Are You as Good as a Samaritan?

Let me ask you, do you have a favorite parable? If I were to ask you what parable that Jesus gave, what parable do you like, do you think of? Perhaps, as you sit there in thinking, perhaps you think of the parable of the talents and the pounds. Perhaps you think of the parable of forgiveness.

Perhaps you think of the parable of the mustard seed. Or perhaps you think of some other parable that comes to mind, the ones that you may enjoy and like and appreciate. Lazarus and the rich man that helps you understand more about God's plan of salvation.

London, I think you may come up with is the parable of the good Samaritan. And this is going to be my subject today. What can we learn from the parable of the good Samaritan? Is there something in there for us that we can learn?

In order to understand this better, I want us first of all to understand what a parable is. What is a parable, anyway? Let me give you a quote. This comes from Nelson's illustrated Bible dictionary. The subject is parable.

What is a parable? It is a short, simple story designed to communicate a spiritual truth, a religious principle or a moral lesson, a figure of speech in which truth is illustrated by comparison or example drawn from everyday experiences.

So again, it's a story. Sometimes it's a figurative story that's intended to convey a moral lesson or some lesson.

Here's another comment, the second paragraph, done on this. It says, a parable is often no more than an extended metaphor. You know what a metaphor is? He's a rock. Well, you know he's not a rock.

Some people might say he's like a rock. That's a simile. So a metaphor or a simile. So sometimes it's an extended metaphor or it's an extended simile using figurative language in the form of a story to illustrate a particular truth.

And in fact, the Greek word for that is parabola, which means to compare alongside. It means to throw it alongside. So you throw this figurative statement alongside so you can compare it to something. And it's usually comparisons that are brought up and usually it's an intent to help illustrate some point.

Now, why did Jesus speak in parables? Why did Jesus speak in parables? Matthew 13. Then we're going to look at the parable, the good Samaritan. Matthew 13.

Matthew 13. Verses 10-13.

Disciples came and said to him, Why do you speak to them in parables? Why do you use these stories? Why do you give these figurative stories?

You know what the answer would be for most ministers, pastors, and others? Well, it's to help us understand better.

You know what? Jesus didn't say that, as we heard in the sermonette.

He made it so that you could mix a little bit of rat poison. And by the way, I was going to bring my own water bottle up here.

Because I'm not trusting the water that's under here. And I know Mr. Kievit says he likes me, but I'm not sure. Because he didn't leave the rat box underneath. I know I'm safe from rats up here anyway.

So Matthew 13, verse 11. He answered and said to them, Why do you speak to them in parables all the time?

And others would say, Well, of course, to help them understand better.

Jesus said, Because it has been given to you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been given.

You must be given the understanding, or you could come up with any number of ideas.

Verse 12, For whosoever has to him more will be given, and he will have abundance.

But whoever does not, even what he has, will be taken away.

Verse 13, Therefore I speak to them in parables, because they see a figurative example.

They see a metaphor. They see a simile. But they see, they don't see.

They see it, but they don't really grasp it.

He said, And in hearing they do not hear. They might hear it read to them, just like you could hear a sound, but if it's not a distinct sound, you don't know what is said.

They hear, but they don't hear. Neither nor do they understand. Their understanding is darkened.

So Jesus gave parables so that those who are not called of God, we're going to see in a moment, I'll give you the key right coming down in the next few verses.

So that those who don't understand can take it and mix it with rat poison. They can mix it with sugar.

Sugar and water is not going to be very nourishing to you, not for very long. But it might, for a little while, give you a little bit of a boost.

But it's not going to be good for you long-term.

Parables were given by Jesus Christ so that people could take it, go this direction, go that direction, and the only ones who will understand it are those to whom it is given.

And in fact, if you go down and look in verse 16, he says, He said, He said, in going on in verse 17, For I assuredly I say to you that many prophets and righteous men have desired to see what you see and did not see them, to hear what you hear and did not hear it.

You have to be able to understand the parables of God with the Spirit of God that gives you eyes to see and with the Word of God that interprets the Bible.

That's how you understand parables. You don't understand them by applying your own meaning. You understand them by the Spirit of God.

You understand them by having eyes to see.

Eyes to see.

And God says, I'm letting them be blind right now because it's not my time, which tells you God's not calling everybody right now. He just isn't.

That's why Mr. Keef has said, lean not your own understanding. There's a way that seems right to know. This seems like it's right.

The ends are over the ways of death.

So let's take a look at this wonderful parable. Because I want to go through the parable with you.

I'm going to go through it with you from commentaries. And then I'm going to go through it with you at the end and say, What can we as individuals learn?

And if you want to title this sermon, it's entitled, Are You As Good As The Samaritan?

You know, that's almost the parable, the Good Samaritan. The good bad guy. Samaritans were hated by the Jews.

Who were the Samaritans? They were... Remember, what was Samaria? It was the capital of Israel, the northern kingdom.

What happened to the northern kingdom was taken away by the Assyrians. And what did they do? They brought in people.

Brought people down and populated it. Those people worshipped various gods and had their idols and all the rest.

But then they began to wonder what's going on with the people of Judah.

And so they asked some prophets to come and teach them. So they sent some prophets back to them.

Those prophets only half taught them. So they were sort of a quasi-Jewish group.

But not a complete Jewish group. And as you know, they hassled and harassed those who came back from Babylon.

When the Jews came back, they were hassled as they tried to rebuild the temple in their own way at Haggai's day.

And in Nehemiah's day, they were hassled a lot.

And so they weren't exactly friends of the Jews.

And yet it's called the parable of the good-bad guy, the good Samaritan.

So let's take a look at chapter 10 of Luke.

Chapter 10 of Luke, verse 30. And this is a wonderful parable.

A wonderful parable. So let's go back to verse 25 before we get to verse 30.

Because the parables contain verses 30 to 37. Let's go back and look at verse 25.

He said, Behold, a certain lawyer stood up and tested him.

So here's a lawyer trying to put him through the rigors, ask these questions in such a way that hems you in.

He's a teacher. What shall I do to inherit eternal life? Notice what he asked. What can I do?

Now, most of those scribes and Pharisees, they wanted to think. We want to think about these things. Not do something, but what shall we do? And Jesus said, He said to him, What is written in the law?

What is your reading of it? What does the law tell you?

Take you back to what He's supposed to be. A lawyer is one who deals with the law.

And so He answered and said, You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, with all your mind and your neighbor as yourself.

You know what Jesus said to him? You have answered rightly. Do this and you will live. Do this and you will live.

And in verse 30, verse 29, here's the key. Here's why the parable was given, to put it alongside of this man's understanding.

Verse 29, but he, wanting to justify himself, said to Jesus, Define neighbor.

What, who, is my neighbor? Who is my neighbor, anyway?

So while I'm talking about this, you might ask yourself, Who is your neighbor? Who's your neighbor? Who's your neighbor? I know who my neighbor is. Is this the person who lives next door to me? That's my neighbor.

The person who works next to me in the cubicle, next to me in my office. He's my neighbor.

The person who's in the next repair shop, Bay. He's my neighbor.

Who's your neighbor?

So this man wanting to justify himself, he'll like President Clinton did years ago. What is this? It's like our power is being cut down, but that's okay.

Back on again. Good.

Who is my neighbor? So verse 30. Let's read through the parable, and then we're going to come back.

And I'll go through it very quickly with some scripture, or some support, some commentary.

And then we'll end up by giving you several points that we can learn from it.

So verse 30, Jesus answered and said, here's the parable, A certain man went down from Jerusalem to Jericho and fell among thieves, just going to read through it, who stripped him of his clothing, wounded him, and departed, leaving him half dead.

Verse 31, Now by chance a certain priest came down that road, and when he saw him, he passed by on the other side.

Walking on the sidewalk... oops, there's something, an obstacle on the sidewalk. I think I'll go to the other side.

So he goes to the other side.

Verse 32, Now likewise a Levite, when he arrived at the place, came and looked, and passed by on the other side.

Now remember, Levite and the priest are different. We'll come back and explain that.

But a certain Samaritan, as he journeyed, came where he was, and when he saw him, he had compassion on him.

Mercy, Alios, same word for mercy, blessed are the merciful, same word.

And went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring in oil and wine, and he set him on his own animal and brought him to an inn, and took care of him.

And verse 35, On the next day, when he departed, he took out two Daenerys, gave them to the innkeeper, and said to him, Take care of him, and whatever more, about thirty-four cents in our day.

But the equivalent of two days' labor, two full days' labor.

So back then, they would have bought a whole lot more than we think of what you'd get for thirty-four cents.

Here, go by yourself a couple of sticks of chewing gum, or maybe a half of a candy bar, maybe a third of a candy bar, thirty-four cents.

So take care of him, and whatever more you spend, when I come again, I will repay you.

That's the parable. So Jesus said to the men, Which of these do you think was neighbor to him that fell among the fools?

Do you ask me who's the neighbor? Which of these men? The priest? The Levite? Or the hated Samaritan? Which one?

And he said to him, couldn't say the word Samaritan, he said, He who showed mercy on him.

Then Jesus said to him, Go and do likewise. So that's the parable. Now let's go back and let's understand, and I'll try to fill in some parts to help you understand it better.

Then we're going to bring it down to, Are you as good as the Samaritan?

First of all, verse 30, notice, Then Jesus answered and said, A certain man, this certain man was probably a Jew, because if it had been anybody other than a Jew, they would have identified it.

They would have said, and a foreigner or something, but they didn't. So the commentaries unanimously agree, the certain man was probably a Jew.

So a Jew won that, right? These other men are supposed to be serving. So he went down from Jerusalem to Jericho. It's about 15 miles northeast. Jericho is of Jerusalem. And the road from, after you leave Bethany, which is very close to the Mount of Olives, after you leave Bethany, it's twisting and winding and lots of rocks and lots of places to hide and ambush people. And it became known as, it was two miles out of Jerusalem, it was called the Bloody Road, because there were a lot of people ambushed there. There was only one place along the way that you might find some refuge, and that was the inn. Not a holiday inn, by any means, but like a little quarry where you could maybe have your animals stay and you would sleep out there.

It wasn't what we think of as an inn today. Probably never even served food. But somebody lived there and stopped the people to maybe get some water and refresh themselves. But certainly nothing like we would think of as stopping at a Comfort Inn or stopping at a Motel 6 or something like that. No, it wasn't anywhere near that. Okay, so he came, as he went down from Jerusalem to Jericho on the Bloody Road, there was a descent of about 3,500 feet to Jericho. And, by the way, Jericho happened to be the largest settlement of priests. 12,000 priests and Levites lived down there. So they were in the suburbs of Jerusalem. So they were constantly going back and forth after their service in Jerusalem at the Temple. They were going back and forth. That's why you had a priest. That's why you had a Levite. And what were Levites and priests supposed to do? Serve the people. Who is injured? A Jew. Notice what happens to this Jew. This man going down, this Jew from Jerusalem to Jericho on this very dangerous road, many thieves. Actually, you're going to see, he fell among thieves. The word for thieves could be translated robbers. So it's used both ways. I checked the Greek on it. It's used for both ways. The word there is lace-tace. And that word has to do with being a robber or a thief. But a robber is how the commentaries prefer. A robber does more than just steal something. You know, that's what it's like. The thief, you usually think of somebody, just going to steal. But a robber is one who maybe ravages you, mugs you, beats you, and takes things. As you notice, they not only took his goods, they took his clothing. Whatever they could rip off of him and beat him good. Because notice, they wounded him. They didn't just steal something. Didn't just hold him up, give me your gun, give me your wallet, give me your license, or give me your money. No. They beat him up. And notice, they took his clothing, and they wounded him so badly, they departed, leaving him half dead. So here you have this clump of a man lying there on the street, or on the road, on the side of the road. I don't know, on the right side of the road, or on the right side of the road. I think they drive on the right down there in Jerusalem, as I recall. And you drive, so if you're coming down, you're walking down, or going down, and you, oop, notice what happens. Now, by chance, a certain priest came down that road. By chance, why? I'm sure it's by chance, because he's probably going back home after his service at the temple. He's on his way down. He's walking along. He sees this clump of a body there. And he just automatically goes to the other side. Now, there are laws, Deuteronomy 22, verses 1-4, and others, the principle that they should help a brother. With his animals, if you're supposed to help your brother with an animal, how much more would you want to help them with their life? You can read, check Deuteronomy 22-1-4. But they didn't. He just went to the other side. One who's supposed to be teaching the principles of God, one who's supposed to be teaching the law, did not even follow the law. So he just went to the other side. Alright, so that's a priest. And by the way, the priests were the most religious persons.

Priests. The difference between the priests? The priests offered sacrifices. The priests conducted the evening and morning services. The priest did the work of God. He was the one who was doing the work of God. A Levite was like a deacon in the church. A Levite was like a deacon. He assisted the priest. He kept the temple clean. He looked after the utensils to make sure they were kept clean and holy. So you have Jesus starting out with talking to this lawyer about who is my neighbor. He shows this priest who sees this Jewish fellow injured and doesn't even care to go over and even get near him. Then follow that up with verse 32.

Likewise, a Levite, when he arrived at the place, came and looked. And I looked up at some will say he did the exact same thing that the priest did. Others will say at least he made one gesture. He came and looked. And then he crossed to the other side. He's the second most religious person. What is the religion about? Is it all about offerings? Is it all about ritual? Or is it about service? Is it about helping? Is it about leading and guiding? So he comes, he looks, and then he goes on the other side. I would say, what possibly is the reason that they did this?

Many have perceived that it may have been danger. They may have said, well, it could be danger. Maybe there's somebody around. We better get out of here quickly. Maybe they'll hold us up. Or, I don't want to be defiled by touching a body of blood, or if it's dead.

I don't want to touch it. Or, it could have been that they felt like they didn't have time. Or, it's going to maybe cost me money and cost me time if I have to get involved in this. I don't want to get involved in this.

Whatever the reason, we don't know. It doesn't say they passed to the other side of it. Notice the third case, verse 33. But a certain Samaritan... Samaritans were lower than low. John 4-9, remember when Jesus came to the well, and he asked that lady to give him a drink. She said, a Jew asked me, a Samaritan, to give you something to drink. The Jews don't have any dealings with them. And in Matthew 10 and verse 5... Matthew 10 verse 5... We find another case here in the Baptist Samaritans. Matthew 10 verse 5, Jesus telling his disciples to go out.

And verse 5, he says, These twelve Jesus sent forth and commanded them, Go not into the way of the Gentiles, And into any city of the Samaritans, do not enter. That's how much they didn't like Matthew 10 and 5. That's how much they did not like the Samaritans. Don't go into the city of the Samaritans. And yet whom does Jesus put in this parable? A certain Samaritan. So here you have a good, bad guy. Samaritans were enemies of the Jews. Samaritans were hated. I think John 848, Jesus put Samaritans and Devil in the same category.

And that's in... if you want to check it later, I'm not going to do it. But you can check it later in John 848. So Samaritans were not well looked upon. But a certain Samaritan, as he journeyed, came to where the man was, and when he saw him... So he not only just saw a body over here, he actually went to him. He saw him. When he saw him, he had compassion on him. He had compassion on people that hated them.

He hated, and they hated the Jews back. And he went to him, and he bandaged his wounds. They poured an oil and wine, which is typically... They mixed it together and made kind of an emollient for them to help soothe and heal, as well as to cleanse. And he brought him... and he took him, and he sent him on his own animal. They actually had to help him onto his own animal, so he couldn't ride. If he were riding, he'd let the other man ride until they got to the inn.

He put him on his own animal, and he brought him to an inn, and it's the only inn on that way down. I think they have some remnants of it left. But he went, and he took this man, took him to an inn, and notice the last part of verse 34, and took care of him. He didn't just dump him off and say, okay, here's a wounded person. I'll go this far. That's it. He took care of him, which meant he spent the night there, looking after him, perhaps dressing his wounds, perhaps getting him some hot tea, or whatever they served over at that time, some hot chicory, or whatever they gave him, and helping this man, doing what he could.

And in verse 35, on the next day, when he departed, so as he was leaving, so it tells you he spent the night, he took out two denarii, and the denarii was worth 15 to 17 cents, so times two is either 30 to 34 cents, which is the equivalent of two days' wages in those days for the average person. Two days, he would have to work to make up that same amount of money, and according to one commentary, they have ten times more could be bought with that amount than not.

My dad used to tell me about the days when he lived in the 1920s, they could buy eggs for a dozen eggs for five cents, or 12 cents for ten cents, and three cents would buy you a lot, and all the rest, so that money went far. But he gave him enough for two days' worth of work that he would cost him. He said, here, take this money, gave it to the innkeeper, and said to him, take care of him. Typically, innkeepers did not. Typically, innkeepers would not even feed anybody, except from their own table. So he said, here, give him something to eat, take care of him. And he said, and whatever more you spend, when I come again, I will repay you. Whatever. I'll settle with you.

Now, you don't think that's strange, because many times at our service station in western Pennsylvania, there were people who came, oh, forgot my credit card, oh, no, okay, stop by and pay us later. And we trusted them. My grandfather trusted a lot of people during the Great Depression, because he had a general goods store, clothing, shoes, socks, everything. And when people came to him, they couldn't pay him, please, Mr. David, our kids don't have any shoes for school, please, Mr. David, we don't have any socks, please, Mr. David, our kids need a jacket. Okay, here, take a sign that you owe me, and you need to take it. You know how many people paid him back afterwards? Zero. Nobody came and paid him back. But he did it anyway, because he wanted to care for other people. So this innkeeper said, okay, I'll do it, I'll trust you. And they could trust people back then, so anyways, I'll repay you. Now, verse 36, so which of these three do you think was neighbor to him who fell among the thieves? Now, would you call your enemy your neighbor? My enemy is my neighbor. I don't think we would. Not in our day and age. Remember my enemy? I don't want to do anything for them. Though Jesus said, pray for them, love your enemies. If they hunger, give them something to eat, and let God take care of dealing with them for you. So he said, which of these three? And notice, verse 37, the lawyer could not utter the word Samaritan. They were so despised. So he only said, he who showed mercy on him. Couldn't say. The Samaritan was the one who was my neighbor, who showed neighborly care. Then Jesus said to him, go and do likewise. That would be very tough for him to do. So that's the parable. Let's go through and ask ourselves some questions. And ask ourselves, are we as good as a Samaritan? Because what lessons can we learn from this teaching of Jesus? What lessons? Lesson number one. Who is my neighbor? Who is your neighbor? Who was the neighbor? An enemy in this case. Your neighbor is whoever you come in contact with. Your neighbor is the person who works next to you, lives next to you. But your neighbor is the person who's driving in the automobile in front of you and behind you, and beside you. The server at the restaurant. The hotel clerk. Who's your neighbor? Jesus didn't say, it's the person who lives next to you and treats you nicely. Who's your neighbor? Who is yours? So in this section we see in Luke 10, verses 25-27, let's look at Luke chapter 10, verses 25-27. That's the lawyer wanted to find out. Who is my neighbor? And Jesus went on to show him who his neighbor was. He was looking to justify himself. Those in our areas of life are our neighbors. At home, next to our home, our work, our school, our social activities, and in our country, our community. Those are your neighbors. The people you interact with day by day. And some of them may be new. They may not be the same people all the time. That's your neighbor. That's the number one. Who's your neighbor? Number two. Love your enemies. Lesson number two. Who helped a man? An enemy. One that was hated. One that Jews would have nothing to do with. They didn't even want to go into their cities. But in Matthew 5, 44, what does Jesus Christ say? Matthew 5, verse 44, you probably know that scripture. Have it memorized.

On the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus Christ said this. But I say to you, love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them that despitefully use you and persecute you. Jesus Christ said, love your enemies. And this Samaritan loved his enemy. He loved his enemy. So if you consider someone that you don't like, you still should love them. You still should try to help them in any way you could, if they will allow you. That's lesson number two, love your enemies. Lesson number three. If you love somebody, you don't just say, oh, I love you, love you, love you, love you. The Samaritan did say, oh, you're hurting so, oh, I so pity you, I love you, I love you. Did he just stand there loving him? Or did he do something? Love leads to service. Galatians 5, 13. Remember this scripture? Galatians 5 and verse 13. But the Apostle Paul wrote to those in the region of Galatia, he said this, For you, brethren, have been called to liberty, only don't use your liberty as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another. So if you love your enemy, you'll help him. You'll help him. I don't know where I got my boldness, maybe from the scriptures. I had a man who wanted to kill me and my family.

I think he went a little bit off his rocker. I had to put him out of the church because he was that much of a threat to the church. So he hated me. He wanted me to get his tithes and offerings back that he had given for years, and I couldn't. So I put him on to our Vancouver office, and sat him in Canada, and Mr. Wilson rouse him up, hoping that he could get him to come out after him. So I didn't work, Mr. Wilson. Now he hates me more. Sends me letters. I'm going to kill him. I see your kid.

You better pray that I don't get upset. I'm going to come and kill your guy. I know you're where your kids go to school. I'll get him. They just walked down the street from our house. I know where you lived. He did. He was going over to our house in a spokesman's club. He knew where it was.

And for several months, we were on pins and needles. The deacons in the church said, we'll come and stay at your house one by one. We'll stay there and spend the night so that you can get a good night's sleep. I said, I would not have you risk your life for me. But wasn't it nice that they even wanted to do that?

Come and sleep on our dust in case this guy tried to come in. Finally took it to the police. You know what they said? This man is a real threat to you. They read his letters. We will keep an eye on him. You could do two things. You could slap him with a restraining order, or you could have him put in a psychiatric ward, which they'll look him over for a while and release him.

When he releases him, he'll be more mad at you. Or we can just monitor him and keep our eyes and hope that he doesn't do anything. So they monitored him. And I had two detectives come out and talk to me about it. Finally, after a couple months, they called me and they said, I don't think you have to worry anymore. This man has gone out of left the country. So they knew he had gone out of left the country and went somewhere else.

I know where he is. But anyway, this man, when he calmed down, we had a public appearance campaign, which is open to anybody. Guess who shows up? He does. Now he seems to have a change of heart. He wants to come back to church, wants to do it. So we let him come back. Even our deacons were aware. They kept an eye. And so I invited him to our home for dinner. I had one of our deacons there with us. And I kept my eyes on him very carefully when he came. He was of normal disposition.

Then he flipped back again to the bed of disposition, threatening us again. And that's when he had to basically be monitored by the police. And he finally left. But I know what it's like to feed your enemy.

Because we had him to our house with our children at the table. And I did it based on the principle of the Scriptures. And I prayed to God hard and long. And I could see he was in a good mood when I invited him. And he was accepted to come to our house. Later on he turned sour. And he finally proclaimed whatever he was and left. So he could not be as... he was so erratic and so whatever influenced. But I could not let him come to church. So he finally left. And I do know what it's like. So he says, my love served. You don't just stand to run.

You actually do something. Number four, fourth lesson. So third lesson, love leads the service. Fourth lesson, you are not too good to serve others. You're not too good to serve others. Can I throw chairs around? Of course. Have I thrown chairs around? Yes. Have I stood in hand and not traced the piece of...

Yes. I'm not above that. I have cleaned toilets. I have swept dirty floors. I have worked as a janitor at Ambassador College. I know what it's like to be... I can do it. But is it profitable for me to be cleaning up things or visiting with God's people or anointing them or praying with them or counseling them? So it's a matter of priorities. And that's why the disciples said, it doesn't make sense for us to wait on tables when we need to be ministering the Word of God.

There's no ministers too good to do anything. I've helped people to move. I've helped people pour their... In my younger days, I've gone and done a lot of those things. Even in my older days, helped Mary move. She was moving from Mary Snyder, went over and helped her move in or move out because I could do it. I'm not above that. Nobody's above that. Can't say, well, that's beneath me to help that person. After all, they don't think very highly of me anyway.

I'm just a Samaritan. No, you've got to be willing. Not too good to serve. Romans 12. Romans 12 and verse 9. Romans 12 and verse 9. So we're at point number 4. Romans 12 verse 9. Let love be without hypocrisy. Don't pretend. Abhor what is evil cleaved to what is good. Be kindly affection to one another with brotherly love in honor, giving preference to the other person, not lagging in diligence, fervent in spirit, serving the Lord.

Because who are you doing it for? Rejoicing in hope, patient in tribulation, continuing steadfast in prayer, distributing to the needs of the saints and given to hospitality. Bless those who persecute you. Bless and do not curse. Rejoice with those who rejoice and weep with those who weep. Be of the same mind one toward another and do not set your mind on high things.

I'll do it well. If I can show off, I'll do it. Do not set your mind on high things, but associate with the humble. Do not be wise in your own opinion. Repay no one evil for evil. Have regard for good things in the sight of all men. If it's possible as much as depends on you, live peaceably with all men. Some people won't let you.

I've learned that. They won't let me live peaceable with them. I stay away. I learn a lesson. I'm actually loving them. Because I'm treating them the way I would want to be treated. If I wanted you to stay away from me, I would hope you'd stay away from me. But those are few and far between. Beloved, do not avenge yourselves, but rather give place to wrath for it is written, vengeance is mine.

I will repay, says the Lord. Therefore, if your enemy hungers, feed him. If he's thirsty, give him drink. So doing, you'll heat coals of fire on his head. Don't be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good. Nobody is too good to help. Now, does that mean older people who have heart trouble should be throwing piles of chairs around?

No! You know what you can do? You have heart trouble? You can throw around your prayers. You can pray for people more fervently. You can think about them. You can pray for them. You can talk to them. You can send them a note. You can cheer them up. Don't have to give up and quit because you're physically not as able as we once were. So nobody's too good to serve. Number five, don't expect anything in return. Don't expect anything in return.

And that's John 15, verses 12 and 13. John 15, verses 12 and 13, we read this. This is my commandment that you love one another as I loved you. Greater love has no man than this to lay down one's life for his friends. You know what? If I lay down my life for my friend, nobody's going to be able to repay me. Because I'll be dead.

If I put myself in the place of somebody else who's about to be killed, and I die, they can't repay me. There's no way. If you love as Christ loves, you don't love saying, I'll scratch your back when you scratch mine. I'll give you something to eat if you invite me to your place to give me something to eat. That's called the law of reciprocity, and that's where we try to make ourselves pay back and do something for someone. I remember at Christmas time, my mother would get these cards and put them on the wall. She sent a card to me, didn't send us a card. I'm taking her off my list. She didn't send us one. That's what I mean. If you do it just because you want to get something back, that's not what you do. Did the Samaritan expect anything back? No. The guy he left was probably still injured. Maybe he still had a concussion. Who knows how he was feeling? But he still took care of him, didn't he? Love is Jesus' love. Number six, be merciful to all. Be merciful to all. Matthew 5, again, Matthew 5, Sermon on the Mount. Jesus said this, Blessed are the merciful, the same root as Elios, he that showed compassion and mercy. Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy. Be merciful to all people. Verse 45 tells you why you should love your enemy. Matthew 5, verse 45, he said, Love your enemies. Verse 44, verse 45, that you may be the children of your Father which is in heaven, for he makes the Son to rise on the evil and on the good. He sends rain on the just and on the unjust. He sent rain on the... I hope on just. But anyway, on my just he sent it on me, too. Either way, he sent it on us today. He didn't restrict the rain to only the just. He sent it on all. We have to be merciful to all. Be merciful to all. You know what it says in one of the fruits? Let's see. One of the fruits of wisdom comes from above. One of the points is, Full of mercy and good fruits. You know what one translation puts in her Barclays commentary says, You show mercy to people even if they deserved. Even if they don't deserve it. What if somebody does something wrong? Good for him, he's getting his comeuppance. Could you feel sorry for that person, even though they're having something come against them? Even they're getting their comeuppance? They're getting justice? Could you feel sorry for them? Yes, you can.

Mercy. Full of mercy and good fruits. Mercy toward those who even if they don't deserve it. That's what God wants us to be, have that mercy. Matthew 5 and verse 7. Point number 7, then. Have compassion. Have compassion for others. And do something about it. Have compassion and do something about it. Look at 1 John 3. 1 John 3 verses 16 to 18. 1 John 3 verses 16 to 18. We'll see what the Apostle John, who I believe is the Apostle of love, that why Jesus loved him more than others, because I think he got it. He understood it better. He read his writings. You see, he speaks a lot about the love of God.

1 John 3 verse 16. He said, By this we know love, because he laid down his life for us. We also ought to lay down our lives for the brethren. But whosoever has this world's goods, and sees his brother in need, so he might have compassion. Oh, that person really needs some help. And shuts up his heart from him. How does the love of God abide in him? If he only feels it, verse 18, my little children, let us not love in word or in tongue, but indeed and in truth.

So it's not enough to just be mercy for all the poor persons. It feels so bad for them. Oh, my! It bothers me. What do you do about it? Anything? If you can help. That's point 7. Have compassion. Do something about it. Care. And 8th, that last point, is be alert. Not L-E-R-T. Don't be alert. Be alert. There are lots of alerts around, though. You want to be alert. Be alert and don't fear. If you're going to help people, you've got to be alert. There's somebody over there. No. I caution you this. Don't take chances in our world today. We've had one young lady in New Jersey in the church, going home at night on a small country road, saw a car off to the side of the road, and a person lying down on the side.

So she pulled up to stop to see if they needed her. She got off to go look, and two guys jumped out of the woods and raped her, took her car, left her there, her belongings, and left her there, drove off. All three of the people were there. One person was pretending to be hurt. She stopped to help them. I tell you, be careful. Be careful. I remember in Buffalo, Charles Bryce and I were driving. He was my assistant at the time. He's a big tall Texan. And the two of us were driving, and there was a lady off the side of the road, where the car was like flat-tower or something.

So we pulled up in front, and we had our students on over to the car with jackets on. Can we help you? Yeah, the tire's bad. Okay. Well, I would do it then, because it's just him and me. And we're in a lonely road somewhere. So you have to be careful, because the love of many waxes cold today, because the niquity abounds.

There's so much sin that you have to be careful about helping. And that's sad. But I'm telling you to be alert. Look around, see what's happening, and don't be fearful. But I'm not going to jeopardize my wife and my children by me trying to do something to help others and get them hurt. You want to be alert, but you also want to be not fearful. Note what's going on in your neighborhood, not as a gossip. You see somebody walking around the house of a neighbor, looking around and casing the place.

You want to alert them. You want to be aware. You want to be...but not be nosy. Not be a gossip. I try not to be a gossip. I try not to care about some people. Did you know this happened over that group? I don't know. I don't pay attention. I've got enough to keep this guy in check, and I've got enough to keep my interest in doing the work of God.

Then to try to be worried about how somebody else is either doing or not doing the work of God. I'm not a gossip. But I do try to be aware of what happens in my area. I try to be aware of what happens to my neighbors, and you need to do as well. Philippians 2, verses 3 and 4. Here's what the Apostle Paul wrote to a church that he loved. Philippians 2, verses 3 and 4. Jesus wrote this... Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind, let each esteem the other better than himself.

Elevate others, keep yourself in check. Verse 4. And I'm not one that says, beat yourself down, put yourself in the ground. I'm a rat. I'm a rat. I'm a skunk. I'm a no-good louse. But you know, louses, as far as I know, lice can do very little good. Except maybe it needs somebody's food. I was reading an article in Psychology today. You know, about one-third of the world eats insects.

They grind them up in the flour, and they eat them. One-third of the world, two billion people, live on them. And I said, there's really good protein in this certain kind of a worm. There's really good protein. There's good protein in a skunk, but I don't want to eat it. But the point being, if I'm a louse, if I'm low down, I can't help anybody, because I'm too out of the picture. I'm too weak. I'm too unknowledgeable to help people.

So don't beat yourself down, but learn to express appreciation for and on or all. And notice what he says in verse 4, Let each of you look not only for your own interests, but also for the interests of others. I bet anything if you rent a car, you don't care how you drive it. That's a rental car.

It's just a rental car. I bet you don't care if it's going backwards and you throw it into front gear, because it's not your car. Would I do that with my car? No. Why don't you look out for the interests of others? Why is it...well, it's not mine. Hotel room, let me trash this, because I pay for this maid to keep this room clean, so let her do her job.

Let's give her more work to do so she has job security. Is that what you should do? Think about it. And what about your neighbor? Look on his things or her things, too, with a care. 2 Timothy 1, verses 6 and 7 says, God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power, of love, and of a sound mind. So if you're going to learn something from this, that Samaritan took a risk. He went over there. He put himself in a position where some other, maybe a follow-up gang, could have jumped in, but he didn't care. He jumped in and helped.

We also need to have that same kind of a care toward our neighbors. And again, I caution safety, safety, when you do so. So those are the lessons that we could learn. Who's my neighbor? Everyone that I come in contact with. And what are you supposed to do? Your enemies love them. You're supposed to, if you love them, serve them. And if you serve them, you're not too good to get in and serve. And you should not expect anything in return. I'm not giving Jesus love to love. Not love to expect something back. You should be merciful to all. We should have compassion. We should care. We should feel for people that are hurt. And more than that, we should do something about it. And finally, be alert. Don't fear. Help others. So now you have the biblical interpretation of go you and do likewise, or of the parable, the good Samaritan. And are you, then, when you look at yourself, as good as the Samaritan? And if not, I would encourage us all to go and do likewise.