World Refugee Sunday
Series: Philoi and Emerge
Speaker: Jude Simeon
Date: 21st June 2026
00:00:00 --> 00:00:04 For giving me this opportunity to be with you all today.
00:00:04 --> 00:00:15 And it's a wonderful pleasure and to say thank you for your continuous partnership and support.
00:00:15 --> 00:00:17 !
00:00:17 --> 00:00:25 Today what I want to share with you is something about my own story,
00:00:25 --> 00:00:27 about what I have been through.
00:00:30 --> 00:00:34 In my own journey as a teenager.
00:00:34 --> 00:00:40 So that goes back to almost 30, 35 years before.
00:00:40 --> 00:00:42 So it's my own story.
00:00:42 --> 00:00:49 Before we open what God has placed in my heart, I would like to pray with you.
00:00:49 --> 00:00:53 Let's quickly pray.
00:00:53 --> 00:00:59 Dear loving God, as we gather this morning to worship and reflect your word,
00:00:59 --> 00:01:01 help us to understand what you are teaching us.
00:01:01 --> 00:01:07 Show us how to respond with love, without limits.
00:01:07 --> 00:01:15 As we think about the familiar story of Samaritan, teach us this morning how to respond.
00:01:15 --> 00:01:20 Thank you, Lord, for our church, this church.
00:01:20 --> 00:01:33 And for the partnership you have given us here, help us to work together in unity, in love, serving others as one body.
00:01:33 --> 00:01:46 Guide us so that we don't just listen, but be changed, be challenged, becoming your people who share your grace with everyone we meet.
00:01:46 --> 00:01:49 In your holy name.
00:01:49 --> 00:01:50 Amen.
00:01:50 --> 00:02:01 Again, church, as I said earlier, thank you for this opportunity that I can stand with you today to share God's word.
00:02:01 --> 00:02:11 My theme of message, today's message is, who is my neighbor?
00:02:13 --> 00:02:19 When the lawyer or the expert in the law asked the question, who is my neighbor?
00:02:20 --> 00:02:23 He wanted to know the limits of responsibility.
00:02:24 --> 00:02:25 What is the limit?
00:02:25 --> 00:02:35 He was asking the right question, but he was asking how far I have to go.
00:02:36 --> 00:02:39 What is the distance I have to go?
00:02:41 --> 00:02:45 Who must I love and who can I ignore?
00:02:45 --> 00:02:49 Who are the people I could love, who are the people I could ignore?
00:02:49 --> 00:02:54 But Jesus did not answer his question.
00:02:56 --> 00:03:00 Jesus was asking a question from him.
00:03:01 --> 00:03:08 And then he simply says to the man, go and do likewise.
00:03:09 --> 00:03:13 So Jesus didn't answer his question directly.
00:03:13 --> 00:03:14 It was a good question.
00:03:14 --> 00:03:21 Before I go further, I want to share a bit of my own story, my own life.
00:03:22 --> 00:03:37 I get asked by churches and people who meet me often what I do and why I do the work I'm involved.
00:03:37 --> 00:03:49 And in short, my story, one of the chapters, starts in this point, 1990, June.
00:03:51 --> 00:03:57 My journey begins in one of the darkest moments of the Sri Lankan Civil War.
00:03:57 --> 00:04:17 If you have known Sri Lanka, the history of Sri Lankan Civil War and internal displacement has been one of the major disasters and man-made disasters of that nation.
00:04:17 --> 00:04:25 In 1990, June, there was a major internal displacement.
00:04:26 --> 00:04:30 Hundreds of thousands were forced from their homes to flee.
00:04:31 --> 00:04:32 Many didn't survive.
00:04:33 --> 00:04:35 Many of my friends didn't survive.
00:04:36 --> 00:04:43 Bombings, shelling, that followed that particular week, starting from June 14th.
00:04:43 --> 00:04:50 My family and I were among those who fled on that night.
00:04:51 --> 00:04:57 I want to take a moment to share with you my own story, in a way.
00:04:57 --> 00:05:15 In a very difficult time of my teenage years, in my journey, there were seven churches along the way of fleeing of around 300 kilometers.
00:05:16 --> 00:05:22 Seven churches who stepped up, making an impact in my life.
00:05:22 --> 00:05:29 I may not agree with the doctrines of these churches.
00:05:29 --> 00:05:34 I don't agree with those certain doctrines those churches shared.
00:05:36 --> 00:05:40 But their actions and their response was profound.
00:05:40 --> 00:05:48 The church has the responsibility and the unique ability, even today in Australia,
00:05:48 --> 00:05:51 to stand with those who have lost everything.
00:05:52 --> 00:05:54 They have lost the people who have lost their hope.
00:05:55 --> 00:05:56 People have lost everything.
00:05:56 --> 00:05:59 The church has the ability to make a difference.
00:05:59 --> 00:06:10 Their actions are part of why I now walk alongside with those who are forcibly displaced
00:06:10 --> 00:06:12 or those who have become refugees.
00:06:13 --> 00:06:26 And I've been involved in refugee ministry since I left my high school, I don't know, 30 years ago, 32 years ago.
00:06:26 --> 00:06:29 And since I left, I've been involved in refugee work.
00:06:30 --> 00:06:38 And when I talk about these seven churches in my journey, I want to start talking about the church one.
00:06:39 --> 00:06:51 When we fled and we walked probably around 15 kilometers and we came to a small Pentecostal congregation in a village.
00:06:51 --> 00:06:58 And I still remember the pastor opened their home and they fed us on that day.
00:06:58 --> 00:07:00 We were complete strangers to them.
00:07:00 --> 00:07:05 And they opened their home and they fed us on that day, on that night when we were praying.
00:07:06 --> 00:07:12 And the devotional reading was from Isaiah 43, verse 2.
00:07:12 --> 00:07:17 Verse 2, when you walk through the fire, you will not be burned.
00:07:18 --> 00:07:25 And those words became very real when we heard that our home was completely burned down.
00:07:25 --> 00:07:30 My parents lost their business, our home, everything we lost on that night.
00:07:31 --> 00:07:37 The second church was a pastor who journeyed with us who also fled.
00:07:37 --> 00:07:45 And we came to a point where it was so dangerous for us to go further in our displacement.
00:07:46 --> 00:07:55 And the only way we could do is to cross a particular waterway through sea, the sea waterway.
00:07:55 --> 00:07:59 And we were around 30 of us.
00:07:59 --> 00:08:00 We have to cross.
00:08:02 --> 00:08:07 And many of the young people didn't have any financial means to do that.
00:08:08 --> 00:08:12 And the pastor and his wife, that was their first wedding anniversary.
00:08:13 --> 00:08:18 And the pastor and wife took off their wedding rings and gave it to the boatman and said,
00:08:19 --> 00:08:22 take these young people, save the show.
00:08:22 --> 00:08:24 And that was the second church.
00:08:24 --> 00:08:32 The third church, when we arrived on the other side of the show, it was a Catholic parish in the local area.
00:08:33 --> 00:08:42 And when these people coming by boat in hundreds, these Catholic church on the show,
00:08:43 --> 00:08:48 they rallied the community around, the people around the church area.
00:08:48 --> 00:08:51 And they cooked a meal for that day.
00:08:52 --> 00:08:57 And they served, they didn't have plates, they didn't have any fancy equipments.
00:08:57 --> 00:09:02 And they served us in this big teak leaves.
00:09:02 --> 00:09:04 They served the meal on that day.
00:09:04 --> 00:09:06 It was a very simple meal.
00:09:06 --> 00:09:11 Even today, I sort of wonder if I could taste the same thing.
00:09:11 --> 00:09:16 And I feel that was a life-saving meal for me on that day.
00:09:18 --> 00:09:26 And my life became sort of as a family wandering in that district for a few months.
00:09:26 --> 00:09:36 And I also remember one morning stepping into another congregation, an apostolic church.
00:09:36 --> 00:09:37 That's what their name.
00:09:38 --> 00:09:40 And the pastor and the wife invited me.
00:09:41 --> 00:09:47 And because I was 16 and I was so frustrated at that day.
00:09:47 --> 00:09:52 And he gave me a New Testament in my hand.
00:09:52 --> 00:09:55 And he said, Jude, you need to start reading the scriptures.
00:09:57 --> 00:10:04 And that New Testament spared my life.
00:10:04 --> 00:10:13 Because that's the time the young teenagers got dragged into becoming child soldiers.
00:10:14 --> 00:10:17 So Sri Lanka had this issue of child soldiers.
00:10:17 --> 00:10:27 And the conversation with that pastor and he sort of giving me that New Testament in my hand
00:10:27 --> 00:10:36 sort of saved me from that temptation of going through this hopelessness and say,
00:10:36 --> 00:10:39 no, I also need to take my arms and fight.
00:10:39 --> 00:10:42 And that point saved me.
00:10:42 --> 00:10:47 And continuing to talk about the other churches.
00:10:49 --> 00:10:57 And another church, complete strangers, they came and gave some money to my dad and say,
00:10:57 --> 00:11:03 on your next leg of your travel to go to the capital, here you are.
00:11:03 --> 00:11:04 And we never knew them.
00:11:04 --> 00:11:07 We never met them.
00:11:07 --> 00:11:09 And they're just complete strangers.
00:11:11 --> 00:11:18 When we came to what we call the military-controlled area,
00:11:18 --> 00:11:23 and we were housed in a school hall, a Christian school hall,
00:11:24 --> 00:11:35 the priest of that school made arrangement for us to sleep in the school hall and made meals.
00:11:35 --> 00:11:47 And to tell you that anyone houses any young people in a strange place like that,
00:11:47 --> 00:11:50 they are subject to military actions.
00:11:51 --> 00:11:58 Because it is a risk that priest took that night to house these young people,
00:11:58 --> 00:12:02 and my family to be safe on that night.
00:12:02 --> 00:12:06 If you have stayed on the street, or if you are outside somewhere,
00:12:07 --> 00:12:12 our life would have been, I would not stand in front of you today to share this.
00:12:13 --> 00:12:16 And then the final about the seventh church,
00:12:17 --> 00:12:20 and we managed to come to the city, and we were there.
00:12:20 --> 00:12:27 And in this particular city, I attended a service,
00:12:27 --> 00:12:29 and then they were glorifying the military actions,
00:12:29 --> 00:12:31 and they prayed for the military.
00:12:31 --> 00:12:34 And I was kind of confused.
00:12:35 --> 00:12:38 And here, one side of the military is killing the people,
00:12:38 --> 00:12:46 and here the church is sort of praying and supporting the whole actions.
00:12:46 --> 00:12:52 But there were individuals and leaders who journeyed with me,
00:12:52 --> 00:12:56 supported me, protected me, where I could stand with you today.
00:12:57 --> 00:13:00 This is my, not a short story.
00:13:00 --> 00:13:03 I thought it would be a short story, but it has become a long story.
00:13:03 --> 00:13:03 Right?
00:13:04 --> 00:13:06 So this is my story.
00:13:06 --> 00:13:06 Right?
00:13:07 --> 00:13:11 So when I want to open the story with you,
00:13:12 --> 00:13:14 what Jesus was sharing,
00:13:14 --> 00:13:18 he was sharing about the lawyer's question.
00:13:19 --> 00:13:19 Right?
00:13:19 --> 00:13:22 And it was a good question.
00:13:22 --> 00:13:24 The intention was good.
00:13:24 --> 00:13:27 The parable in Luke chapter 10
00:13:27 --> 00:13:32 begins with the lawyer standing there to test Jesus.
00:13:32 --> 00:13:34 It was not, it was a good question,
00:13:35 --> 00:13:38 but the intention behind the question was not good.
00:13:38 --> 00:13:42 He was actually trying to test Jesus.
00:13:42 --> 00:13:45 He says, teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?
00:13:46 --> 00:13:48 On the surface, it sounds good,
00:13:49 --> 00:13:51 and Luke's important question,
00:13:52 --> 00:13:56 but Luke's tells us in the passage that he was trying to test.
00:13:57 --> 00:13:59 And Jesus continues.
00:14:00 --> 00:14:02 He responds with a question.
00:14:02 --> 00:14:04 Instead of direct answer,
00:14:04 --> 00:14:09 the lawyer knew the law from A to Z.
00:14:09 --> 00:14:10 And he says,
00:14:11 --> 00:14:12 he responds to Jesus,
00:14:13 --> 00:14:14 love the Lord your God,
00:14:14 --> 00:14:16 love your neighbor as yourself.
00:14:17 --> 00:14:22 And then he asks the question from Jesus,
00:14:23 --> 00:14:24 who is my neighbor?
00:14:26 --> 00:14:29 This reveals the struggle even for us today.
00:14:31 --> 00:14:33 We all, the people know the law.
00:14:33 --> 00:14:38 Even the lawyer knew the law,
00:14:38 --> 00:14:41 but he didn't know the application of the law.
00:14:42 --> 00:14:43 People know the scripture well.
00:14:44 --> 00:14:47 People struggle with the application of the scripture.
00:14:48 --> 00:14:51 People ask good questions based on scriptures.
00:14:51 --> 00:14:56 And one of the questions we all ask about,
00:14:58 --> 00:15:00 today's major question is about migration,
00:15:01 --> 00:15:02 and who comes to this country,
00:15:03 --> 00:15:03 who are they,
00:15:04 --> 00:15:05 and all those questions.
00:15:05 --> 00:15:07 Those are good questions.
00:15:07 --> 00:15:10 The problem is,
00:15:10 --> 00:15:11 are we really looking for the truth,
00:15:12 --> 00:15:15 or we are looking for limits?
00:15:16 --> 00:15:18 And it's easier to look for
00:15:18 --> 00:15:21 what is the limit we can place on things.
00:15:22 --> 00:15:25 But what is the truth is the question.
00:15:26 --> 00:15:28 And based on the parable,
00:15:28 --> 00:15:32 I would like to bring three small reflections for you,
00:15:33 --> 00:15:34 for you to continue to ponder.
00:15:34 --> 00:15:37 The first one is,
00:15:37 --> 00:15:40 the first character is the man on the road.
00:15:41 --> 00:15:43 Most of the time when we read this story,
00:15:43 --> 00:15:46 I think as from our childhood,
00:15:46 --> 00:15:48 we would have read this story a thousand times.
00:15:49 --> 00:15:50 A thousand times we would have read this story.
00:15:51 --> 00:15:51 But,
00:15:52 --> 00:15:57 I would really love you taking a turn,
00:15:57 --> 00:15:59 not to focus on the Samaritan,
00:15:59 --> 00:16:01 but let's start focusing on the other characters.
00:16:02 --> 00:16:03 The man on the road,
00:16:03 --> 00:16:04 Jesus replied,
00:16:05 --> 00:16:08 a man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho,
00:16:08 --> 00:16:10 and he fell among robbers,
00:16:10 --> 00:16:14 who stripped him and beat him and departed,
00:16:14 --> 00:16:16 leaving him half dead.
00:16:17 --> 00:16:20 The stranger in need,
00:16:20 --> 00:16:24 Jesus in his story simply said,
00:16:24 --> 00:16:29 a man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho.
00:16:29 --> 00:16:31 The man has no name,
00:16:32 --> 00:16:33 there's no name,
00:16:33 --> 00:16:37 there is no ethnic or religious label for this man.
00:16:38 --> 00:16:44 Jesus removes every detail that could be used as an excuse.
00:16:44 --> 00:16:47 He removes all the details of this man.
00:16:48 --> 00:16:52 We only know that man was injured and he was half dead.
00:16:53 --> 00:16:55 The man is suffering and he needed help.
00:16:55 --> 00:16:57 That's all we know from the scripture.
00:16:59 --> 00:17:04 And the pain does not come to a person with permission.
00:17:04 --> 00:17:07 And it doesn't come with a label.
00:17:07 --> 00:17:09 And because I belong to this,
00:17:10 --> 00:17:11 I am suffering.
00:17:11 --> 00:17:14 The pain and suffering to people,
00:17:15 --> 00:17:16 it comes when it comes.
00:17:17 --> 00:17:23 Our focus here is to look at the structure of this parable,
00:17:24 --> 00:17:32 especially the way Jesus removes every identify marker from the man on the road.
00:17:32 --> 00:17:38 Jesus deliberately strips away anything that could be used as an excuse.
00:17:39 --> 00:17:40 The people whom we see,
00:17:40 --> 00:17:42 people whom we journey with,
00:17:42 --> 00:17:49 that most of the time we tend to journey with them
00:17:49 --> 00:17:50 or choose to love them
00:17:50 --> 00:17:53 or choose to support them based on their identity.
00:17:54 --> 00:17:56 And Jesus removes that identity here.
00:17:56 --> 00:18:00 The second group of people we see in the scripture
00:18:00 --> 00:18:04 is the priest and the Levite.
00:18:05 --> 00:18:08 The scripture says,
00:18:09 --> 00:18:13 now by chance a priest was going down that road
00:18:13 --> 00:18:15 and when he saw him,
00:18:16 --> 00:18:18 he passed by on the other side.
00:18:18 --> 00:18:20 So likewise,
00:18:20 --> 00:18:21 a Levite,
00:18:21 --> 00:18:23 when he came to the place
00:18:23 --> 00:18:24 and saw him
00:18:24 --> 00:18:26 and passed on the other side.
00:18:28 --> 00:18:33 And Jesus speaks about this Levite and the priest.
00:18:35 --> 00:18:38 And the scripture very clearly says
00:18:38 --> 00:18:40 they were going down.
00:18:40 --> 00:18:41 They were not going up.
00:18:41 --> 00:18:43 So if you really look at
00:18:43 --> 00:18:45 Jerusalem and Jericho,
00:18:45 --> 00:18:47 Jerusalem is in a higher ground.
00:18:47 --> 00:18:50 It's around 750 meters high.
00:18:52 --> 00:18:58 And Jericho is in the lowest point near the Dead Sea.
00:19:00 --> 00:19:07 And if you read the passage
00:19:07 --> 00:19:10 and if you try to understand the law,
00:19:11 --> 00:19:16 the numbers, chapter 19, verse 11 says,
00:19:16 --> 00:19:18 whoever touches a dead body
00:19:18 --> 00:19:21 still be unclean for seven days.
00:19:22 --> 00:19:23 That's the scripture says.
00:19:23 --> 00:19:25 The man who knows the law,
00:19:25 --> 00:19:27 the Levite and the priest,
00:19:27 --> 00:19:29 he sees this half dead man
00:19:29 --> 00:19:31 and if he goes and touches
00:19:31 --> 00:19:33 that particular person,
00:19:34 --> 00:19:36 if that body is a dead body
00:19:36 --> 00:19:37 or if that person is a dead man,
00:19:38 --> 00:19:39 he will be defiled.
00:19:39 --> 00:19:40 He will be defiled for seven days.
00:19:40 --> 00:19:46 And if he was going from Jericho to Jerusalem,
00:19:47 --> 00:19:48 the Levite and the priest
00:19:48 --> 00:19:49 will be going over there
00:19:49 --> 00:19:51 to do their religious duties,
00:19:51 --> 00:19:52 to serve in the church
00:19:52 --> 00:19:53 or serve in the temple.
00:19:54 --> 00:19:56 And it was a classic example,
00:19:56 --> 00:19:58 a classic excuse to say,
00:19:58 --> 00:20:00 no, I don't want to touch this person
00:20:00 --> 00:20:01 because if I touch,
00:20:01 --> 00:20:04 I can't go and do my religious duties
00:20:04 --> 00:20:05 in the church, in the temple.
00:20:06 --> 00:20:06 I can't do this.
00:20:06 --> 00:20:08 By law, I cannot do this.
00:20:10 --> 00:20:11 And they were not going to serve
00:20:11 --> 00:20:12 in the temple
00:20:12 --> 00:20:13 because they were coming down.
00:20:13 --> 00:20:15 They were coming from the temple.
00:20:15 --> 00:20:16 They were coming down.
00:20:17 --> 00:20:19 Helping that person
00:20:19 --> 00:20:22 would not stop their service
00:20:22 --> 00:20:24 at the temple
00:20:24 --> 00:20:25 because they have already completed
00:20:26 --> 00:20:28 their part of the work.
00:20:30 --> 00:20:32 And it is, even today,
00:20:33 --> 00:20:33 it's a similar thing.
00:20:34 --> 00:20:35 We kind of come to a place
00:20:35 --> 00:20:39 that we say by law,
00:20:39 --> 00:20:40 by scripture,
00:20:40 --> 00:20:41 by certain limitation,
00:20:42 --> 00:20:42 by policies,
00:20:43 --> 00:20:43 by compliance,
00:20:44 --> 00:20:45 we cannot act,
00:20:45 --> 00:20:46 we cannot do something.
00:20:47 --> 00:20:49 The priest and the Levite
00:20:49 --> 00:20:50 weren't stopped by the law.
00:20:50 --> 00:20:51 They were stopped
00:20:51 --> 00:20:54 by the way they interpreted the law
00:20:55 --> 00:20:57 and used it,
00:20:57 --> 00:20:59 used that particular law
00:20:59 --> 00:21:00 as their excuse.
00:21:00 --> 00:21:01 They were already among,
00:21:02 --> 00:21:04 they were already coming
00:21:04 --> 00:21:05 down from Jerusalem.
00:21:06 --> 00:21:07 Their duties have finished,
00:21:08 --> 00:21:09 their rituals are finished,
00:21:09 --> 00:21:11 so Jesus removes
00:21:11 --> 00:21:13 the law excuse.
00:21:14 --> 00:21:15 It reminds us
00:21:15 --> 00:21:16 today,
00:21:17 --> 00:21:19 even good laws
00:21:19 --> 00:21:19 and traditions
00:21:19 --> 00:21:22 can block you and me
00:21:22 --> 00:21:24 from being compassionate
00:21:24 --> 00:21:24 to the people
00:21:24 --> 00:21:25 who are in need.
00:21:25 --> 00:21:28 The third person
00:21:28 --> 00:21:28 in the story
00:21:28 --> 00:21:30 is a character
00:21:30 --> 00:21:32 we mostly talk about.
00:21:33 --> 00:21:34 But in that also
00:21:34 --> 00:21:35 we leave
00:21:35 --> 00:21:36 some details.
00:21:37 --> 00:21:37 Here,
00:21:38 --> 00:21:39 Jesus talks about
00:21:39 --> 00:21:40 the Samaritan.
00:21:40 --> 00:21:42 The Samaritan journeyed,
00:21:42 --> 00:21:45 came where he was,
00:21:46 --> 00:21:47 and when he saw,
00:21:48 --> 00:21:49 I'm reading from
00:21:49 --> 00:21:50 chapter 10,
00:21:50 --> 00:21:52 verses 33 to 35,
00:21:52 --> 00:21:54 he went to him
00:21:54 --> 00:21:55 and bound
00:21:55 --> 00:21:57 up his wounds,
00:21:57 --> 00:21:59 pouring on oil
00:21:59 --> 00:21:59 and wine,
00:22:00 --> 00:22:01 then set him
00:22:01 --> 00:22:02 on his own animal
00:22:02 --> 00:22:04 and brought him
00:22:04 --> 00:22:05 to an inn
00:22:05 --> 00:22:06 and took care of him.
00:22:08 --> 00:22:09 And the next day,
00:22:10 --> 00:22:10 he took out
00:22:10 --> 00:22:11 two denarii
00:22:11 --> 00:22:13 and gave them
00:22:13 --> 00:22:14 to the innkeeper
00:22:14 --> 00:22:14 saying,
00:22:14 --> 00:22:15 take care of him
00:22:15 --> 00:22:16 and whatever
00:22:16 --> 00:22:18 more you spend,
00:22:18 --> 00:22:20 I will repay you
00:22:20 --> 00:22:21 when I come back.
00:22:21 --> 00:22:22 Jesus introduces
00:22:22 --> 00:22:23 the Samaritan.
00:22:24 --> 00:22:25 This is very shocking
00:22:25 --> 00:22:26 why he has to
00:22:26 --> 00:22:28 introduce a Samaritan.
00:22:28 --> 00:22:29 Why not a Roman?
00:22:29 --> 00:22:30 Because the Romans
00:22:30 --> 00:22:31 were living there.
00:22:31 --> 00:22:33 Why not another
00:22:33 --> 00:22:34 Canaanite person?
00:22:35 --> 00:22:36 Someone else?
00:22:37 --> 00:22:38 Why Jesus has to
00:22:38 --> 00:22:40 use a Samaritan
00:22:40 --> 00:22:41 in this story?
00:22:42 --> 00:22:43 And the Samaritans
00:22:43 --> 00:22:43 and Jews,
00:22:44 --> 00:22:44 they were brothers
00:22:44 --> 00:22:46 centuries ago.
00:22:46 --> 00:22:47 They lived together.
00:22:47 --> 00:22:48 They were under
00:22:48 --> 00:22:48 one kingdom.
00:22:49 --> 00:22:50 They were together.
00:22:50 --> 00:22:51 But the rivalry
00:22:51 --> 00:22:52 grew.
00:22:54 --> 00:22:54 And when you,
00:22:55 --> 00:22:56 after the
00:22:56 --> 00:22:57 Assyrian conquest
00:22:57 --> 00:22:59 of 722 BC,
00:23:00 --> 00:23:01 the rivalry grew
00:23:01 --> 00:23:02 and they
00:23:02 --> 00:23:04 separated.
00:23:05 --> 00:23:06 And Jews
00:23:06 --> 00:23:06 believed
00:23:06 --> 00:23:09 the only
00:23:09 --> 00:23:10 proper place
00:23:10 --> 00:23:10 to worship
00:23:10 --> 00:23:11 was
00:23:11 --> 00:23:12 the temple
00:23:12 --> 00:23:13 in Jerusalem.
00:23:14 --> 00:23:14 And Samaritans
00:23:14 --> 00:23:15 believed
00:23:15 --> 00:23:16 the true place
00:23:16 --> 00:23:17 to worship
00:23:17 --> 00:23:18 is one of the
00:23:18 --> 00:23:19 mountains
00:23:19 --> 00:23:19 in Samaria.
00:23:20 --> 00:23:21 Not in Jerusalem.
00:23:22 --> 00:23:23 The tension
00:23:23 --> 00:23:24 between these
00:23:24 --> 00:23:24 two
00:23:24 --> 00:23:26 became a
00:23:26 --> 00:23:27 theological
00:23:27 --> 00:23:28 division,
00:23:29 --> 00:23:29 theological
00:23:29 --> 00:23:30 arguments.
00:23:31 --> 00:23:31 It turned
00:23:31 --> 00:23:33 violent at times.
00:23:33 --> 00:23:34 They fought
00:23:34 --> 00:23:34 with each other.
00:23:35 --> 00:23:35 Jews
00:23:35 --> 00:23:36 destroyed
00:23:36 --> 00:23:37 the Samaritan
00:23:37 --> 00:23:38 temple
00:23:38 --> 00:23:39 on the
00:23:39 --> 00:23:39 mount
00:23:39 --> 00:23:42 around
00:23:42 --> 00:23:43 150 years
00:23:43 --> 00:23:44 before
00:23:44 --> 00:23:45 Jesus
00:23:45 --> 00:23:45 told this
00:23:45 --> 00:23:46 story.
00:23:48 --> 00:23:49 And also
00:23:49 --> 00:23:50 Samaritans
00:23:50 --> 00:23:50 also
00:23:50 --> 00:23:51 disrupted
00:23:51 --> 00:23:53 when the
00:23:53 --> 00:23:54 Jews
00:23:54 --> 00:23:55 traveling
00:23:55 --> 00:23:55 to
00:23:55 --> 00:23:56 Jerusalem
00:23:56 --> 00:23:57 for their
00:23:57 --> 00:23:59 pilgrimages,
00:24:00 --> 00:24:00 their
00:24:00 --> 00:24:01 rituals.
00:24:02 --> 00:24:03 When
00:24:03 --> 00:24:03 Jesus
00:24:03 --> 00:24:04 brought
00:24:04 --> 00:24:04 the
00:24:04 --> 00:24:05 Samaritans
00:24:05 --> 00:24:06 in this
00:24:06 --> 00:24:06 story,
00:24:07 --> 00:24:08 Jesus
00:24:08 --> 00:24:08 brings
00:24:08 --> 00:24:10 the story
00:24:10 --> 00:24:10 of compassion
00:24:10 --> 00:24:11 in action.
00:24:13 --> 00:24:13 And the
00:24:13 --> 00:24:13 Bible
00:24:13 --> 00:24:14 says
00:24:14 --> 00:24:15 the
00:24:15 --> 00:24:16 Samaritan,
00:24:16 --> 00:24:17 he
00:24:17 --> 00:24:18 saw him,
00:24:18 --> 00:24:19 he sees
00:24:19 --> 00:24:19 him,
00:24:20 --> 00:24:21 he had
00:24:21 --> 00:24:21 compassion,
00:24:22 --> 00:24:23 and he
00:24:23 --> 00:24:24 went to
00:24:24 --> 00:24:24 him.
00:24:25 --> 00:24:25 I just
00:24:25 --> 00:24:26 want to
00:24:26 --> 00:24:26 underline
00:24:26 --> 00:24:27 these three
00:24:27 --> 00:24:27 things.
00:24:27 --> 00:24:28 And what
00:24:28 --> 00:24:29 we fail
00:24:29 --> 00:24:29 to do
00:24:29 --> 00:24:30 most of
00:24:30 --> 00:24:30 the time,
00:24:30 --> 00:24:31 even in
00:24:31 --> 00:24:32 my life,
00:24:32 --> 00:24:33 in my
00:24:33 --> 00:24:34 walk
00:24:34 --> 00:24:35 with people,
00:24:35 --> 00:24:36 I refuse
00:24:36 --> 00:24:36 to see
00:24:36 --> 00:24:37 what's going
00:24:37 --> 00:24:37 on,
00:24:38 --> 00:24:39 because I
00:24:39 --> 00:24:39 refuse to
00:24:39 --> 00:24:40 see,
00:24:40 --> 00:24:41 I cannot
00:24:41 --> 00:24:42 feel what
00:24:42 --> 00:24:43 they are
00:24:43 --> 00:24:43 going through,
00:24:44 --> 00:24:45 I cannot
00:24:45 --> 00:24:46 move by
00:24:46 --> 00:24:46 compassion,
00:24:47 --> 00:24:47 and because
00:24:47 --> 00:24:49 I can't
00:24:49 --> 00:24:51 see and
00:24:51 --> 00:24:52 feel,
00:24:52 --> 00:24:53 I don't
00:24:53 --> 00:24:54 go to
00:24:54 --> 00:24:54 them.
00:24:54 --> 00:24:55 I stay
00:24:55 --> 00:24:56 out of
00:24:56 --> 00:24:56 that place
00:24:56 --> 00:24:57 because I
00:24:57 --> 00:24:58 refuse to
00:24:58 --> 00:24:58 see it,
00:24:59 --> 00:24:59 I refuse
00:24:59 --> 00:25:01 to move,
00:25:01 --> 00:25:02 and so
00:25:02 --> 00:25:02 I don't
00:25:02 --> 00:25:03 go to
00:25:03 --> 00:25:03 them.
00:25:04 --> 00:25:04 He does
00:25:04 --> 00:25:05 not,
00:25:05 --> 00:25:05 when he
00:25:05 --> 00:25:06 goes to
00:25:06 --> 00:25:06 him,
00:25:06 --> 00:25:07 he did
00:25:07 --> 00:25:08 not ask
00:25:08 --> 00:25:08 the question
00:25:08 --> 00:25:10 about the
00:25:10 --> 00:25:11 ethnicity of
00:25:11 --> 00:25:12 the person
00:25:12 --> 00:25:13 injured,
00:25:13 --> 00:25:14 he did
00:25:14 --> 00:25:15 not ask
00:25:15 --> 00:25:16 the race
00:25:16 --> 00:25:16 of that
00:25:16 --> 00:25:17 person who
00:25:17 --> 00:25:18 is injured,
00:25:18 --> 00:25:19 and he
00:25:19 --> 00:25:19 did not
00:25:19 --> 00:25:20 ask the
00:25:20 --> 00:25:21 question of
00:25:21 --> 00:25:22 the religious
00:25:22 --> 00:25:23 or politics.
00:25:25 --> 00:25:25 And the
00:25:25 --> 00:25:26 scripture says
00:25:26 --> 00:25:27 he acts,
00:25:27 --> 00:25:28 it was not
00:25:28 --> 00:25:28 a triple
00:25:28 --> 00:25:29 zero call
00:25:29 --> 00:25:31 and then
00:25:31 --> 00:25:31 to walk
00:25:31 --> 00:25:31 away,
00:25:32 --> 00:25:32 right?
00:25:32 --> 00:25:32 Today,
00:25:32 --> 00:25:33 if I see
00:25:33 --> 00:25:33 somebody in
00:25:33 --> 00:25:34 need,
00:25:34 --> 00:25:35 and my
00:25:35 --> 00:25:35 easiest
00:25:35 --> 00:25:36 option is
00:25:36 --> 00:25:37 to make
00:25:37 --> 00:25:37 a triple
00:25:37 --> 00:25:38 zero call.
00:25:39 --> 00:25:39 This is
00:25:39 --> 00:25:40 not the
00:25:40 --> 00:25:40 narration
00:25:40 --> 00:25:41 of the
00:25:41 --> 00:25:41 secular
00:25:41 --> 00:25:42 media
00:25:42 --> 00:25:42 today
00:25:42 --> 00:25:43 saying
00:25:43 --> 00:25:44 a good
00:25:44 --> 00:25:45 Samaritan's
00:25:45 --> 00:25:46 act.
00:25:46 --> 00:25:47 When somebody
00:25:47 --> 00:25:49 calls a triple
00:25:49 --> 00:25:49 zero,
00:25:49 --> 00:25:50 today you
00:25:50 --> 00:25:50 will hear
00:25:50 --> 00:25:51 in a secular
00:25:51 --> 00:25:52 media saying
00:25:52 --> 00:25:52 that was
00:25:52 --> 00:25:53 an act
00:25:53 --> 00:25:53 of a good
00:25:53 --> 00:25:54 Samaritan.
00:25:54 --> 00:25:54 So it
00:25:54 --> 00:25:55 was not
00:25:55 --> 00:25:56 that easy
00:25:56 --> 00:25:57 at that
00:25:57 --> 00:25:57 point.
00:25:58 --> 00:25:58 And the
00:25:58 --> 00:25:59 Bible
00:25:59 --> 00:26:00 says he
00:26:00 --> 00:26:00 goes there,
00:26:00 --> 00:26:01 he bandages
00:26:01 --> 00:26:02 the wound,
00:26:02 --> 00:26:03 uses oil
00:26:03 --> 00:26:03 and wine,
00:26:04 --> 00:26:04 puts the
00:26:04 --> 00:26:05 man on
00:26:05 --> 00:26:06 his own
00:26:06 --> 00:26:07 animal,
00:26:07 --> 00:26:07 in his
00:26:07 --> 00:26:08 own donkey,
00:26:08 --> 00:26:09 takes him
00:26:09 --> 00:26:10 to the
00:26:10 --> 00:26:10 inn,
00:26:11 --> 00:26:11 and the
00:26:11 --> 00:26:12 Bible says
00:26:12 --> 00:26:13 he stayed
00:26:13 --> 00:26:14 with him
00:26:14 --> 00:26:15 and cared
00:26:15 --> 00:26:16 for him.
00:26:16 --> 00:26:17 And on
00:26:17 --> 00:26:17 the next
00:26:17 --> 00:26:17 day,
00:26:18 --> 00:26:18 pays
00:26:18 --> 00:26:19 two
00:26:19 --> 00:26:20 denarii.
00:26:20 --> 00:26:20 And if
00:26:20 --> 00:26:21 you really
00:26:21 --> 00:26:21 look at
00:26:21 --> 00:26:22 it,
00:26:22 --> 00:26:23 it's a lot
00:26:23 --> 00:26:23 of money.
00:26:24 --> 00:26:25 It is a lot
00:26:25 --> 00:26:25 of money
00:26:25 --> 00:26:26 in today's
00:26:26 --> 00:26:26 terms.
00:26:26 --> 00:26:27 It's
00:26:27 --> 00:26:28 probably
00:26:28 --> 00:26:28 around two
00:26:28 --> 00:26:29 days of
00:26:29 --> 00:26:30 wages.
00:26:30 --> 00:26:31 And for
00:26:31 --> 00:26:31 the
00:26:31 --> 00:26:32 Samaritan,
00:26:32 --> 00:26:32 that's
00:26:32 --> 00:26:33 a lot
00:26:33 --> 00:26:33 of money.
00:26:34 --> 00:26:34 And he
00:26:34 --> 00:26:35 says,
00:26:35 --> 00:26:36 in the
00:26:36 --> 00:26:37 last part
00:26:37 --> 00:26:37 it says,
00:26:38 --> 00:26:38 promises to
00:26:38 --> 00:26:39 return and
00:26:39 --> 00:26:40 pay if
00:26:40 --> 00:26:41 you have
00:26:41 --> 00:26:42 spent more,
00:26:42 --> 00:26:43 willing to
00:26:43 --> 00:26:43 reimburse.
00:26:44 --> 00:26:45 This is
00:26:45 --> 00:26:46 a costly
00:26:46 --> 00:26:47 ongoing
00:26:47 --> 00:26:48 commitment.
00:26:49 --> 00:26:49 It is
00:26:49 --> 00:26:50 not
00:26:50 --> 00:26:51 something
00:26:51 --> 00:26:52 that you
00:26:52 --> 00:26:52 fix and
00:26:52 --> 00:26:53 run away.
00:26:53 --> 00:26:54 It is an
00:26:54 --> 00:26:54 ongoing
00:26:54 --> 00:26:55 commitment.
00:26:55 --> 00:26:56 This
00:26:56 --> 00:26:56 parable
00:26:56 --> 00:26:59 gives
00:26:59 --> 00:26:59 us
00:26:59 --> 00:27:00 the
00:27:00 --> 00:27:00 love
00:27:00 --> 00:27:01 that we
00:27:01 --> 00:27:01 show
00:27:01 --> 00:27:02 without
00:27:02 --> 00:27:03 limits.
00:27:04 --> 00:27:04 And
00:27:04 --> 00:27:05 faith
00:27:05 --> 00:27:05 is
00:27:05 --> 00:27:06 proven
00:27:06 --> 00:27:07 when it
00:27:07 --> 00:27:07 is
00:27:07 --> 00:27:08 not
00:27:08 --> 00:27:09 safe.
00:27:09 --> 00:27:10 My
00:27:10 --> 00:27:10 faith
00:27:10 --> 00:27:10 is
00:27:10 --> 00:27:11 proven
00:27:11 --> 00:27:12 when it
00:27:12 --> 00:27:12 is
00:27:12 --> 00:27:12 not
00:27:12 --> 00:27:13 safe.
00:27:14 --> 00:27:14 The
00:27:14 --> 00:27:14 faith
00:27:14 --> 00:27:14 is
00:27:14 --> 00:27:15 proven
00:27:15 --> 00:27:16 when it
00:27:16 --> 00:27:16 is
00:27:16 --> 00:27:17 really
00:27:17 --> 00:27:18 costly.
00:27:18 --> 00:27:18 And I
00:27:18 --> 00:27:19 leave
00:27:19 --> 00:27:19 this
00:27:19 --> 00:27:20 part
00:27:20 --> 00:27:21 of
00:27:21 --> 00:27:21 that
00:27:21 --> 00:27:23 in my
00:27:23 --> 00:27:23 conclusion.
00:27:23 --> 00:27:24 When
00:27:24 --> 00:27:24 Jesus
00:27:24 --> 00:27:25 says,
00:27:25 --> 00:27:26 go and
00:27:26 --> 00:27:26 do
00:27:26 --> 00:27:27 likewise,
00:27:27 --> 00:27:27 I want
00:27:27 --> 00:27:28 you to
00:27:28 --> 00:27:28 remember
00:27:28 --> 00:27:29 that
00:27:29 --> 00:27:30 unless
00:27:30 --> 00:27:31 I
00:27:31 --> 00:27:31 see
00:27:31 --> 00:27:32 it,
00:27:32 --> 00:27:32 I
00:27:32 --> 00:27:32 will
00:27:32 --> 00:27:33 not
00:27:33 --> 00:27:33 be
00:27:33 --> 00:27:33 moved.
00:27:34 --> 00:27:34 Unless
00:27:34 --> 00:27:34 I
00:27:34 --> 00:27:35 see
00:27:35 --> 00:27:35 and
00:27:35 --> 00:27:36 moved,
00:27:36 --> 00:27:36 I
00:27:36 --> 00:27:36 will
00:27:36 --> 00:27:36 not
00:27:36 --> 00:27:37 be
00:27:37 --> 00:27:37 able
00:27:37 --> 00:27:37 to
00:27:37 --> 00:27:38 act.
00:27:38 --> 00:27:39 Thank
00:27:39 --> 00:27:39 you.
00:27:39 --> 00:27:39 Thank
00:27:39 --> 00:27:40 you for
00:27:40 --> 00:27:40 giving me
00:27:40 --> 00:27:40 this
00:27:40 --> 00:27:41 opportunity.
00:27:41 --> 00:27:41 Thank you.