Love is a Choice

Love is a Choice
(The Lesson of the Good Samaritan)
#95 in Series: “The Life of Christ – in a Harmony of The Gospels”

We are studying the life and ministry of our Lord as it is revealed in the four
Gospels of the NT. Since today’s text comes up now in our series through the
life and ministry of Jesus – I didn’t want to skip it, even thought three years
ago this month, Bill Goosie preached a great message, and practical message
from this very passage... If you search videos on Facebook with his name,
you can go back and view it again...
I hope you have read this text a few times since Bill preached from it... The
reality is, we need to constantly remind ourselves of the very truths Jesus
teaches in this passage... So, whether you are very familiar with this story, or
if this is the first time to hear it, please give your attention to The Lord’s Word
with your heart open to The Lord of the Word...
Luke 10:25-37
25 And a lawyer stood up and put Him to the test, saying, “Teacher, what shall
I do to inherit eternal life?” 26 And He said to him, “What is written in the
Law? How does it read to you?” 27 And he answered, “YOU SHALL LOVE
THE LORD YOUR GOD WITH ALL YOUR HEART, AND WITH ALL YOUR SOUL,
AND WITH ALL YOUR STRENGTH, AND WITH ALL YOUR MIND; AND YOUR
NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF.” 28 And He said to him, “You have answered
correctly; DO THIS AND YOU WILL LIVE.” 29But wishing to justify himself, he
said to Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?”
30 Jesus replied and said, “A man was going down from Jerusalem to
Jericho, and fell among robbers, and they stripped him and beat him, and
went away leaving him half dead. 31 And by chance a priest was going
down on that road, and when he saw him, he passed by on the other side.
32 Likewise a Levite also, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by
on the other side. 33But a Samaritan, who was on a journey, came upon
him; and when he saw him, he felt compassion, 34 and came to him and
bandaged up his wounds, pouring oil and wine on them; and he put him on
his own beast, and brought him to an inn and took care of him. 35 On the

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next day he took out two denarii and gave them to the innkeeper and said,
‘Take care of him; and whatever more you spend, when I return I will repay
you.’ 36 Which of these three do you think proved to be a neighbor to the
man who fell into the robbers’ hands?” 37 And he said, “The one who
showed mercy toward him.” Then Jesus said to him, “Go and do the same.”
Let’s focus on the text, and seek to understand what is revealed here, and then
consider just how such a passage applies to our lives today...
We begin with –
1. An Inquiry Made
Luke 10:25-28
25 And a lawyer [keep in mind, that these “lawyers” are ... experts in the law –
including, and especially, the Rabbinical Law. This is such an expert who
comes to address Jesus... Notice, he – ] stood up and put Him to the test,
[his intent is to “test” Jesus] saying, “Teacher, what shall I do to inherit
eternal life?”
Pause there for a moment... Do you believe this was a sincere inquiry? We
already know that this lawyer’s intent is to “test” Jesus – but do you think this
man is at all concerned about his own salvation here? – That’s the question;
“what shall I do to inherit eternal life”... Is this man revealing to Jesus that he
is aware that he doesn’t possess eternal life, and is inquiring of Jesus how to
be saved?... I don’t think so... Such “lawyers” think they already have
eternal life!
He may see this as an opportunity to not only challenge Jesus – but to do ... a
little bragging...
Some argue that the lawyer wasn’t asking about eternal life after death, so
much as asking about how he could fully know and enjoy eternal life in his
life here on earth. In other words he wanted an answer more in-line with Joel
Olstein and “Your Best Life Now” kind of answer... What he got was
something more direct than what he expected. Let’s look at Jesus’ response to
him... Jesus makes an inquiry of His Own –

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26 And He said to him, “What is written in the Law? How does it read to
you?”
I find this very interesting... Jesus poses a question that calls for a personal
answer – not a theoretical one! Jesus poses the question in such a way that the
answerer is committing himself to the answer. Jesus is not simply calling for
a text-book answer, but ... an answer from the heart! “How does it read to
you?”
What does the lawyer do? He gives a “textbook answer” –
27 And he answered, “YOU SHALL LOVE THE LORD YOUR GOD WITH ALL YOUR
HEART, AND WITH ALL YOUR SOUL, AND WITH ALL YOUR STRENGTH, AND
WITH ALL YOUR MIND; [Deut. 6:5] AND YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF. [Lev.
19:18b]”
These are indeed true words, for it is the Word of God that he is quoting – but
the question is – is this answer ... from his heart – or simply from his mind?...
The rest of the story is going to reveal that answer...
Jesus then –
28 And He said to him, “You have answered correctly; DO THIS AND YOU WILL
LIVE.”
Notice the capitalization in Jesus’ answer. He too is quoting Scripture –
where God’s people are indeed to “live in” God’s Word / statutes / and
judgments (i.e. Lev. 18:5, Neh. 9:29, Ezek. 20:11, 21).
Next, Luke tells us –
2. The Motive Revealed
Luke 10:29
But wishing to justify himself, he said to Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?”
This man believes that he already possesses eternal life. Jesus basically tells
him to “live out these truths” – which would be a demonstration of a heart that

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has come to eternal life – but this man already believes that he is ... good! So,
he seeks to “justify himself”...
Stop there for a moment... Is this not the practice of a ... self-righteous heart

– a heart that refuses the Lord’s instruction – a heart ... satisfied with self-
righteousness?

In his feeble attempt to deflect Jesus’ instruction, this lawyer throws out the
question; “and who is my neighbor?”
Next we see –
3. The Answer Illustrated
Jesus’ answer here is thought-provoking, soul-convicting, and in-depth... He
doesn’t give a text-book answer. He paints a portrait... Jesus’ portrait
doesn’t merely describe who a neighbor is, but it also exposes the truth about
the lawyer – the priests – Levites – and even ... you and me if left to
ourselves...
Let’s hear the Word of God here –
Luke 10:30-35
30 Jesus replied and said, “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho,
and fell among robbers, and they stripped him and beat him, and went away
leaving him half dead. 31 And by chance a priest was going down on that
road, and when he saw him, he passed by on the other side. 32 Likewise a
Levite also, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other
side. 33But a Samaritan, who was on a journey, came upon him; and
when he saw him, he felt compassion, 34 and came to him and bandaged
up his wounds, pouring oil and wine on them; and he put him on his own
beast, and brought him to an inn and took care of him. 35 On the next day
he took out two denarii and gave them to the innkeeper and said, ‘Take care
of him; and whatever more you spend, when I return I will repay you.’
This story has impacted millions of through the centuries... Various
ministries and organizations from Samaritan’s Purse, to the Good Sam

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Club have borrowed from its imagery to help convey what they are all
about...
Jesus tells a story that most everyone in the audience should be able to relate
to – not just the Jewish lawyer... Let’s think through the components of
Jesus’ story and start with what we read about first –
➢ The journey
Luke 10:30
... A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho...
As we will see, as we think through this passage – there are six characters in
Jesus’ story, and the first one is mentioned right up front. It is a ... traveler –
a man heading from Jerusalem to Jericho – and notice – he is “going down”...
Whenever one travels from Jerusalem, they are ... going down. Jerusalem is
about 2,550 ft above sea level. Jericho is roughly 15 miles east / northeast in
the Jordan River Valley, and is roughly -825 below sea level...
Any traveler going from Jerusalem to Jericho would literally be going
down more than 3,300 feet to get there... Incidentally, this is precisely why
the Scriptures often uses the language “up to Jerusalem” or “down from
Jerusalem/to Jericho”... It is speaking in terms of elevation and not in
North/South geographical directions like we often use in our vernacular...
Jesus does not offer any specific reason as to why this man was going down
from Jerusalem to Jericho – so we may reasonably speculate that he was on
his way to the region of Galilee in the north... Jews who traveled to and from
Jerusalem and Galilee preferred to take the long way into the heavily pagan
province of the Decapolis and into Perea east of the Jordan River. This route
went through the city of Jericho. Jews avoided the most direct route through
the region of Samaria located between Judea and Galilee if at all possible.
This “detour” added at least a day each way on their journey...
Now there is an obvious element to this story that immediately makes the
lawyer – and the rest of the Jews a bit ... uncomfortable. So, let’s talk about –

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The action in Jesus’ story that gets everyone’s attention is –
➢ The assault
And here we encounter the second participant in the story – the robbers.
Luke 10:30
Jesus replied and said, “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho,
and fell among robbers, and they stripped him and beat him, and went away
leaving him half dead.
Jesus is telling a story that His audience can easily relate... It was not
uncommon for travelers to be robbed along this long, winding road which has
a lot of places for ... robbers to hide and then ambush “even the most cautious
travelers”...
The robbers ambush this traveler, strip him of his clothes and possessions.
The fact that “they stripped him” indicates that he may have been wearing
expensive clothes... If this story were being told of a rich man in our context
today, he just lost the Rolex off his wrist, the Jordans off his feet, and the
Gucci off his back...
Some have speculated that Jesus was describing what could have happened to
this very Jewish lawyer on one of his travels... Jewish lawyers have typically
been among the most wealthy in a society even back then.
In addition, Jesus says the robbers “beat him” – and did so severely... He
ends up ... laying on the ground “half dead”...
The point is, this man has now been rendered completely helpless! He’s been
robbed, beaten, and left dying...
Let’s dive in for a moment and consider why what happens next is so ...
impacting on Jesus’ audience... Let’s consider –
➢ The ethnicities
The Jews and the Samaritans...

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As we discussed a moment ago, the Jews would go the long way around
Samaria when they were traveling to north... Why?
They typically hated Samaritans... Let me quickly overview the history that
explains how such prejudice had developed:
The Samaritans were the remnant from the Northern Kingdom and tribes of
Israel. Originally, the children of Israel were organized into twelve tribes
according to the lineage descending from Jacob’s twelve sons. They lived
in relative harmony together during the Exodus, Conquest, and time of the
Judges. The twelve tribes were politically united under the kings Saul,
David, and Solomon, but the northern ten tribes chaffed and rebelled
against the severity of taxation under Solomon’s son, Rehoboam (1 Kings
12:14, 18). This split resulted in Israel dividing into two nations: the
Southern Kingdom of Judah and the Northern Kingdom of Israel.
The Northern kingdom of Israel followed their own, separate line of kings,
who for reasons of political and cultural power, established their own
places of worship away from the temple in Jerusalem, located in the South.
Soon the Northern kings and kingdom began to worship pagan gods and
celebrate evil pagan practices. God sent prophets, such as Elijah and Elisha
to rebuke them, but they were ignored. Eventually the Assyrians invaded
and successfully conquered the Northern kingdom. The kingdom of Israel
was no more... Most Israelites were exiled. The few remaining children
of Israel were assimilated and intermarried with the surrounding cultures.
Based on the Samaritan woman’s discussion with Jesus at the well, some
Samaritans seem to have retained fragments of their Jewish heritage. They
still claimed Jacob as a patriarchal father, and believed in the coming of the
Messiah...
The Jews were the descendants from the Southern Kingdom of Judah (the
term “Jew,” is derived from Judah). They were later conquered by and
exiled to Babylon. After a period of exile, they were allowed to return to
their promised land following Persia’s conquest of Babylon. Under the
leadership of Nehemiah and Ezra, they rebuilt the temple and the walls of

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Jerusalem. And they rededicated themselves to God’s Law. Over the
centuries they lived in Israel under the foreign rule of Persia, then later
Alexander the Great (who conquered Persia) and the Greeks (who
descended from Alexander). Under the leadership of the Maccabees, the
Jews won for themselves national independence until Pompey conquered
them on behalf of the Roman Empire. Judea was still under Roman rule at
the time of Jesus.
The Jews viewed Samaritans as impure, half-blooded Israelites. To a
Jew, a Samaritan was despised as an unworthy traitor, idolater, who was full
of ignorance and wickedness. A Samaritan represented the worst of Israel’s
descendants. Because their ancestors rejected God’s Law, the Jews
rejected them...
When Jesus comes along, He does not share or endorse the Jews views of
Samaritans. He rejected their view... Hatred is not a part of the Kingdom
of God!... His kingdom centers on love, as shown by the second greatest
commandment. This is indicated by Jesus’s interaction with
the Samaritan woman at the well when He traveled through Samaria on His
way to Galilee from Jerusalem (John 4:3-29). Jesus lingered for days to
minister to and serve the Samaritans there (4:39-43). His ministry and this
parable indicate how greatly Jesus valued Samaritans and loved them.
Jesus saw Samaritans as neighbors... (Summarized from various sources.)
What comes next is our encounter with what we will call –
➢ The bystanders
I want to call them “responders”, as in “first-responders” – but as we see, the
first two that cross this man’s path simply want to be “non-responders”...
These are not the victim or the robbers, but they are ... involved to one degree
or another...
In actuality, the first two bystanders simply hope to “not get involved”, but
before this message is through, I hope you realize that they are ... not off the
hook...

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First we have –
• The priest
Luke 10:31
And by chance a priest was going down on that road, and when he saw him,
he passed by on the other side.
Notice that this is the only time Jesus uses the language “by chance”, which
basically means – “by coincidence”...
Priest are giving the responsibility of “mediating between God and people”!
They offered the sacrifices people would give. They prayed for, and were to
minister to people...
This priest did neither...
• The Levite
Luke 10:32
Likewise a Levite also, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by
on the other side.
Levites belong to the tribe of Levi... They were the one tribe that sided with
Moses and God when the people made the golden calf. So, God made them a
tribe of priests among Israel... The Levites did not receive a portion of land
when Israel first entered the Promised Land, instead they were given Levitical
cities dispersed throughout the nation so they could minister to the people in
their own towns... In many respects, Levites and priests had very similar
roles and can sometimes be used interchangeably in Scripture...
This man also chooses to ... pass on by...
• The Samaritan
Luke 10:33-35
33But a Samaritan, who was on a journey, came upon him; and when he saw
him, he felt compassion, 34 and came to him and bandaged up his wounds,
pouring oil and wine on them; and he put him on his own beast, and brought

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him to an inn and took care of him. 35 On the next day he took out two denarii
and gave them to the innkeeper and said, ‘Take care of him; and whatever
more you spend, when I return I will repay you.’
Can you imagine what it may have been like for a Samaritan to travel along a
road predominately traveled by Jews who wanted to avoid Samaritans?...
Jesus says that the Samaritan “felt compassion” for this man who fell victim
to the robbers... This concept flies in the face of the lawyer’s understanding
of Samaritans... Many Jews considered Samaritans to be no better than ...
dogs – and dogs were not “pets” in that culture...
Jesus paints the portrait of a man who acted upon the compassion in his heart.
He sacrificially gave of what he had. He rendered aid – binding up open
wounds, using what medicine he had, using what means he had – his donkey –
his money – his time... And then he even made the arrangements to meet this
man’s needs when he had to move on himself...
Jesus paints this Samaritan as the hero – not any of the Jews in the picture...
There is one more character mentioned, that usually doesn’t get much
attention ... because he is behind the scenes...
• The innkeeper
This player in the story seems to be barely mentioned – but without his role –
the man may not have recovered... This person is more like Martha – in the
kitchen making sure people get a meal – but is viewed as ... behind the
scenes...
Luke 10:35
On the next day he [that is, the Samaritan] took out two denarii [the
equivalent of two-days wages] and gave them to the innkeeper and said,
‘Take care of him; and whatever more you spend, when I return I will repay
you.’
There are always people behind the scenes do what is necessary... We should
all pause and consider how we take such for granted, and thank God for them.

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Next there are –
4. Principles Implied
There are a few matters we need to consider... These are either implied or
nuanced in the story...
• Undeniable evils
We live in a fallen world... Things happen. Things that we do not understand
why they happen. Oh, there may be some wisdom to be leaned – like “be on
guard with your surroundings”, and “the is evil out there!”... But, we also
need to come to grips with the reality ... that there is evil ... “in here” (our
own hearts)...
• Unmentioned excuses
There may have been any number of “rational” excuses as to why the fellow
Jewish men in this story would not have ... interrupted their day to help this
man:

- Fear is the first thing that comes to mind... “What-if-the-robbers-are-
still-around” mentality...

- No time – is another... People are too ... busy to have their day
interrupted...
- Another possible – legitimate excuse was the common ... legalistic
attitude of the day. Had either the priest of Levite “touched” the man,
they may have been rendered ceremonially unclean – requiring them to
go the extra steps of offering sacrifice and changing clothes before
“attending worship”... (Such an attituded was fostered more out of
concern for the Rabbinical Laws of the day, than Biblical ones...)
- Perhaps another “excuse” would have been ... the lack of funds... but
administering first-aid wouldn’t have cost anything... Besides – the
Samaritan is not being presented as one who is wealthy! He was
generous, but it doesn’t seem he had a lot to give. What he did do – was
make arrangements to pay the balance at a point in the future if any
more would be owed to the innkeeper!...

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There is at least a third implied truth in this story we need to talk about...
Forgive the alliteration, but we’ll call it a –
• Universal experience
This universal experience I’m talking about is the reality that everyone of us
... is being watched – and every one of us will be giving an account to the
One Who is watching...
The priest and the Levite didn’t have an entourage with them – meaning there
would be no one to “impress” with their actions of helping... Jesus’ story
reads as they were traveling ... alone – and no one was there to watch ...
except the One Who is always watching...
For that matter, the Samaritan is not concerned with what anyone else would
think – and sprung into action without any concern for ... public opinion –
which would have been against him anyway...
The point is – God is watching. He watches the actions. He watches the
motives ... which are unseen to anyone else...
This is a truth that most ... ignore, if not outright deny...
In his book, The Attributes of God, A.W. Pinks writes –
A. W. Pink – “Men would strip Deity of His omniscience if they could – what
a proof that “the carnal mind is enmity against God” (Rom. 8:7)! The
wicked do as naturally hate this Divine perfection as much as they are
naturally compelled to acknowledge it. They wish there might be no
Witness of their sins, no Searcher of their hearts, no Judge of their deeds.
They seek to banish such a God from their thoughts.”
i

He went on to say –
“Great is our Lord, and of great power: His understanding is infinite” (Ps.
147:5). God not only knows whatsoever has happened in the past in every
part of His vast domains, and He is not only thoroughly acquainted with
everything that is now transpiring throughout the entire universe, but He is

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also perfectly cognizant of every event, from the least to the greatest, that
ever will happen in the ages to come. God’s knowledge of the future is as
complete as is His knowledge of the past and the present, and that, because
the future depends entirely upon Himself. Were it in anywise possible for
something to occur apart from either the direct agency or permission of God,
then that something would be independent of Him, and He would at once
cease to be Supreme.”
ii

Let me quickly share a few passages to take to heart –
Jesus said –
Luke 12:3
Accordingly, whatever you have said in the dark will be heard in the light,
and what you have whispered in the inner rooms will be proclaimed upon the
housetops.
Matthew 6:1-4
1
“Beware of practicing your righteousness before men to be noticed by
them; otherwise you have no reward with your Father who is in heaven.
2
“So when you give to the poor, do not sound a trumpet before you, as
the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, so that they may be
honored by men. Truly I say to you, they have their reward in full. 3But
when you give to the poor, do not let your left hand know what your right
hand is doing, 4

so that your giving will be in secret; and your Father who

sees what is done in secret will reward you.
Paul said –
2 Corinthians 5:9-10
9 Therefore we also have as our ambition, whether at home or absent, to
be pleasing to Him. 10 For we must all appear before the judgment seat of
Christ, so that each one may be recompensed for his deeds in the body,
according to what he has done, whether good or bad.

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Let’s press on with the text and see just where the Scriptures take us... Next
is –
5. A Conclusion Drawn
Luke 10:36-37a
36 Which of these three do you think proved to be a neighbor to the man who
fell into the robbers’ hands?” 37 And he said, “The one who showed mercy
toward him.”
Jesus calls for the lawyer to ... draw a conclusion – in fact to ... pronounce a
verdict!...
What is sad to note is that the lawyer could bring himself to even ... identify
the Samaritan – as if the very mention of his ethnicity was an “unclean” thing
to his lips... All he could say was “The one who showed mercy”... It’s an
accurate answer – couched in his ... still proudful heart...
There may be a better way of saying this last point, but we’ll simply refer to it
as –
6. An Application Made
Luke 10:37b
... Then Jesus said to him, “Go and do the same.”
Now we need to be careful about how we apply this story... Some people see
themselves in this story as ... the victim, or even the Samaritan – but we don’t
want to see ourselves as one of the robbers, the priest, Levite, or even the
behind-the-scenes ... innkeeper... We want to see ourselves as the hero, but
the reality is we are more like the ... zero – the ... lawyer!
The lawyer thinks he’s okay with God – but excuses himself from the
application of God’s truth to his own life! Is that you? God speaks truth
about what your life should be like – and you ... make excuses...

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You can see that this is actually a ... command. It is in the imperative – “GO
and do the same”...
Now, is Jesus advocating a ... works-based salvation? NO! You can give all
you have – rent motel rooms for others – pay medical bills – and those things,
as good as they may be, do not ... earn anyone salvation.
So, what’s the application all about?
If you are a possessor of eternal life – living out that life is in fact experienced
in “loving the Lord with your entire being” and “loving others – your
neighbors”... The Christian life is one that reflects God’s heart ...
So, if you are a Christian – “go and do the same”... IF you are not a Christian
– but are beaten up by the thief that is out to destroy you I have some good
news for you... There is One behind this story that does more than “render
aid” – He gave His very Self as the sacrifice needed to ... bind up wounds –
heal – and ... provide... Is He stopping by right now to zero in on ... you?...

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Questions to Consider in Community Group:

➢ What point in Jesus’ story do you find most interesting? Why is this
particular parable among the most memorable and influential?
➢ What makes the fact that a Samaritan is involved so contradictory to what
the lawyer may have expected?
➢ What are your thoughts about the “principles” cited as being implied?
(What other implications do you see in the story?)
➢ What are your thoughts about the quote form A.W. Pink?
A.W. Pink – “Men would strip Deity of His omniscience if they could – what a proof that
“the carnal mind is enmity against God” (Rom. 8:7)! The wicked do as naturally hate
this Divine perfection as much as they are naturally compelled to acknowledge it. They
wish there might be no Witness of their sins, no Searcher of their hearts, no Judge of
their deeds. They seek to banish such a God from their thoughts.”
“Great is our Lord, and of great power: His understanding is infinite” (Ps. 147:5). God
not only knows whatsoever has happened in the past in every part of His vast domains,
and He is not only thoroughly acquainted with everything that is now transpiring
throughout the entire universe, but He is also perfectly cognizant of every event, from
the least to the greatest, that ever will happen in the ages to come. God’s knowledge of
the future is as complete as is His knowledge of the past and the present, and that,
because the future depends entirely upon Himself. Were it in anywise possible for
something to occur apart from either the direct agency or permission of God, then that
something would be independent of Him, and He would at once cease to be Supreme.”