I have been preaching and teaching God’s Word since 1970. That is more than fifty years. And, as I was taught in Bible school, I have tried to keep track of all the messages I have preached. Reviewing those notes the other day, I came away greatly surprised. The records of my ministry indicate that I have preached only two messages from this scripture. The last time I spoke directly about the Good Samaritan was in 1992 – about thirty-four years ago.
I’m not sure if I should be pleased with myself or ashamed. Certainly, the Bible is a huge book, and there is enough material here to keep us busy for eternity. Maybe my neglect has been because I have considered you to be so well informed in the highlights of the Word of God that you have not needed what little I might add. But now, in my growing maturity, I am enjoying the rudimentary and simple things of God more and more. Please bear with me as I try to show you that the “CERTAIN man” of Luke 10 could have been “ANY man.”
This passage is generally called the “PARABLE of Good Samaritan.” Many people use the word “parable” more than they should. The word comes directly from Greek (par-ab-ol-ay’), and it speaks about putting two things side by side. In other words, it is using one thing to illustrate another thing. They are comparables – parallels. Parables are teaching tools – a special kind of illustration. The word is scattered throughout the Gospel of Luke eighteen times. Paul’s friend, Luke, liked to use the word, and the Holy Spirit directed him to use it. But it was NOT used here in chapter 10. So we don’t have direct authority to call this the “PARABLE of Good Samaritan.”
Similarly, “par-ab-ol-ay’” is not used in Lk. 16 where Jesus speaks of a certain beggar and a certain rich man. Even though many people talk about the “Parable of the Rich Man and Lazarus,” Jesus began by saying, “There was a CERTAIN rich man.” And while not giving us the man’s name, Christ went on to name beggar who died at the rich man’s gate. Jesus said there was a “certain” rich man and a “certain” beggar whose name was “Lazarus.” I believe that the word “certain” tells us that these were real and specific people.
And the same is probably true here in chapter 10. Not only was there was a certain, specific man who went down from Jerusalem to Jericho, but the lesson was prompted by “a CERTAIN lawyer (who) stood up, and tempted (Jesus) saying, Master, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?” Just as the lawyer who tried to trick Christ was a real person, I believe there was an actual traveler, a specific priest, a specific Levite, and an actual wayside Inn. Jesus Christ is the infinite, omniscient Son of God, and He knows the details of every event. He can pull up real illustrations from human history more easily than you can remember yesterday. Furthermore, He knows you and your history better than you know the details of the back of your hand. Don’t think for a moment He will forget your history when you stand before Him to be judged.
Now let me throw something else at you before we move on. The man who asked Jesus this question is a called a “lawyer.” That does not mean that he was an attorney, barrister or solicitor. He was a “man of the law” – someone who claimed to know and teach the Law of God. Sometimes those people are called “scribes” or “doctors of the Law.” Jumping ahead, remember that there were two men who passed by the poor, unfortunate victim, as he lay broken and bleeding at the side of the road. One of the passersby was a priest and the other was a Levite – a member of the tribe from whom came the various kinds of ministers of the temple. Priests, Levites and Scribes all slept in the same bed in those days. Their responsibilities and activities made their lives overlap quite often.
What if – this is just a supposition – What if one of men involved in this history was an acquaintance of the lawyer who was tempting Jesus? What if the Lord was returning to this man something out of his own knowledge? What if one this man’s friends had told him about seeing robbery victim out on Jericho road? Wouldn’t that have made this man sit up an take notice when Jesus brought it back to his attention? Like Nathanael in John 1 who said to Christ, “whence knowest thou me?” “When did you see me sitting under the fig tree?” The Lord Jesus didn’t reply; He didn’t have to. “Nathanael answered (himself) and saith unto him, Rabbi, thou art the Son of God; thou art the King of Israel.” This should have been the response of the lawyer as well – but sadly it wasn’t.
Christ could do that with any one of us, at any time. He could use something out of your life to illustrate one of His sermons – either as good or evil. Would you like that? Isn’t that a scary thought? The Lord could name names; describe events from your life, even down to describing the details of your sin. Pay attention world, the Lord knows every detail of our wretched lives. Oh, how you need to live in the light of Jesus’ undivided attention.
Okay, having said all that, let’s lay these things aside and proceed. Even if I am is wrong and this IS a parable – if it is an earthly illustration of a heavenly principle – what is its purpose and intent? Simply put, Jesus wanted this lawyer to recognize who his neighbour is. But I want to stretch our lesson a bit beyond than that. Let’s think primarily about this victim – this “certain man.” Let’s use this bit of history as a lesson about any sinner and blessing of God’s salvation.
Here’s my Premise:
The “CERTAIN man” of verse 30, is a picture of “ANY man” or “EVERY man.” The Lord didn’t introduce this idea into His explanation, because He had a different purpose, but He could have reminded us that every man is a sinner in His sight. Wise Solomon truthfully declared, “There is not a just man upon the earth that doeth good and sinneth not.” The Apostle Paul tells us, “There is none righteous, no, not one. There is not that understandeth, there is none that seeketh God. All have sinned and come short of the glory of God.”
What has that got to do with Jesus’ illustration? As are all sinners, this certain man was in serious trouble. Not only was death stalking him, but thieves had already taken everything of value to him. When sin had finished its horrible work, the man lay dying in the dust. James tells us “Every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed. Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth DEATH.”
With the blood of this sinful man pouring out of his body… Again, I say “sinful man” because “all have sinned and come short of the glory of God.” As this man’s life and blood were seeping out, along came some other travelers through life. Let’s use that Levite as a picture of the Law of Moses, because that was essentially his purpose in life. And the priest is a good illustration of the empty ceremonialism of religion. Both of these applications are not extravagant applications. And then there is the Samaritan – a member of a hated neighboring nation. The Samaritans in Jesus day were rejected by the average Israelite. This man was an outsider; a despised and rejected one. That is: in this way the Samaritan could illustrate the Saviour, a stranger from another world. But, He is the only one who has any means or desire to help this poor dying sinner.
Now, let’s focus on this “Certain man” – this “Any Man”
He was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho.
Several things come to my mind as I read those words in verse 30. I think of Abraham’s nephew, Lot, looking down on well-watered plain of Jericho and the Jordan River. As long as Lot lived with Abraham, he was blessed by God. But He was greedy, ambitious and spiritually stupid. Lot left the lofty heights of Bethel, just north of Jerusalem and headed south beyond Jericho. He shouldn’t have made that move, but he did, and it ruined his life. Something else I picture is the destruction of Jericho in the days of Joshua. God declared that the city was to be devoted to the Lord. Everything in it was to be sacrificed to God’s glory. After the walls fell and the city perished, Joshua made this God-directed declaration: “Cursed be the man before the Lord, that riseth up and buildeth this city Jericho; he shall lay the foundation thereof in his firstborn, and in his youngest son, shall he set up the gate of it.” By the time of Christ, Jericho had been rebuilt, and history had recorded that the construction foreman of that project felt the hand of God’s judgment fall on his two sons. He shouldn’t have made that move, and it ruined his life. A third thing which comes to mind about going from Jerusalem to Jericho is the prodigal son. No, there is no mention of Jericho or the Jordan valley in Jesus’ story. But what the young man did could be used to illustrate the man who is going from Jerusalem to Jericho. Let’s just say that neither one should have made that journey.
This “certain man/any man” at least symbolically, turned his back to the temple, the altar and Lord. He may have left the religion of his mother and father back in Jerusalem, ignoring their faith and prayers. Wouldn’t it be interesting to find out the reason he was making this trip down to Jericho? He could have been going down to the Jordan in order to follow the river up to Galilee. But for the sake our illustration let’s lay that idea aside. Was he like Lot or Hiel who rebuilt the city? Was he like the prodigal, running from his loving father? Did he have business in Jericho, and if so how legal was it? Was he going down to find a more worldly, flashy and beautiful wife than what he could find in Jerusalem? Or was he thinking that it would only be temporary visit – a quick dip into sin, before a successful escape?
Whatever was in his mind and whatever the reason, he fell among thieves. There was a place about four hours from Jericho called “Adomim,” which means “blood.” It was given that name because of the frequency of murders and robberies that took place there. Just a 150 years ago, travelers were saying that it was still a dangerous place. Who were these thieves? Does it matter? They could been Arabians, Jews or even Roman soldiers. The simple fact is, the poor man was robbed and nearly murdered, because he was in the wrong place. Let’s not say it was “the wrong place at the wrong time,” because it was simply the wrong place.
Men and women have been being attacked and plundered by sin since days of Adam. Our oldest grandfather lost one of his sons to the sin of his other son. He lost his first two sons. Sin strips men of their dignity, their self-esteem, those they love, and their very lives. I wonder how many died in Spokane last night through fights, addictions or sinful neglect? Adultery and fornication have killed millions down through centuries, using a number of different weapons. Sins against one’s own body are almost too many to list. Sins of the soul create cages and jail-rooms that incarcerate the participants – addictions. But the spiritual side is infinitely worse than the physical and emotional. “The soul that sinneth it shall die” – every soul that sinneth it shall die for eternity. “Evil shall slay the wicked, and they that hate righteous shall be desolate” – Psalm 34:21.
This poor man fell to the roadside, wounded, naked and half dead.
I see this as a description of the poor Christless sinner? The man was striped of his money along with everything else – down the very clothes on his back. “Naked” was one of the words which Jesus used. How many of you remember the old story called the “Emperor’s New Clothes?” It was written about two hundred years ago by the Danish writer, Hans Christian Anderson. It involves an unwise ruler – a certain Emperor – who accepted the lies of a pair of con men. The Emperor wanted clothes which no one else in his realm owned or could buy. Two pretend tailors convinced him that they could make the finest clothing in all the world. But there was one problem… people who were fools or incompetent could not see them. These clothes were visible only to the intellectually elite. The ego-massaging liars told the Emperor, “We’ll clothe you if you are willing to pay our price.” When he agreed, they brought in looms and other equipment, pretending to make material and clothing. They went through all the motions, but with no material in their hands. They produced nothing at all, but convinced the king to walk through his realm in his new clothes. Out on the streets, everyone said declared that the Emperor’s clothes were exquisite, because no one wanted to prove himself to be a fool. But finally, a little child shouted out that emperor was walking around in his underwear.
This is the condition of the Christless sinner. Oh, how pretty she looks in her silk, denim, jewelry and mascara. But she has no realization that she is wretched, miserable, poor, blind and naked – Revelation 3:17. “All our righteousnesses are as filthy rags” – “all YOUR righteousnesses are rags” in the eyes of the Lord.
Going back to our text, not only was the traveler naked, but he was half-dead – a perfect description of us all. Colossians 2:13 characterizes the Christless man as “dead in sins.” Jesus said to some of the most religious people on earth, “Ye have no life in you” – John 6:53. “Dead in tresspasses and sins,” said Paul in Ephesians 2:1. Except at a funeral, all the people around us have various levels of physical life. But multitudes of them are, at the same time, spiritually dead. They are very aptly pictured by this man who was half-dead and at the very outer edge of his life.
And as such he was rendered totally HELPLESS.
When will the average sinner begin to see this fact? He powerless – impotent. He says, When I get ready, I’ll dust myself off and begin to follow Jesus to Heaven. I can drop this sinful addiction like I can drop the mike. I can doctor my own wounds, I can clean up my life and make myself fit for the Temple of God. Just a splash of religion here – like some cheap cologne.. Just a bit of morality there and a dollar in offering box and I’ll have everything right with God.
The Levitical law came walking by and saw that “certain man” laying in the ditch and looked away. The law walked right on by, because it was helpless to help. The only thing it could have done was to warn the man of the dangers of going to Jericho in the first place. The law could only say, “I told you so.” But “by the deeds of Law there shall no flesh be justified in God’s sight” – Galatians 3:11.
Then the ceremonies of the Jewish religion came by, and they couldn’t help either. I’m applying this to going to church, tithing, singing in choir, praying, etc. As I quoted last Wednesday, “To what purpose is the multitude of your sacrifices unto me? saith the Lord, I am full of the burnt offerings of rams, and the fat of fed beasts; and I delight not in the blood of bullocks or of lambs, or of he goats.” The true sacrifices of God are “a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise.” The law and religious ceremonialism can not help the sinner. The only place that they can take us is to an as yet empty grave.
But there is a SAVIOUR – a compassionate, all-sufficient Saviour.
What an apt description of Christ is this picture of the despised Samaritan. Most of the Jews would have nothing to do with their neighbors from Samaria. Those people were despised and rejected by the good, upstanding residents of Jerusalem. Even the disciples had problems with that. That Samaritan was just like the Son of God, “who came unto His own and his own received Him not.” “Away with this man, release unto us Barabbas. Crucify Him, crucify him.” “He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not.”
But this despised Samaritan stopped to help the fallen victim, as if he had nothing else to do. The Saviour definitely had other things to do. But stopping was the purpose for His incarnation. Some of the greatest things Jesus ever did, other than dying on the cross, came when what he had been doing was interrupted.
We are told that the Samaritan had “compassion” on the fallen man. It means that heart was moved toward him. The priest and the Levite showed no compassion at all. Did this victim deserve compassion? Was he an old friend of the Samaritan? The dying man was probably by a Samaritan-hater himself – like most everyone else. Compassion is something most people have to work up, but it is something the Lord carries within himself. We who are “certain men/ any men” certainly don’t deserve compassion, and we can’t earn it.
Then the Samaritan clothed and dressed the poor man’s wounds. I was once this beaten victim, but Christ has wrapped me in the seemless robe of His own righteousness. And He has staved off the deadly effect of my self-inflicted wounds and sin. He put a halt to the devestating judgment that my sin deserved.
Then the Samaritan carried the wounded man to a place of recovery, putting him on his own beast. The poor man was carried by the strength and assistance of others. The Samaritan took him to and inn – a church – where there were others who had been wounded just as he was. The man was surrounded by the wealth, the blessings and the people of the Samaritan’s choice. Like many other sinners, I am being carried to glory by the strength of the Lord and not by myself.
Did that man recover from his wounds?
I’m going to assume that he fully recovered and eventually returned to Jerusalem. And that highlights my purpose here this morning. I want you to look, once again, at yourself. You are a helpless sinner, beaten up by sin and only a few moments away from eternal death. I know that – not only because the Bible tells me, but though my own experience. Neither of us have anything to contribute to our redemption or to the salvation of others. Please, please acknowledge those facts in the light of the scriptures.
And then lift your eyes toward the Lord Jesus, and acknowledge Him. If you recover from the wounds of sin, it is only because He was wounded for your transgressions. Some of the victims of life will be safely taken to Heaven, because Christ has carried them on His shoulders and in His heart.
As long as there remains breath in your lungs, you should be dwelling in Zion. You should be frequenting the Temple of God and singing your praise for Saviour. You should be glorifying our Good Samaritan before others, as they walk down Jericho. You should be recounting and retelling of His gracious redemption.
But once again, If you’ve never met the Saviour, then how can you praise Him? If some highwayman, stopped you on way home church, robbed and beat you half-death… Are you ready to face God? Are you a child of the Lord by faith in Christ Jesus? Is your life being spent in way that glorifies His name? Please, oh please, consider your soul’s condition before the Lord this morning. Repent of your sin and put your faith in death of Christ Jesus.