WEBVTT 00:00:07.040 --> 00:00:11.199 I'm here to share a little on communion. 00:00:14.160 --> 00:00:20.800 And I'm going to talk about the world famous story of the Good Samaritan. 00:00:22.640 --> 00:00:29.039 The story of the Good Samaritan is often taught as a moral lesson about kindness. 00:00:29.760 --> 00:00:33.920 Be nice, help people, love your neighbor. 00:00:34.479 --> 00:00:40.240 While that application is true, it's not the deepest meaning of the parable. 00:00:41.280 --> 00:00:54.000 When Jesus tells this story through the lens of his finished work, he is revealing the gospel first and only then showing us how transformed lives respond. 00:00:54.640 --> 00:00:59.840 Jesus tells this parable in response to a question he is asked by a lawyer. 00:01:03.679 --> 00:01:06.640 The question itself reveals the mindset. 00:01:07.359 --> 00:01:08.640 What do I do? 00:01:08.879 --> 00:01:11.280 What action earns life? 00:01:11.760 --> 00:01:17.040 Jesus answers in a way that exposes the limits of human effort. 00:01:17.599 --> 00:01:23.040 A man is traveling from Jerusalem to Jericho and falls among robbers. 00:01:23.599 --> 00:01:27.040 He is stripped, beaten, and left half dead. 00:01:28.560 --> 00:01:33.680 Nothing is an accidental detail in whatever story Jesus shared, right? 00:01:34.159 --> 00:01:37.680 Jerusalem here represents peace and presence. 00:01:38.000 --> 00:01:40.239 Jericho represents descent. 00:01:40.719 --> 00:01:48.959 Humanity is the man on the road, which was fallen, wounded, and just unable to save itself. 00:01:49.920 --> 00:01:53.280 The man is not just hurt, he is half dead. 00:01:53.519 --> 00:01:55.599 He cannot heal himself. 00:01:56.159 --> 00:01:58.319 He cannot walk himself home. 00:01:58.560 --> 00:02:01.439 He cannot contribute to his rescue. 00:02:01.840 --> 00:02:04.400 And all these details matter. 00:02:06.719 --> 00:02:10.639 The priest comes by, he sees the man and passes on the other side. 00:02:10.719 --> 00:02:12.800 Then a Levite does the same. 00:02:13.120 --> 00:02:17.120 And both of them represent law, religion, and moral effort. 00:02:17.360 --> 00:02:20.960 They can see the problem but they cannot solve it. 00:02:21.599 --> 00:02:26.159 The law can diagnose it, but it cannot heal the sin. 00:02:26.479 --> 00:02:28.319 It cannot heal the sinner. 00:02:28.879 --> 00:02:33.280 Rules can identify brokenness but they cannot restore life. 00:02:33.520 --> 00:02:35.599 Then a Samaritan comes. 00:02:35.919 --> 00:02:41.039 When Jesus would have shared this, it would have shocked the people over there. 00:02:41.599 --> 00:02:50.319 Because Samaritans were despised, they were considered unclean outsiders, and yet Jesus makes the Samaritan the hero. 00:02:51.280 --> 00:02:53.680 This is so intentional of Jesus. 00:02:53.919 --> 00:02:56.080 He is pointing to himself. 00:02:56.639 --> 00:03:00.080 The Samaritan sees the man and has compassion. 00:03:00.400 --> 00:03:04.080 Compassion moves him closer, not away. 00:03:04.800 --> 00:03:10.159 He does not ask how the man got there, he does not test his worthiness. 00:03:10.800 --> 00:03:13.840 He does not demand repentance before help. 00:03:14.159 --> 00:03:15.439 He acts first. 00:03:16.319 --> 00:03:20.000 He binds the wounds, he pours oil and wine. 00:03:20.319 --> 00:03:23.120 He lifts the man onto his own animal. 00:03:23.360 --> 00:03:25.280 He carries him to an inn. 00:03:25.520 --> 00:03:27.199 He pays the full cost. 00:03:28.319 --> 00:03:32.560 And then he promises to return and cover whatever remains. 00:03:33.439 --> 00:03:35.599 This is the finished work of Jesus. 00:03:35.919 --> 00:03:38.319 Jesus is the true good Samaritan. 00:03:38.879 --> 00:03:43.120 He comes to us in our brokenness, he binds our wounds. 00:03:43.680 --> 00:03:47.919 The oil represents the holiness, uh the Holy Spirit, sorry. 00:03:48.159 --> 00:03:50.960 The wine represents the blood of Jesus. 00:03:51.199 --> 00:03:54.639 He carries what He we could not carry. 00:03:55.360 --> 00:04:00.479 He pays a debt we could not pay, and then He promises to return. 00:04:00.800 --> 00:04:05.759 The injured man does nothing except be rescued. 00:04:06.319 --> 00:04:07.840 This is the gospel. 00:04:09.520 --> 00:04:14.240 Only after revealing this does Jesus say, go and do likewise. 00:04:14.479 --> 00:04:19.360 Not to earn salvation, but because salvation has already been given. 00:04:20.160 --> 00:04:26.480 We do not become neighbors by trying harder, we become neighbors by just living from grace. 00:04:28.480 --> 00:04:31.600 Because we have been loved, we can love. 00:04:31.839 --> 00:04:35.920 Because we have been rescued, we can notice others. 00:04:36.319 --> 00:04:40.399 Because we have received grace, we can extend grace. 00:04:41.519 --> 00:04:50.879 So the Good Samaritan story teaches us that love is not about proximity or similarity, it is about compassion. 00:04:51.120 --> 00:04:57.920 Our neighbor is not just a person who looks like us, believes like us, or lives like us. 00:04:58.160 --> 00:05:01.920 Our neighbor is the one who is in front and who needs love. 00:05:04.319 --> 00:05:08.399 But the best part is that we cannot live this parable by willpower. 00:05:08.560 --> 00:05:12.000 We can live it just because of overflow. 00:05:12.319 --> 00:05:14.800 We receive and then we give. 00:05:15.759 --> 00:05:21.120 When we know that we were the one in the ditch, we stop looking down on others. 00:05:21.839 --> 00:05:29.199 When we know that Jesus carried me or us, we are willing to carry others. 00:05:29.920 --> 00:05:36.160 When we know grace paid our full cost, generosity becomes natural. 00:05:38.720 --> 00:05:55.439 If we just slow down and see people instead of stepping over them, we offer kindness without conditions, we show compassion without any need of credit, and we love without asking if it is deserved. 00:05:55.839 --> 00:05:59.600 That is what this parable looks like in daily life. 00:06:02.319 --> 00:06:15.839 We do this not because we are trying to be a good Christian, but because we have encountered a good savior, and that's who we are here to worship as we eat his body and drink his blood. 00:06:16.800 --> 00:06:21.120 That's the only way we can have eternal life. 00:06:21.600 --> 00:06:31.920 As we partake of this, let's remember that we were found, we were healed, we were carried, and we were paid for in full. 00:06:32.639 --> 00:06:35.279 And now we can live loved. 00:06:36.639 --> 00:06:48.959 So, Father, we thank you for the finished work of the cross, and we thank you for every story in the Bible that is so intentionally shared and written. 00:06:49.279 --> 00:07:02.720 The Holy Spirit reminded people to write those stories, and we are so grateful that there is so much meat in your word that we can learn from it every time in a new way. 00:07:03.279 --> 00:07:20.319 And we thank you, Lord, for dying for us on the cross and not remaining dead, but rising again and giving us victory, giving us wholeness, giving us you as our inheritance, Jesus as our inheritance. 00:07:20.639 --> 00:07:27.600 We worship you and we fix our eyes on you alone because you alone are wise and you alone are good. 00:07:28.000 --> 00:07:29.279 In Jesus' name. 00:07:29.519 --> 00:07:30.160 Amen.