1 00:00:00,320 --> 00:00:08,640 Parables are like onions. They're like onions really are. 2 00:00:08,640 --> 00:00:13,600 They need peeling away. I think I grew up thinking 3 00:00:13,600 --> 00:00:19,760 parables were a way of making hard ideas easy. 4 00:00:21,120 --> 00:00:24,320 And Jesus doesn't say that. In fact, when he does, the 5 00:00:24,320 --> 00:00:26,760 parable of the so and they go, why'd you why'd you do that? 6 00:00:26,760 --> 00:00:30,210 Why'd you talk in stories he says that that people. 7 00:00:30,210 --> 00:00:33,370 He quotes the Old Testament and Jesus says that so people will 8 00:00:33,370 --> 00:00:35,330 be ever hearing and never knowing. 9 00:00:37,450 --> 00:00:43,450 He he he knows that you and I, we we are really bad listeners. 10 00:00:46,050 --> 00:00:49,610 We're really bad listeners. And so he has to create 11 00:00:49,610 --> 00:00:53,690 something that makes us dig in and explore. 12 00:00:53,890 --> 00:00:58,570 Want to peel away and find out more. 13 00:00:58,770 --> 00:01:03,490 If he could just offer it to us on the plate, we would just kind 14 00:01:03,490 --> 00:01:06,290 of throw it away. So. 15 00:01:06,290 --> 00:01:10,890 So Jesus constructs something that means that we peel away, we 16 00:01:10,890 --> 00:01:13,610 keep looking. There is more levels, more 17 00:01:13,610 --> 00:01:17,330 layers. And so as we kind of do the 18 00:01:17,330 --> 00:01:21,090 parables over the summer, we're actually meant to be looking for 19 00:01:21,090 --> 00:01:24,330 more. And actually an obstacle to kind 20 00:01:24,330 --> 00:01:29,180 of understanding the parables is knowing them we've kind of 21 00:01:29,180 --> 00:01:32,380 formed our opinion. We've kind of sort of said well 22 00:01:32,380 --> 00:01:35,540 that's that's about I've done that one, done next one. 23 00:01:36,260 --> 00:01:39,380 But actually if he really is trying to make us kind of 24 00:01:39,420 --> 00:01:42,540 explore and understand something, there is more than 25 00:01:42,540 --> 00:01:44,980 what you know to it. And so I'd like you to do 26 00:01:44,980 --> 00:01:48,820 something for me, I want you to think about we're going to look 27 00:01:48,820 --> 00:01:50,380 at the parable of the Good Samaritan. 28 00:01:50,860 --> 00:01:54,380 I'd like you to think about what you think Good Samaritan story 29 00:01:54,380 --> 00:01:57,850 is all about. And I'd like you in your mind to 30 00:01:58,970 --> 00:02:06,330 tear it up and throw it away and come to it fresh, like Jesus 31 00:02:06,330 --> 00:02:09,009 listeners would have done. They never heard it before. 32 00:02:09,289 --> 00:02:14,730 This was a brand new story and look at it through their eyes. 33 00:02:15,730 --> 00:02:20,450 One of the privileges of my job is to, as I go into school and I 34 00:02:20,450 --> 00:02:23,810 tell these stories to people who have never heard them before. 35 00:02:24,580 --> 00:02:29,100 And and what we hear back is mind blowing, which is here just 36 00:02:29,140 --> 00:02:33,460 extraordinary comments and ideas that they're a little bit 37 00:02:33,460 --> 00:02:37,460 disturbing sometimes and and sometimes you think, gosh, you 38 00:02:37,460 --> 00:02:41,060 should be a preacher. How, how did you get there? 39 00:02:42,260 --> 00:02:45,500 So we're at this parable, the parable of the Good Samaritan. 40 00:02:45,700 --> 00:02:49,580 Since September, Steph has taught her over 40 times in 41 00:02:49,580 --> 00:02:52,260 school. So that's kind of 1300 young 42 00:02:52,260 --> 00:02:56,830 people we've sat with kind of just playing with this idea and 43 00:02:56,830 --> 00:02:58,510 talking about and hearing back for them. 44 00:02:58,830 --> 00:03:05,030 Some of them say it's about morality and ethics. 45 00:03:05,430 --> 00:03:07,590 Some of them say it's about nationalism. 46 00:03:08,030 --> 00:03:10,190 Some of them say it's about racism. 47 00:03:10,590 --> 00:03:13,030 Some of them say it's about religious prejudice. 48 00:03:13,630 --> 00:03:16,950 Some of them say it's an analogy of Jesus. 49 00:03:17,270 --> 00:03:22,000 We we've heard so many different views about the story so I might 50 00:03:22,000 --> 00:03:24,960 draw on a little bit of what some you know, 14 year olds have 51 00:03:24,960 --> 00:03:28,800 been teaching me about it. One of the things that really 52 00:03:28,800 --> 00:03:34,080 struck me was this year. Do you remember when Extinction 53 00:03:34,080 --> 00:03:37,280 rebellion kind of protested near the M25 and it got shut down a 54 00:03:37,280 --> 00:03:39,960 bit so. So I was teaching on parables 55 00:03:39,960 --> 00:03:43,920 that day and I went into school and I went through and worked 56 00:03:43,920 --> 00:03:46,960 through with these amazing 30 young smart people that this 57 00:03:46,960 --> 00:03:52,320 story and and we go on to a slide of what Martin Luther King 58 00:03:52,320 --> 00:03:55,480 thinks about this, this story. Martin Luther King says, he 59 00:03:55,480 --> 00:04:00,240 calls it the great Reversal. He says that as the as the 60 00:04:00,800 --> 00:04:05,560 priest and his leafy walked by and see this man or woman broken 61 00:04:05,560 --> 00:04:09,200 on the side of the road, they asked themselves, if I stop to 62 00:04:09,200 --> 00:04:14,920 help them, what will happen to me, Martin Luther King says. 63 00:04:14,920 --> 00:04:18,279 And then the Good Samaritan comes along and he sees this 64 00:04:18,279 --> 00:04:22,029 person by the side of the road and he reverses the question and 65 00:04:22,029 --> 00:04:27,670 says if I don't stop to help them, what will happen to them. 66 00:04:28,870 --> 00:04:32,110 So we put this slide up, One of the student reads it out and 67 00:04:32,110 --> 00:04:35,950 then they will discuss it. And then this one kid who had 68 00:04:35,950 --> 00:04:39,070 been late to the lesson because his trip to school had been 69 00:04:39,070 --> 00:04:44,310 disrupted by the by by the motorway being kind of slowed 70 00:04:44,310 --> 00:04:48,710 down slightly, he puts his hands up and says, So if this is about 71 00:04:49,190 --> 00:04:54,630 helping others, no matter what the cost is to you and the world 72 00:04:54,630 --> 00:05:00,470 is in a really bad state, does this mean that you should do 73 00:05:00,470 --> 00:05:04,230 things that that cost you, like might put you at risk? 74 00:05:04,710 --> 00:05:07,670 And I was like, that's a hard one to answer in school because 75 00:05:07,670 --> 00:05:10,310 you don't want to encourage kids to do something dangerous, but 76 00:05:10,550 --> 00:05:12,070 that's a good way of reading their story. 77 00:05:12,070 --> 00:05:13,910 So I said, that's a good way of reading a story. 78 00:05:14,310 --> 00:05:19,500 He said then why aren't all Christians in extinction 79 00:05:19,500 --> 00:05:25,340 rebellion? Sorry. 80 00:05:25,340 --> 00:05:28,260 And he was like, if if we're really worried about our planet, 81 00:05:29,540 --> 00:05:31,460 why, why aren't we doing things that cost us? 82 00:05:31,460 --> 00:05:35,100 And I was like, I I need to shut this down right now. 83 00:05:35,460 --> 00:05:37,900 You know what? And I felt really, really 84 00:05:37,900 --> 00:05:41,140 uncomfortable. But interesting how a 14 year 85 00:05:41,140 --> 00:05:44,740 old reads a story that we have heard so many times and then 86 00:05:44,740 --> 00:05:48,100 he's like, well, if this is true and we care about our planet, we 87 00:05:48,100 --> 00:05:51,260 need to do something. So I'm not saying whether I or 88 00:05:51,260 --> 00:05:53,500 anyone else should agree with that perspective. 89 00:05:53,860 --> 00:05:56,580 But isn't it fascinating when you come to a story for the 90 00:05:56,580 --> 00:06:02,220 first time and you try and make sense of it in your context, how 91 00:06:02,220 --> 00:06:04,540 it should challenge you and my prayer? 92 00:06:04,540 --> 00:06:08,300 My hope is as you come to this story for the first time, as 93 00:06:08,300 --> 00:06:12,300 you've ripped up everything you know about it, you have the 94 00:06:12,300 --> 00:06:14,940 privilege of maybe seeing it slightly different. 95 00:06:15,260 --> 00:06:17,660 So I'm going to share kind of my perspective on it. 96 00:06:18,180 --> 00:06:20,980 But my job is to lead you in worship, and your job is to look 97 00:06:21,020 --> 00:06:23,780 for Jesus and allow him to speak to you. 98 00:06:24,940 --> 00:06:29,260 So let's get peeling, take some layers off. 99 00:06:29,580 --> 00:06:32,140 And so to understand this parable, we need to understand 100 00:06:32,140 --> 00:06:34,940 the context. We're going to start in our 101 00:06:34,940 --> 00:06:38,780 Bibles at Loop 1025, which is where the story starts. 102 00:06:39,520 --> 00:06:41,800 If you've got your Bibles or your devices, have a look, but 103 00:06:41,960 --> 00:06:44,920 they're going to appear on the screen as well. 104 00:06:45,600 --> 00:06:52,200 So Luke 1025 says this. On one occasion an expert of the 105 00:06:52,200 --> 00:06:56,160 law stood up to test Jesus teacher. 106 00:06:56,280 --> 00:07:02,600 He said, what must I do to inherit eternal life? 107 00:07:03,600 --> 00:07:07,280 So this experts of the law we might call them a lawyer stood 108 00:07:07,280 --> 00:07:13,820 up to test or as many kids in school say trap Jesus. 109 00:07:15,340 --> 00:07:22,380 Interesting little thing he he appears to be trying to distract 110 00:07:22,380 --> 00:07:24,140 Jesus. We don't know if he's like and 111 00:07:24,220 --> 00:07:26,580 he's that annoying person that when you get in a good 112 00:07:26,580 --> 00:07:29,940 conversation sidetracks, it all takes you off target and you're 113 00:07:29,940 --> 00:07:37,460 like, he appears to be that person and he actually is is 114 00:07:37,860 --> 00:07:41,220 inviting Jesus into a popular debate, Debate at the time. 115 00:07:42,220 --> 00:07:45,100 So we have popular debates, we have Brexit, we have the 116 00:07:45,100 --> 00:07:47,540 environment. Everyone has an opinion on it. 117 00:07:47,540 --> 00:07:50,060 Everyone think has a different view. 118 00:07:50,460 --> 00:07:54,060 He's inviting Jesus into a divisive conversation. 119 00:07:54,060 --> 00:07:58,740 You see at the time there was a debate going on about eternity. 120 00:08:00,140 --> 00:08:02,540 Now one side say when you die, you die. 121 00:08:02,540 --> 00:08:05,100 That's it. There was another side that said 122 00:08:05,100 --> 00:08:09,140 when you die, there was a life after the one side that said 123 00:08:09,220 --> 00:08:12,780 when you die, you die said, So the debate really is about 124 00:08:12,780 --> 00:08:17,900 whether you have a life full of meaning while you're here, a 125 00:08:17,900 --> 00:08:22,340 long life, an eternal life, or you have a short, meaningless 126 00:08:22,340 --> 00:08:25,220 life. That was the debate that Jesus 127 00:08:25,220 --> 00:08:30,580 was being invited into. And so when Jesus says, you 128 00:08:30,580 --> 00:08:35,020 know, I'm, I give you life and life in all its fullness, He is 129 00:08:35,020 --> 00:08:37,780 stepping into a debate that everyone was having. 130 00:08:38,020 --> 00:08:40,820 Everyone has an opinion. Everyone had a kind of 131 00:08:40,820 --> 00:08:43,059 perspective on it. It was divisive. 132 00:08:43,539 --> 00:08:47,700 The Jesus has been sidetracked, it would appear into something 133 00:08:47,700 --> 00:08:52,140 that everyone is talking about. So what do you think he's kind 134 00:08:52,140 --> 00:08:56,780 of asking Jesus, what are you promoting A value. 135 00:08:56,780 --> 00:09:00,540 What is the most important thing to you? 136 00:09:02,230 --> 00:09:03,870 We don't know if it really is a test. 137 00:09:03,870 --> 00:09:07,470 The text text says he's testing him, he's trapping him. 138 00:09:08,390 --> 00:09:09,830 But we'll find out quite quickly. 139 00:09:09,830 --> 00:09:12,510 This becomes almost like a discipleship question. 140 00:09:14,270 --> 00:09:18,470 So Jesus, we're going to read on that and see what what Jesus 141 00:09:18,470 --> 00:09:22,070 says. So 26 to 28, Jesus says this. 142 00:09:22,350 --> 00:09:25,310 What is written in the law? He replied. 143 00:09:25,630 --> 00:09:29,230 How do you read it? Really good way of avoiding a 144 00:09:29,230 --> 00:09:36,200 trap is to say nothing. The ball back in their court and 145 00:09:36,200 --> 00:09:39,400 the the, the, the, the expert in the Lord, he answers. 146 00:09:39,840 --> 00:09:43,960 Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, 147 00:09:43,960 --> 00:09:47,120 with all your strength and with all your mind. 148 00:09:47,760 --> 00:09:53,280 And love your neighbor as yourself. 149 00:09:55,200 --> 00:09:58,160 Really really interesting answer. 150 00:09:58,880 --> 00:10:02,530 You see he quotes 10 commandments, the beginning of 151 00:10:02,530 --> 00:10:06,690 the 10 commandments, and then he zooms all the way to Leviticus 152 00:10:06,690 --> 00:10:13,290 19 and he quotes one line out of Leviticus 19 in between those 153 00:10:13,290 --> 00:10:19,370 two, Exodus 20 and Leviticus 19, which let me show you how much 154 00:10:19,370 --> 00:10:22,130 of the Bible is it is as it helps a bit. 155 00:10:23,330 --> 00:10:32,540 There you go. So this much is all laws, 156 00:10:32,780 --> 00:10:37,900 instructions, how to live when Moses started setting them out. 157 00:10:38,580 --> 00:10:40,900 So. So he's kind of saying to Jesus 158 00:10:41,300 --> 00:10:44,060 well actually it's from the beginning of them to the end of 159 00:10:44,060 --> 00:10:46,900 them. You, you, you, you, you love God 160 00:10:46,900 --> 00:10:49,340 with all of that. You need to get them all right. 161 00:10:49,460 --> 00:10:51,980 Every page. You need to get it all sorted. 162 00:10:54,180 --> 00:10:56,660 Really, really interested. So you got it, You got to be 163 00:10:56,660 --> 00:10:58,660 perfect. You got to follow all of these 164 00:10:58,660 --> 00:11:10,580 statutes beginning to end. And Jesus answers this, so we'll 165 00:11:10,580 --> 00:11:17,860 read verse 2928. You have answered correctly. 166 00:11:17,860 --> 00:11:21,300 Jesus replied, Do this and you shall live. 167 00:11:21,740 --> 00:11:26,780 So if you manage to fulfill do all those every day every moment 168 00:11:27,460 --> 00:11:30,730 then you will have a life full of meaning. 169 00:11:32,490 --> 00:11:35,650 Pretty tough call. And I think suddenly this young 170 00:11:35,650 --> 00:11:42,010 man that's trying to distract Jesus with a test goes Oh no I 171 00:11:42,010 --> 00:11:45,770 didn't really expect you to say that I have to follow every bit 172 00:11:45,770 --> 00:11:51,530 of this And and so he he goes on let me read what he goes on so 173 00:11:51,530 --> 00:11:54,690 do this and you will live as 20 science says. 174 00:11:54,970 --> 00:12:01,570 But he wanted to justify himself, so he asked Jesus and 175 00:12:01,570 --> 00:12:04,730 who is my neighbor? So he goes all the way to the 176 00:12:04,730 --> 00:12:09,490 end to this one bit in Exodus 19 and says, well, who who's my 177 00:12:09,490 --> 00:12:14,850 neighbor? But he wanted to justify 178 00:12:15,010 --> 00:12:18,610 himself. Think back maybe 4 weeks and 179 00:12:18,610 --> 00:12:20,730 Mark talks about that word, didn't he? 180 00:12:20,730 --> 00:12:24,610 He talked that way that that we are justified, we are 181 00:12:24,610 --> 00:12:31,870 sanctified, we are glorified, we are justified by what Jesus did 182 00:12:31,870 --> 00:12:34,270 on the cross. But this young man doesn't want 183 00:12:34,270 --> 00:12:36,710 that. He wants to justify himself. 184 00:12:36,710 --> 00:12:40,830 So if we want to stand right before God on our own, we need 185 00:12:40,830 --> 00:12:45,350 to fulfill keep all of those. And he's starting to feel a 186 00:12:45,350 --> 00:12:47,470 little bit awkward. And he seems to be a little bit 187 00:12:47,470 --> 00:12:49,190 awkward about one particular bit. 188 00:12:49,710 --> 00:12:52,110 And that is about who is my neighbor? 189 00:12:52,550 --> 00:12:55,870 Who? Who is it not that that I should 190 00:12:55,870 --> 00:12:58,730 love? Who is it that I should love? 191 00:12:58,730 --> 00:13:01,130 Who is it that I should it should treat as myself. 192 00:13:01,370 --> 00:13:05,450 Who is that specifically? And I think in this moment we 193 00:13:05,450 --> 00:13:08,850 see something of who Jesus is. This young man has come along. 194 00:13:08,850 --> 00:13:12,010 He's tried to distract Jesus. He's asked that kind of awkward 195 00:13:12,010 --> 00:13:14,330 conversation that drags him into a popular debate. 196 00:13:15,890 --> 00:13:18,530 And then he's kind of fallen a cropper of Jesus asking him 197 00:13:18,530 --> 00:13:21,090 questions. And he suddenly realized, Oh my 198 00:13:21,090 --> 00:13:25,130 goodness, I can't do that. So he wants to justify the thing 199 00:13:25,130 --> 00:13:30,350 he's struggling with and and and in this moment we see Jesus for 200 00:13:30,390 --> 00:13:33,310 who he is and all his beauty and all his glory. 201 00:13:33,590 --> 00:13:36,630 Rather than being frustrated that he's been thrown off track, 202 00:13:36,990 --> 00:13:41,750 he sees the one in front of him. He sees the you and the me, and 203 00:13:41,750 --> 00:13:47,030 he velves into that situation. And so Jesus actually goes and 204 00:13:47,030 --> 00:13:49,510 explores that one line with this young man. 205 00:13:49,870 --> 00:13:53,830 So if we could put up the Exodus passage, we're going to look at 206 00:13:53,830 --> 00:13:56,740 that. So the Exodus passage, actually, 207 00:13:56,740 --> 00:14:00,860 it's another big debate. It's a debate about scenario and 208 00:14:00,860 --> 00:14:06,580 about neighbors. And it's a debate about the 209 00:14:06,580 --> 00:14:09,540 Scripture says if it comes up, that we should. 210 00:14:09,540 --> 00:14:12,900 Let me read it for you. If it's not gonna find it, 211 00:14:19,430 --> 00:14:22,150 resist. Do not seek revenge or bear a 212 00:14:22,150 --> 00:14:25,870 grudge against anyone amongst your people, but love your 213 00:14:25,870 --> 00:14:30,710 neighbor as yourself. Do not seek revenge or bear a 214 00:14:30,710 --> 00:14:35,910 grudge against any one of your people, but love your neighbor 215 00:14:36,030 --> 00:14:39,710 as yourself. I am the Lord your God, so he's 216 00:14:39,710 --> 00:14:42,070 basically gone. Well, that that text says I only 217 00:14:42,070 --> 00:14:46,390 need to care for my people, Maybe my family, maybe my 218 00:14:46,390 --> 00:14:51,600 neighbors, maybe the people in my tribe, which doesn't sound 219 00:14:51,600 --> 00:14:54,600 very Jesus, which is what he's probably trying to catch him 220 00:14:54,600 --> 00:14:57,320 out. And so Jesus is like, how do I 221 00:14:57,320 --> 00:15:01,520 expand this person's worldview? Because Jesus all to us is to go 222 00:15:01,520 --> 00:15:04,080 to all nations. Matthew 28. 223 00:15:04,240 --> 00:15:07,320 So he wants to expand this young man's view. 224 00:15:09,800 --> 00:15:13,880 So Jesus looks this text and thinks, how do I help this young 225 00:15:13,880 --> 00:15:15,560 man? How do I expand his worldview? 226 00:15:15,920 --> 00:15:19,020 And so he tells a story. So we finally got the context on 227 00:15:19,020 --> 00:15:23,300 the story. So let me read you the story as 228 00:15:23,340 --> 00:15:27,540 Jesus tries to help just one person with his obstacle to 229 00:15:27,540 --> 00:15:31,060 understanding what Jesus and who Jesus is all about. 230 00:15:31,540 --> 00:15:33,660 And I think Jesus does that with each of us. 231 00:15:34,460 --> 00:15:38,580 He finds our obstacle and he begins to put things and moments 232 00:15:38,580 --> 00:15:41,140 in our path so that we can overcome it. 233 00:15:41,660 --> 00:15:47,260 Trevor said in his his talk last week that Jesus is more 234 00:15:47,260 --> 00:15:52,340 interested in your character and your comfort, and I think that's 235 00:15:52,380 --> 00:15:55,700 dead right you. You are the center of his 236 00:15:55,700 --> 00:15:59,300 attention, and many of the things that come your way is 237 00:15:59,300 --> 00:16:01,620 because Jesus is trying to get rid of your obstacles. 238 00:16:02,740 --> 00:16:05,340 That's what he's doing with this young man and that's what he's 239 00:16:05,340 --> 00:16:09,940 doing with you and me often. And this story shows how he does 240 00:16:09,940 --> 00:16:15,240 it with a young man. So let's read it and in reply to 241 00:16:15,240 --> 00:16:20,000 the question who is my neighbor? Jesus says a man was going down 242 00:16:20,000 --> 00:16:23,800 from Jerusalem to Jericho. When he falls into the hands of 243 00:16:23,880 --> 00:16:28,000 robbers they strip him of his clothes and they beat him and 244 00:16:28,000 --> 00:16:33,880 went away, leaving him for dead. A priest happens to be going 245 00:16:33,880 --> 00:16:37,120 down the same road, and when he saw the man he passed by onto 246 00:16:37,120 --> 00:16:39,680 the other side, and so to a Levite. 247 00:16:40,480 --> 00:16:44,820 When he came to the place he saw the man he passed onto the other 248 00:16:44,820 --> 00:16:49,980 side. But then a Samaritan who is as 249 00:16:49,980 --> 00:16:53,860 he traveled, came with the man. So man the man was, when he saw 250 00:16:53,900 --> 00:16:58,300 him, he took pity on him, he went to him and he banned his 251 00:16:58,300 --> 00:17:01,380 wounds. He pulled oil on oil and wine, 252 00:17:01,660 --> 00:17:04,500 and then he put the man on his own donkey and took him to an 253 00:17:04,500 --> 00:17:08,339 inn and took care of him. The next day he took out two 254 00:17:08,339 --> 00:17:11,060 silver coins and gave them to the Innkleeper. 255 00:17:11,500 --> 00:17:17,310 Look after him, said, and when I return, I will reimburse you for 256 00:17:17,310 --> 00:17:24,109 the extra expense you may have interesting story to do with 257 00:17:24,109 --> 00:17:27,390 someone that's trying to distract you, so I thought we'd 258 00:17:27,390 --> 00:17:31,430 just go for a little bit and explore them in every kind of 259 00:17:31,430 --> 00:17:34,910 parable. You kind of into us yourself. 260 00:17:35,350 --> 00:17:40,310 Who am I in this? Who or where is gold and what is 261 00:17:40,310 --> 00:17:43,260 it trying to say? Let me peel an arrow of the 262 00:17:43,260 --> 00:17:45,900 young. So let's look at the characters 263 00:17:45,900 --> 00:17:47,940 in the story. So we've got the first one is 264 00:17:47,940 --> 00:17:54,220 this poor victim that is has taken a shortcut from Jerusalem 265 00:17:54,980 --> 00:17:56,820 to Jericho. It says he's gone down, but 266 00:17:56,820 --> 00:17:59,420 Jerusalem is there, Jericho is there. 267 00:18:00,420 --> 00:18:04,500 Interesting going down is because Jerusalem is like 268 00:18:04,500 --> 00:18:08,340 standing on the top of Snowden, and Jericho is like being at the 269 00:18:08,340 --> 00:18:11,260 bottom. So it's not going down the map 270 00:18:11,720 --> 00:18:15,040 because it's up the map, but it's going down this huge 271 00:18:15,720 --> 00:18:17,760 incline. I don't think it was as big as 272 00:18:17,760 --> 00:18:20,040 Snowden. So it wasn't a mountain, but it 273 00:18:20,040 --> 00:18:23,120 was going down. And it was called the Way of 274 00:18:23,120 --> 00:18:27,760 Blood. It was a shortcut from Jerusalem 275 00:18:27,960 --> 00:18:30,000 to Jericho. And you could have gone all the 276 00:18:30,000 --> 00:18:31,640 way around and you would have been safe. 277 00:18:31,880 --> 00:18:36,000 But if you took the shortcuts, you cut through Samaria and 278 00:18:36,000 --> 00:18:39,640 Jewish people and Samaritans, they hated each other. 279 00:18:40,140 --> 00:18:44,300 In fact, the parents encouraged their children to spit at each 280 00:18:44,300 --> 00:18:47,460 other and throw stones. The kind of the animosity in 281 00:18:47,460 --> 00:18:50,620 that space was like that. So we can't grasp that. 282 00:18:50,940 --> 00:18:54,340 But as soon as we talk about the victim in this story, everyone 283 00:18:54,340 --> 00:18:56,420 thinks, my goodness, why would he do that? 284 00:18:57,580 --> 00:19:00,500 He must have been desperate or stupid. 285 00:19:02,180 --> 00:19:04,970 That's the only reason you would go the way of blood, because it 286 00:19:04,970 --> 00:19:07,850 was downhill and there were robbers and and people wanting 287 00:19:07,850 --> 00:19:10,250 to get you all the way. And it's going through some area 288 00:19:10,250 --> 00:19:13,650 where Jewish people fought. They're horrible. 289 00:19:13,970 --> 00:19:16,850 And so let's give the victim a name in this. 290 00:19:16,850 --> 00:19:22,570 So it's a choice they have made. It's not that they've done it 291 00:19:22,570 --> 00:19:25,610 unwillingly, though I know many of us, we've been victims from 292 00:19:25,610 --> 00:19:29,650 no fault of our own. This isn't that kind of person. 293 00:19:29,650 --> 00:19:33,980 This is someone that has chosen to to to make a careless choice 294 00:19:33,980 --> 00:19:36,940 in their haste or in their lack of consideration. 295 00:19:37,260 --> 00:19:40,140 So let's call them careless just for lack of things. 296 00:19:40,140 --> 00:19:44,100 As I know some of us are victims and it's not our fault and it is 297 00:19:44,100 --> 00:19:48,260 not fair and it is not right. But in this story, this person 298 00:19:48,260 --> 00:19:50,780 has chosen this. They've walked down this, 299 00:19:51,020 --> 00:19:52,740 they've intentionally gone this way. 300 00:19:53,100 --> 00:19:57,780 And so this victim called careless or reckless. 301 00:19:58,450 --> 00:20:02,250 He walks the way of blood, knowing what's going to happen 302 00:20:02,730 --> 00:20:09,050 and and what happens happens. I wonder if you can relate to 303 00:20:09,050 --> 00:20:13,010 him at all or her at all. Where you you've made choices, 304 00:20:13,010 --> 00:20:15,810 careless choices. Maybe you think you are 305 00:20:16,130 --> 00:20:18,530 immortal. I know I used to say as a 306 00:20:18,530 --> 00:20:22,170 teenage Christian, I'm immortal until God wants to Take Me Home, 307 00:20:23,610 --> 00:20:29,710 which is true, but it also. Is an interesting attitude to 308 00:20:29,710 --> 00:20:35,030 life. Or maybe we've got so used to 309 00:20:35,030 --> 00:20:38,630 our kind of sin that goes on in our life that we're a bit 310 00:20:38,630 --> 00:20:41,630 careless around it. That's okay. 311 00:20:41,630 --> 00:20:43,670 Remember Mark talking about his snake? 312 00:20:43,670 --> 00:20:46,190 That you get out and you look at it and you pet it? 313 00:20:46,550 --> 00:20:48,630 You're being a bit careless, even having a snake. 314 00:20:49,590 --> 00:20:54,190 Sorry if you have a snake. So it's careless. 315 00:20:54,720 --> 00:20:57,400 So our victim has made a choice and maybe you can relate to 316 00:20:57,400 --> 00:20:58,920 that. Maybe you've done careless 317 00:20:58,920 --> 00:21:02,160 things sometimes. If that's true, then you're 318 00:21:02,240 --> 00:21:04,840 you're in this story, it relates to you in some ways. 319 00:21:04,840 --> 00:21:08,200 We can acknowledge this and Scripture calls us. 320 00:21:08,320 --> 00:21:13,120 It says that even though you are young, don't let them look on 321 00:21:13,120 --> 00:21:17,320 you, but be an example in Word and speech and deed. 322 00:21:17,320 --> 00:21:20,840 So the call of Scripture is not to be careless, but to be an 323 00:21:20,840 --> 00:21:23,690 example. So maybe we fall short of that 324 00:21:23,690 --> 00:21:26,010 and that's OK. That's why this story is so 325 00:21:26,010 --> 00:21:29,530 amazing, is it means we're in the story and we look to the end 326 00:21:29,530 --> 00:21:32,610 to see what happens. So maybe you relate to the 327 00:21:32,610 --> 00:21:34,690 victim, but there's there's another group of people in this 328 00:21:34,690 --> 00:21:36,970 store, aren't they? And they're the robbers. 329 00:21:37,570 --> 00:21:41,370 And we're meant to ask ourselves, are we in this story? 330 00:21:42,650 --> 00:21:44,530 Well, I'm in a room full of lovely Christians. 331 00:21:44,530 --> 00:21:45,970 There won't be any robbers in here. 332 00:21:48,450 --> 00:21:51,490 Or would there? Do we, in our deeds, sometimes, 333 00:21:52,160 --> 00:21:54,520 you know, do things that rob other people? 334 00:21:54,520 --> 00:21:56,960 Maybe we're not the boss we hoped we would be. 335 00:21:57,280 --> 00:22:00,360 Or maybe we're not the parent we had hoped we would be in for our 336 00:22:00,360 --> 00:22:03,000 deeds. We kind of steal things. 337 00:22:03,480 --> 00:22:05,600 We say things. Or maybe you've just been a 338 00:22:05,600 --> 00:22:08,800 victim of a robber. Maybe you work with a robber. 339 00:22:08,800 --> 00:22:11,960 That kind of is abrupt and callous. 340 00:22:11,960 --> 00:22:13,360 Should we give the robber a name? 341 00:22:13,360 --> 00:22:17,400 Should we call them callous? Some of those can be a bit 342 00:22:17,400 --> 00:22:20,840 callous, especially when it's just hitting the summer and 343 00:22:20,840 --> 00:22:23,540 we're tired. I'm tired. 344 00:22:23,540 --> 00:22:26,180 I need my summer holidays. Hence me wearing my shirt. 345 00:22:26,460 --> 00:22:30,260 I am convincing myself I am on holiday to get rid of my 346 00:22:30,260 --> 00:22:32,420 callousness. The shirt doesn't work. 347 00:22:33,100 --> 00:22:35,340 But some of those can be a bit callous sometimes. 348 00:22:36,140 --> 00:22:41,380 And if we are, then we're in this story as well, aren't we? 349 00:22:42,420 --> 00:22:48,660 And and scriptures call to us actually is to to live in a way 350 00:22:48,660 --> 00:22:51,540 that it invites a question. Let me read it to you. 351 00:22:55,400 --> 00:23:11,000 One Pizza 315 says. One Pizza 315 says Always be 352 00:23:11,000 --> 00:23:15,040 ready with a with an answer for the faith you have, for the hope 353 00:23:15,040 --> 00:23:17,520 you have. Well, why would they even ask us 354 00:23:17,720 --> 00:23:23,120 unless we we are such an amazing different boss or colleague that 355 00:23:23,120 --> 00:23:24,880 they go, what? Why are you so different? 356 00:23:26,360 --> 00:23:28,520 Well, what Why'd you live like that? 357 00:23:28,840 --> 00:23:31,520 And so the call on us is to be so different that people ask the 358 00:23:31,520 --> 00:23:33,960 question and then we're ready with an answer. 359 00:23:35,240 --> 00:23:38,520 So I'm maybe we're in the story. Some of us can be a bit callous 360 00:23:38,520 --> 00:23:41,080 sometimes and some of us I know aren't. 361 00:23:42,200 --> 00:23:46,040 Who else is there in this story? Well, there there is the the 362 00:23:46,040 --> 00:23:48,970 priest who walks along the road. That's their job. 363 00:23:48,970 --> 00:23:52,570 They are the religious best of the best. 364 00:23:52,970 --> 00:23:56,010 Now we know he's going from Jerusalem to Jericho, so he's 365 00:23:56,010 --> 00:23:58,490 finished work. He's done a stint at work. 366 00:23:58,770 --> 00:24:03,290 He is taking the shortcut time. Not very wise, but he's cutting 367 00:24:03,290 --> 00:24:09,010 along, thinking his religion will save him and he crosses 368 00:24:09,010 --> 00:24:11,770 over. Now some narratives tell you he 369 00:24:11,770 --> 00:24:15,330 crosses over because it's against his religion to touch a 370 00:24:15,330 --> 00:24:18,380 body with blood in it. If he if he touched the body and 371 00:24:18,380 --> 00:24:23,260 blood with it, he needs to go back to the temple and he needs 372 00:24:23,260 --> 00:24:26,580 to get cleansed and he can't do his job for a while and so he 373 00:24:26,580 --> 00:24:28,900 crosses over for the good of everyone else. 374 00:24:31,060 --> 00:24:33,180 But what if we gave his him the name? 375 00:24:33,940 --> 00:24:38,140 Conformity, not conformity, convenience, or comfort? 376 00:24:38,380 --> 00:24:41,700 What if he said he was crossing over because it was against his 377 00:24:41,700 --> 00:24:44,300 religion? But actually, I just want to get 378 00:24:44,300 --> 00:24:47,640 home after work. This is just hard. 379 00:24:47,640 --> 00:24:50,680 I just, I just need to get home. And though he is the best of the 380 00:24:50,680 --> 00:24:55,480 best and he's on his way home, he just wants to get home. 381 00:24:57,400 --> 00:24:59,600 I was. I read the story a while back in 382 00:24:59,600 --> 00:25:02,640 school, and on my way home I realized we didn't have enough 383 00:25:02,640 --> 00:25:05,000 spices for the meal that I was preparing. 384 00:25:05,480 --> 00:25:08,400 And I went up to the coop on the way home just before I got back 385 00:25:09,070 --> 00:25:12,670 and and I I needed those spices to to cook the meal. 386 00:25:12,670 --> 00:25:15,790 And as I went in I got my spices started to queue up and these 387 00:25:15,790 --> 00:25:20,870 two gentlemen in front of me kind of put they, they had a A4 388 00:25:20,870 --> 00:25:25,950 pack of beers I think and they put free back on the shelf and 389 00:25:25,950 --> 00:25:28,190 then stood in the queue and bought something small. 390 00:25:29,070 --> 00:25:33,870 And I was like I think think they've stolen something. 391 00:25:34,990 --> 00:25:36,310 I don't know. I think they have. 392 00:25:38,130 --> 00:25:40,570 And then they go and then they paid for the chewing gum or 393 00:25:40,570 --> 00:25:42,810 whatever it was. And I'm standing in the queue 394 00:25:43,050 --> 00:25:44,970 with the free beers and the one missing there. 395 00:25:44,970 --> 00:25:49,930 And I'm like Kate's going to kill me if I if I say anything. 396 00:25:49,930 --> 00:25:53,410 Because if I if I say anything then they're going to ring the 397 00:25:53,410 --> 00:25:54,970 police. The police are going to come. 398 00:25:55,130 --> 00:25:58,410 It's not your fault. The the the the police are going 399 00:25:58,410 --> 00:26:01,690 to come. I'm going to be an hour at least 400 00:26:01,690 --> 00:26:03,610 dealing with, you know, the police and da da da. 401 00:26:03,610 --> 00:26:10,590 Or maybe I didn't see that and so go and pay and I leave. 402 00:26:12,230 --> 00:26:14,070 You can throw me off the stage now if you want. 403 00:26:16,150 --> 00:26:20,150 On the way from home, work, home, from work, and out of 404 00:26:20,150 --> 00:26:26,350 comfort, I decide to do nothing and I go home. 405 00:26:28,350 --> 00:26:31,830 So I'm in this story, seriously in the story. 406 00:26:32,310 --> 00:26:36,470 And it bugs me as parables are meant to and meant to eat away 407 00:26:36,470 --> 00:26:40,630 and kind of get you to think about it out of comfort of 408 00:26:40,630 --> 00:26:45,430 thinking, gosh, I don't want to put dinner back an hour, I 409 00:26:45,430 --> 00:26:48,950 allowed another person, another shock, to suffer. 410 00:26:50,070 --> 00:26:53,590 So I'm in this story. So the priest cross, it crosses 411 00:26:53,590 --> 00:26:58,110 over. Matthew 16 says take up your 412 00:26:58,110 --> 00:27:00,990 cross and follow me. Discipleship is meant to be 413 00:27:00,990 --> 00:27:05,530 disruptive and I chose to avoid the disruption and just get the 414 00:27:05,530 --> 00:27:09,930 spices. And so I'm in this story and 415 00:27:09,930 --> 00:27:11,290 there's another person, isn't there? 416 00:27:11,290 --> 00:27:15,850 There is the Levite. By right of birth, this person 417 00:27:15,850 --> 00:27:19,410 gets to work in the temple and they're heading home. 418 00:27:19,570 --> 00:27:22,770 They actually work for the priest, so the priest is a bit 419 00:27:22,770 --> 00:27:24,610 further ahead. They probably just packed 420 00:27:24,610 --> 00:27:27,930 everything away and just half an hour behind they've done all the 421 00:27:27,930 --> 00:27:30,220 donkey work and they're falling behind. 422 00:27:30,220 --> 00:27:33,180 They see someone outside the road and they see the priest 423 00:27:33,180 --> 00:27:36,060 further down the hill wandering off. 424 00:27:37,460 --> 00:27:40,300 And they think, why? Why didn't they do that? 425 00:27:40,820 --> 00:27:42,220 Why didn't they help? What? 426 00:27:42,220 --> 00:27:45,780 What's going on there? And should we give their Levi a 427 00:27:45,780 --> 00:27:48,380 name? If we've given the victim a name 428 00:27:48,380 --> 00:27:51,900 called Carelessness, and we've given the robbers callous and 429 00:27:51,900 --> 00:27:56,570 the priest we're going to call comfort or convenience, let's 430 00:27:56,570 --> 00:27:59,010 call the Levi conformity, shall we? 431 00:28:02,730 --> 00:28:06,890 And he thinks, you know what, they didn't do it. 432 00:28:06,970 --> 00:28:10,570 And I I work for them. And I I'm just going to cross 433 00:28:10,570 --> 00:28:15,090 over and carry on as well. And so they conform to an 434 00:28:15,090 --> 00:28:16,490 opinion. They don't even know if the 435 00:28:16,490 --> 00:28:18,970 other person. Has you ever done that? 436 00:28:20,890 --> 00:28:23,610 I think some of the worst things we've ever done in our lives 437 00:28:23,610 --> 00:28:29,370 often are bowing to an opinion that someone else hasn't even 438 00:28:29,370 --> 00:28:31,650 expressed. We just think that they think 439 00:28:31,650 --> 00:28:36,490 that and we dictate the direction of our life based on 440 00:28:36,490 --> 00:28:38,370 what we think someone else thinks. 441 00:28:38,770 --> 00:28:44,090 We haven't even got the evidence And so they conform. 442 00:28:44,250 --> 00:28:47,090 They cross over and scriptures command on that. 443 00:28:47,090 --> 00:28:51,610 It's it's it's bar on that is to be conformed to the likeness of 444 00:28:53,490 --> 00:28:56,570 Christ. Yeah, he forms conforms to the 445 00:28:56,570 --> 00:28:58,330 right as well. So we shouldn't conform to the 446 00:28:58,330 --> 00:29:00,610 praest. We shouldn't conform to anyone 447 00:29:00,610 --> 00:29:04,610 else but Jesus. And in this story, we're given 448 00:29:04,610 --> 00:29:12,530 the bar of where to conform to. And so the Levi crosses over and 449 00:29:12,530 --> 00:29:14,770 bounce to a view he doesn't even know the other person has and 450 00:29:15,930 --> 00:29:19,050 carries on. So we've got one other person in 451 00:29:19,050 --> 00:29:22,210 this story. And so the Good Samaritan, 452 00:29:22,510 --> 00:29:24,390 remember, Samaritans are the enemy. 453 00:29:24,590 --> 00:29:28,910 They are a religious enemy. They are a national enemy. 454 00:29:28,910 --> 00:29:32,790 They probably were. There was conflict over race as 455 00:29:32,790 --> 00:29:36,590 well. So on every level, this is the 456 00:29:36,590 --> 00:29:41,830 baddie who hiss. So Jesus introduces this new 457 00:29:42,870 --> 00:29:46,910 enemy and and there's an enemy, but a very different enemy. 458 00:29:47,910 --> 00:29:50,790 This character is the enemy of carelessness. 459 00:29:51,910 --> 00:29:59,630 He is the enemy of callousness. He is the enemy of comfort, and 460 00:29:59,630 --> 00:30:04,190 he is the enemy of conformity. But he is not our animal, and 461 00:30:04,190 --> 00:30:07,350 the Good Samaritan begins to walk down the road. 462 00:30:08,070 --> 00:30:11,870 Now the Good Samaritan hasn't made a bad choice going down the 463 00:30:11,870 --> 00:30:15,550 road of blood. The Good Samaritan is 464 00:30:15,550 --> 00:30:19,870 intentionally heading down this perilous route with one person 465 00:30:19,870 --> 00:30:26,340 in mind and to rescue them and this, this this enemy of 466 00:30:26,340 --> 00:30:29,260 callousness and carelessness and comfort and conformity. 467 00:30:29,700 --> 00:30:33,940 He heads down the road and I think you can work out who he 468 00:30:33,940 --> 00:30:37,100 is, and it's not you and me. We are not him. 469 00:30:39,340 --> 00:30:41,900 He's coming, looking for those things, to get them out of the 470 00:30:41,900 --> 00:30:43,860 way, to get them out of our lives. 471 00:30:44,140 --> 00:30:47,340 And he comes to rescue us in our victims. 472 00:30:48,660 --> 00:30:51,230 And he heads down the road and he looks for us. 473 00:30:51,230 --> 00:30:55,550 And when he finds us on the side of the road, it says that he, 474 00:30:55,750 --> 00:31:01,390 he, he bandages us up. This isn't just a ticket into 475 00:31:01,390 --> 00:31:04,150 heaven. The Good Samaritan or Jesus 476 00:31:05,110 --> 00:31:07,190 isn't just about bringing a little bit of healing. 477 00:31:07,430 --> 00:31:10,230 It's not just about bringing a rescue. 478 00:31:10,270 --> 00:31:14,350 It is about, he is about taking away all the obstacles that keep 479 00:31:14,350 --> 00:31:18,390 us from him, which he's doing for just one lad in one story, 480 00:31:18,790 --> 00:31:22,710 and makes it into our Bibles, but actually shows how he treats 481 00:31:22,830 --> 00:31:25,910 each one of us. And so he heads down the road, 482 00:31:26,350 --> 00:31:30,550 he doesn't cross over and he begins to heal him up and he 483 00:31:30,550 --> 00:31:34,510 puts him on his back of his donkey and he pays everything 484 00:31:34,510 --> 00:31:37,430 he's done in the past, everything he's done in the 485 00:31:37,430 --> 00:31:40,270 present and everything he would do in the future. 486 00:31:40,590 --> 00:31:43,990 That's literally what he says. He says, you know, take care of 487 00:31:44,110 --> 00:31:47,350 everything. And so all Jesus, all Good 488 00:31:47,350 --> 00:31:50,490 Samaritan place for all those things. 489 00:31:51,770 --> 00:31:57,330 The story is really, I think, not about moral ethics, though, 490 00:31:57,330 --> 00:31:59,530 it's got something about moral ethics about in it. 491 00:31:59,850 --> 00:32:05,370 This story is about the nation and your race, but it's more 492 00:32:05,370 --> 00:32:08,370 than that. It is about a rescue plan from 493 00:32:08,370 --> 00:32:13,570 heaven, of God entering A perilous world to rescue us from 494 00:32:13,570 --> 00:32:16,770 our obstacles. And so he picks him up, he puts 495 00:32:16,770 --> 00:32:19,250 him on the donkey. He takes him and he pays for 496 00:32:19,250 --> 00:32:25,090 everything past and present. And then Jesus says, after 497 00:32:25,090 --> 00:32:30,090 telling a story about himself, he says to this young man, he 498 00:32:30,090 --> 00:32:43,730 says that's 37, let me read it, says, which of these three she 499 00:32:43,730 --> 00:32:47,250 think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of the 500 00:32:47,250 --> 00:32:52,130 robbers And the expert of the law replied the one who had 501 00:32:52,130 --> 00:32:57,890 mercy on him, Jesus then told him go and do likewise. 502 00:32:58,450 --> 00:33:00,130 We get the band up. Is that okay? 503 00:33:00,130 --> 00:33:04,930 Thank you. So we see in this sweet little 504 00:33:04,930 --> 00:33:11,080 moment our Jesus that we sing to that has told this elaborate, 505 00:33:11,160 --> 00:33:16,320 amazing story for the audience of 1 saying, I don't know why 506 00:33:16,320 --> 00:33:21,680 you want to justify your callousness or your carelessness 507 00:33:22,760 --> 00:33:27,400 or your elevating your comfort over everything else, or or why 508 00:33:27,400 --> 00:33:30,040 you keep conforming and doing what everyone else thinks. 509 00:33:30,480 --> 00:33:37,320 Yeah, I I don't know why you do that, but I do know my job is to 510 00:33:37,320 --> 00:33:41,460 come and pick you up, heal you, hey, for everything you've done 511 00:33:41,460 --> 00:33:43,340 in the past, everything you've done now and everything you're 512 00:33:43,340 --> 00:33:46,420 doing in the future, because I know it will change you. 513 00:33:47,780 --> 00:33:53,860 So we could argue this story is just about being good and having 514 00:33:53,860 --> 00:33:55,260 good ethics, but it's not really. 515 00:33:55,540 --> 00:33:58,820 In fact, based on my story of just going home from work that 516 00:33:58,820 --> 00:34:02,260 one day, Christians aren't good. We're we're not good. 517 00:34:02,260 --> 00:34:06,620 But we are grateful. We are so grateful that God 518 00:34:06,620 --> 00:34:09,260 comes and walks that perilous route for you and me. 519 00:34:09,820 --> 00:34:11,659 And so there is an inspiration to be good. 520 00:34:13,219 --> 00:34:16,699 There is an inspiration. Jesus says go and do likewise. 521 00:34:17,139 --> 00:34:21,020 So once we've grasped the immensity of what Christ did for 522 00:34:21,020 --> 00:34:24,659 us, then yes, it does affect our ethics. 523 00:34:25,540 --> 00:34:28,100 But firstly we need to grasp what was done for us. 524 00:34:29,340 --> 00:34:32,380 Once we understand that the Christ walked down that perilous 525 00:34:32,380 --> 00:34:36,860 route to get rid of those obstacles, then we begin to 526 00:34:36,860 --> 00:34:40,090 think right. Being a Christian is actually 527 00:34:40,489 --> 00:34:43,690 about, out of gratitude, beginning to be a Good 528 00:34:43,690 --> 00:34:47,730 Samaritan. Thank you very much.