Ecclesiology

Lesson X

Presenting the Gospel

The Good Samaritan Story

Luke 10: 25-37

January 4th, 2007

 

 

When one sees the doctrine of ‘grace’ as taught by the Apostle Paul, then one can see grace in other portions of Scripture in a new light.  Luke 10 is an example.

Luke 10: 25-37

(25) And, behold, a certain lawyer stood up, and tempted him, saying, Master, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?

(26) He said unto him, What is written in the law? how readest thou?

(27) And he answering said, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy strength, and with all thy mind; and thy neighbour as thyself.

(28) And he said unto him, Thou hast answered right: this do, and thou shalt live.

(29) But he, willing to justify himself, said unto Jesus, And who is my neighbour?

(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 shewed mercy on him. Then said Jesus unto him, Go, and do thou likewise.

 

The Lawyer wanted to know what to DO to inherit eternal life.  And Christ at once, turns him to the law.  Few realize that the law is the enemy of man and not the friend that most people would have us believe.  Men say it is necessary to keep the law in order to be saved.  They say this is what Christ taught this lawyer.  Therefore, we must keep the law or be lost.  All we have to do to keep saved is to love God and love our neighbour.

 

However, whenever the law is mentioned, we must enquire, first of all, what the one using the law is using it for.  In the case of this lawyer, Christ used the law to reduce the man’s boasting to speechless guilt.  (Did you notice that the lawyer did not reply, when Jesus said, “this do and thou shalt live”?)  He had turned the lawyer to the law and the law left him without a word to say.  As Romans 3:19 states, “Now we know that whatsoever the law saith, it saith to them who are under the law: that every mouth may be stopped and all the world become guilty before God”.

 

To love the Lord with ALL the heart, All the soul, All the mind and our neighbour as ourselves, without any modification, is the requirement of the law.  And once broken there is no second chance.  The broken tables of stone could not be mended.  Christ agreed with the lawyer.  What you have said is right.  But he added, “this do and thou shalt live.”  Evidently this man was not doing.  To know to do right and to do right are two different things.  Scriptures and experience teach that no man ever did right perfectly (except Christ).  No one has ever escaped Hell and received eternal life by doing the best one could.  For it must be perfect obedience to the law or none at all. 

 

This man, like all men, when found wanting, begins to justify himself. By asking, “Who is my neighbour?”  The light of the story following “the try again principle” cannot and does not work.  The voice of the law says just one thing, and if ever man hears its thundering voice, once is enough.  The law says, “The soul that sinneth must die.”  There is no mercy in the law as law.  The law is without mercy.

 

It was this fact that the law is without mercy, Christ preached in the incident of the story of the Samaritan as illustrated by the Priest and the Levite.  The meaning of the whole discourse may be summed up in these words:  “The law can do nothing to help sinners obtain eternal life.”  It can only condemn and increase their guilt. 

 

Jesus illustrates the use of the law in the man who was robbed of all that he had.  This is what the law does to everyone under the law. “There is none righteous no not one.”  All are sinners, helpless and without strength.  This is the picture Jesus presents here.  The most ancient of all delusions is that man may attain eternal life by doing.  Men have for ages tried to find eternal life without a Mediator.  But helpless people cannot help themselves!

 

The heathen have no mediator.  The law cannot mediate, it can only condemn, and in this sense it must “pass by on the other side.”  It has nothing in common with the Mediator at all.  This story of the Good Samaritan illustrates the truth that eternal life is given without one doing a single thing.  Can any say that the man, with his raiment gone, wounded and half-dead, could move toward God? 

 

Jesus reveals our spiritual condition.  The helpless must have a sacrifice before he can approach God.  This man could not offer a sacrifice.  He could not move.  Therefore the law, represented by the Priest could do nothing for a man unless that man could bring a sacrifice, and the Levite who collected the money could get nothing from the man, for he had nothing with which to pay, and the law is without compassion.  But salvation is not by the law.

 

It is the kindness and love of God to sinners that is taught here.  “But after that the kindness and love of God our Saviour toward man appeared, not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us ...” Titus 3:4-5.  God does not ask a single thing from the helpless.  And we are all helpless.  If salvation is to be had, it must be through the work of another.  Another poured in the oil and the wine and bound up the wounds.  The wounded man was lifted and placed on the donkey in the place of the Samaritan.  Christ took our place and we take His.  We ride in the place of His provision, His work as Saviour and by this way alone we get to the Inn.  We do not walk at all.  We are brought to the Inn of Justification.

 

Salvation by the walk of the believer is out of place in the gospel of grace.  We cannot walk, is the teaching illustrated by this helpless man.  The helpless are never taught to walk until they are safe and secure within the Inn.  We are taught to ride there on the provision of another, provided by the One who picked us up, sores, wounds, dirt and all. And the signs on this highway are well marked, No walking allowed.

 

The Lord never takes a man in on probation.  He does not put us on probation until our sores are healed, and then give us a home!  Why, we couldn’t even set ourselves up to look even half respectful!  We needed aid and help from someone outside ourselves.

 

And the good news to sinners is that all, every last obligation and expense of our cure, is placed upon Christ’s account.  In salvation, Jesus paid it all.  We pay nothing and the reason we pay nothing is because we have nothing with which to pay.  This kind of payment man cannot pay.  Sin is likened to a debt which must be paid and creature-man cannot pay it. 

 

Young lawyer, believe.  To get into the kingdom, you pay nothing.  And you pay nothing to be kept in the kingdom.  The two pence was a token that all would be paid.  All would be paid by another, even Christ.  All our obligations Godward were assumed by Christ.  They are taken care of until He comes again when sores are no more, when the Church sins no more!

 

But while the Church is on earth she needs caring for.  The believer is in the Inn, sores and all.  We are neither working for our salvation, nor paying for our keep.  Those trying to “keep saved” do not recognize the office of the Inn nor the Inn-keeper.

 

We are not the keepers of our salvation.  God does not leave the keeping of our souls in such useless hands.  The keeping of our souls is in the hands of our Faithful Creator.

1 Peter 2:25

(25) For ye were as sheep going astray; but are now returned unto the Shepherd and Bishop of your souls.

He is not a faithless, helpless creature as we are.  This Inn-keeper knows His business well.  He has taken care of cripples now for more than 5000 years, and we are sure He can handle our case.

 

Christ taught this lawyer that there is a righteousness which is greater than that of the Priests and Levites, a righteousness received wholly on the gift principle.  With such a Caretaker as God, we are always safe. Eternal life is a gift of God .

Romans 6:23

(23) For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.”

 

We have no hope of justifying ourselves.  Christ is the Head of the Church.  He built it for sick, bruised folk.  He cares for the sick.  He is the Good Shepherd and there never was an under-shepherd to hold that distinction.  He lives to intercede for the Church.  It is under His care.

 

Are you willing to ride to the Inn on another man’s beast and be taken care of until He comes again?  Do you want eternal life on the gift principle or are you, like the lawyer, trying to justify yourself by law-keeping?  The gospel terms as illustrated in this story are: Nothing down and nothing to pay.  The blood of Jesus Christ justifies the sinner and the intercession of the Saviour saves to the uttermost. 

 

Hebrews 7:25

(25) Wherefore he is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them.

God has made full provision for the robbed, bankrupt, ruined, battered, helpless, hopeless sinner. 

 

This is the gospel as found in Luke 10:25-37

(Adapted from a sermon of M. V. Brown preached in the 1930’s).