church denomination you mock. 00:25:36.839 --> 00:25:40.099 Maybe that family member you think is just beyond 00:25:40.099 --> 00:25:46.269 reach. And the harder question, whose ditch have 00:25:46.269 --> 00:25:50.730 you walked past? Whose suffering have you avoided 00:25:50.730 --> 00:25:56.450 with a holy excuse? Maybe it was someone poor, 00:25:56.589 --> 00:25:59.769 dirty, unwashed, begging on a corner. Maybe it 00:25:59.769 --> 00:26:03.329 was someone in your own pew, carrying grief you 00:26:03.329 --> 00:26:07.170 didn't want to touch. Maybe it was someone from 00:26:07.170 --> 00:26:10.349 another race, another creed, another side of 00:26:10.349 --> 00:26:13.980 the tracks. You crossed over, clutching your 00:26:13.980 --> 00:26:16.339 Bible, whispering your prayers, keeping your 00:26:16.339 --> 00:26:19.420 hands clean while mercy bled out in the ditch. 00:26:20.440 --> 00:26:23.740 Friends, the gospel doesn't give you permission 00:26:23.740 --> 00:26:27.539 to ignore the wounded. It does not allow you 00:26:27.539 --> 00:26:31.000 to outsource compassion to someone else or explain 00:26:31.000 --> 00:26:35.079 it all away with religious rules. The gospel 00:26:35.079 --> 00:26:40.490 says, plainly, if you follow Jesus, you cross 00:26:40.490 --> 00:26:45.769 the road. If you love God, you love the broken 00:26:45.769 --> 00:26:49.750 one in front of you. If you are alive in Christ, 00:26:49.849 --> 00:26:53.849 you are neighbor to even the ones who hate you. 00:26:55.849 --> 00:27:00.369 So here we are. The man is still in the ditch. 00:27:00.529 --> 00:27:05.309 The road is still dangerous. Your sandals still 00:27:05.309 --> 00:27:08.009 crunch on the gravel. The sun is still beating 00:27:08.009 --> 00:27:12.410 down. And the question still hangs in the air. 00:27:14.170 --> 00:27:19.009 Not who is my neighbor, but will you cross the 00:27:19.009 --> 00:27:24.150 road? Will you let mercy cost your safety, your 00:27:24.150 --> 00:27:27.569 money, your time, your pride? Will you receive 00:27:27.569 --> 00:27:30.150 grace when it comes in a wrong accent, with the 00:27:30.150 --> 00:27:34.130 wrong passport, through the wrong hands? Will 00:27:34.130 --> 00:27:37.309 you see the face of Christ and the one that you'd 00:27:37.309 --> 00:27:41.730 rather condemn? Because Jesus doesn't have loopholes. 00:27:42.730 --> 00:27:46.609 And he ends with a command. Go and do likewise. 00:27:48.250 --> 00:27:53.349 So friends, go. Walk the road. Cross over to 00:27:53.349 --> 00:27:57.230 the wounded. Cross over to the despised. Cross 00:27:57.230 --> 00:28:00.369 over to the scandal of grace. Because that, friends, 00:28:00.390 --> 00:28:04.170 is where eternal life truly begins. Amen? Amen. 00:28:06.220 --> 00:28:17.380 Thanks, guys. The man is still in the ditch, 00:28:17.440 --> 00:28:22.200 beloved. That's the truth you can't unhear. He's 00:28:22.200 --> 00:28:24.240 there in every neighbor you'd rather ignore, 00:28:24.440 --> 00:28:27.579 in every face you've labeled enemy, in every 00:28:27.579 --> 00:28:30.039 body you step around because religion or pride 00:28:30.039 --> 00:28:34.579 whispered, keep walking. And Jesus' words haven't 00:28:34.579 --> 00:28:36.759 softened with time. They're as sharp today as 00:28:36.759 --> 00:28:38.880 they were when they first dropped in that Jerusalem 00:28:38.880 --> 00:28:42.660 crowd. Go and do likewise. Not think about it. 00:28:43.039 --> 00:28:46.240 Not pray over it. Not file it away in your theology 00:28:46.240 --> 00:28:48.920 notes. Go. Cross the road. Get your hands dirty. 00:28:49.059 --> 00:28:53.599 Pay the cost. Become mercy in the flesh. The 00:28:53.599 --> 00:28:56.420 empire will cheer you for self -protection. Religion 00:28:56.420 --> 00:28:58.720 will excuse you with rules. But God's kingdom 00:28:58.720 --> 00:29:01.799 lights a different path. It's a porch light in 00:29:01.799 --> 00:29:04.099 the night, shining not for the polished, but 00:29:04.099 --> 00:29:07.059 for the broken in the ditch. Light doesn't wait 00:29:07.059 --> 00:29:10.779 for them to deserve it, it just shines. So, as 00:29:10.779 --> 00:29:13.000 you step away from this episode, ask yourself, 00:29:13.059 --> 00:29:16.579 where is the road pulling you? Who's lying wounded 00:29:16.579 --> 00:29:19.900 just out of sight? What would it mean? Not to 00:29:19.900 --> 00:29:21.940 debate the question, but to simply kneel down 00:29:21.940 --> 00:29:25.579 and bind their wounds. And friends, if this porch 00:29:25.579 --> 00:29:28.319 has become a light for you, pass it on. Share 00:29:28.319 --> 00:29:31.029 it. Let it glow in someone else's dark night. 00:29:31.789 --> 00:29:34.529 Because grace multiplies when we open the porch 00:29:34.529 --> 00:29:37.349 to more weary travelers. That's the work we're 00:29:37.349 --> 00:29:39.910 all about. Building a place where mercy takes 00:29:39.910 --> 00:29:43.910 flesh. The road is waiting. The command is clear. 00:29:45.230 --> 00:30:06.819 Will you cross? I'll see you next time. Let us 00:30:06.819 --> 00:30:07.279 go on.