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The Winning Walk with Dr. Ed Young

Ed Young - The Good Samaritan

December 3, 2025 | 29:0

Ed Young - The Good Samaritan
In a twist on the parable of the good Samaritan, a lawyer tests Jesus by asking how to inherit eternal life. Jesus redirects the question back to the lawyer, who correctly identifies loving God and neighbor as key. When pressed on who qualifies as a neighbor, Jesus tells the story of a man beaten and left for dead, ignored by a priest and Levite but rescued by a Samaritan. The Samaritan's compassion challenges the lawyer's understanding of love and neighbor, pushing him to grasp the radical truth that love knows no boundaries. Jesus teaches that true neighborly love transcends societal norms and expectations.
#GoodSamaritan #Jesus #Parable #LoveyourNeighbor #Love #EternalLife #UnconditionalLove #EdYoung

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The Winning Walk with Dr. Ed Young | Ed Young - The Good Samaritan | December 3, 2025
  • ♪♪♪
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  • ♪♪♪
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  • Ed young: now we're gonna look at the very familiar
  • 00:00:21.301 --> 00:00:24.571
  • Parable of the good samaritan and we're going to look at it in
  • 00:00:24.571 --> 00:00:30.643
  • A way that i had never really looked at it before.
  • 00:00:30.643 --> 00:00:34.047
  • As you know, if you remember the story, it is a story of rescue,
  • 00:00:34.047 --> 00:00:41.020
  • But it's far, far more than that.
  • 00:00:41.020 --> 00:00:44.958
  • Luke 10:25: "on one occasion an expert in the law stood up to
  • 00:00:44.958 --> 00:00:51.297
  • Test jesus."
  • 00:00:51.297 --> 00:00:53.766
  • The word "test" is the same word was used in the wilderness of
  • 00:00:53.766 --> 00:00:58.037
  • Temptations when jesus was tempted, remember?
  • 00:00:58.037 --> 00:01:02.742
  • "an expert in the law stood up," this was a lawyer.
  • 00:01:02.742 --> 00:01:06.880
  • Now, there are three professions that have more jokes told about
  • 00:01:06.880 --> 00:01:10.950
  • Them than any other professions: preachers, doctors, and lawyers,
  • 00:01:10.950 --> 00:01:20.593
  • Especially lawyers, and you in that profession can figure that
  • 00:01:20.593 --> 00:01:27.033
  • Out for yourself.
  • 00:01:27.033 --> 00:01:30.737
  • But here we have a lawyer who stands up and he'd been charging
  • 00:01:30.737 --> 00:01:37.343
  • $2000 an hour for a lot of years because he was a
  • 00:01:37.343 --> 00:01:40.680
  • Big-time lawyer.
  • 00:01:40.680 --> 00:01:42.749
  • He was a religious lawyer.
  • 00:01:42.749 --> 00:01:44.984
  • He had advocated for the state.
  • 00:01:44.984 --> 00:01:47.820
  • He had advocated the sanhedrin.
  • 00:01:47.820 --> 00:01:50.123
  • He had done relationships for the romans who dominated israel
  • 00:01:50.123 --> 00:01:53.893
  • And therefore he had been in high class, delicate legal
  • 00:01:53.893 --> 00:02:00.400
  • Situations that involved the laws of rome, the laws of
  • 00:02:00.400 --> 00:02:04.804
  • Israel, the laws of god.
  • 00:02:04.804 --> 00:02:06.673
  • It was all connected in that theocracy, which was the order
  • 00:02:06.673 --> 00:02:10.510
  • Of the day.
  • 00:02:10.510 --> 00:02:11.844
  • So this lawyer stood up in the middle of jesus teaching.
  • 00:02:11.844 --> 00:02:17.116
  • And he asked this question to test jesus.
  • 00:02:17.116 --> 00:02:20.820
  • He said, "teacher, what must i do to inherit eternal life?"
  • 00:02:20.820 --> 00:02:27.927
  • Big question, isn't it?
  • 00:02:27.927 --> 00:02:30.296
  • He's saying, what must i do to be rescued from this life which
  • 00:02:30.296 --> 00:02:36.302
  • I know i will die and what must i do to have eternal life, life
  • 00:02:36.302 --> 00:02:41.507
  • After this life?
  • 00:02:41.507 --> 00:02:43.209
  • Big question.
  • 00:02:43.209 --> 00:02:44.544
  • We all ask ourselves this question at different times,
  • 00:02:44.544 --> 00:02:47.847
  • Different places.
  • 00:02:47.847 --> 00:02:49.549
  • And you can get a myriad of answers in the culture in which
  • 00:02:49.549 --> 00:02:52.619
  • We live.
  • 00:02:52.619 --> 00:02:54.254
  • But here he asked jesus, "teacher," by the way that
  • 00:02:54.254 --> 00:02:58.324
  • Indicated he was-- knew something about what jesus
  • 00:02:58.324 --> 00:03:01.694
  • Was doing.
  • 00:03:01.694 --> 00:03:03.029
  • "teacher, what must i do to inherit eternal life?"
  • 00:03:03.029 --> 00:03:05.632
  • Why was he trying to test jesus?
  • 00:03:05.632 --> 00:03:08.301
  • Because jesus had thrown out all barriers.
  • 00:03:08.301 --> 00:03:11.638
  • Jesus was associated, he was related to, the worst kind of
  • 00:03:11.638 --> 00:03:18.077
  • People in all of israel.
  • 00:03:18.077 --> 00:03:20.213
  • Oh, yeah.
  • 00:03:20.213 --> 00:03:21.881
  • I mean, those who didn't go to temple, those who were profane,
  • 00:03:21.881 --> 00:03:26.352
  • Those who worked with their hands and had calluses, the
  • 00:03:26.352 --> 00:03:31.190
  • Common people of all backgrounds.
  • 00:03:31.190 --> 00:03:34.227
  • Jesus was associated with them and i can guarantee you the
  • 00:03:34.227 --> 00:03:37.864
  • Pharisees didn't like it, the sadducees didn't like it.
  • 00:03:37.864 --> 00:03:41.134
  • And i guarantee this teacher was seeing that jesus was doing
  • 00:03:41.134 --> 00:03:44.671
  • Something that they never experienced before because he
  • 00:03:44.671 --> 00:03:48.908
  • Taught not like, "well, what do you think about this?"
  • 00:03:48.908 --> 00:03:52.912
  • He spoke with authority as if he were god himself.
  • 00:03:52.912 --> 00:04:01.754
  • "teacher, what must i do to inherit eternal life?"
  • 00:04:04.157 --> 00:04:09.195
  • And jesus looked at this lawyer and said, "what is written in
  • 00:04:09.195 --> 00:04:14.000
  • The law?"
  • 00:04:14.000 --> 00:04:15.935
  • And jesus asked, "well, how do you interpret that?"
  • 00:04:15.935 --> 00:04:19.939
  • And we know the lawyer.
  • 00:04:19.939 --> 00:04:21.874
  • That was an easy lay-up question.
  • 00:04:21.874 --> 00:04:24.977
  • Because do you realize the jew, every morning, the first thing
  • 00:04:24.977 --> 00:04:29.248
  • They would do would quote and listen to the shema, deuteronomy
  • 00:04:29.248 --> 00:04:32.852
  • 6? every morning, deuteronomy 6. every afternoon, deuteronomy 6,
  • 00:04:32.852 --> 00:04:38.291
  • They'd go over it again.
  • 00:04:38.291 --> 00:04:39.659
  • Every night before they went to bed, every jew, from the time
  • 00:04:39.659 --> 00:04:42.628
  • They could understand, deuteronomy 6, the shema.
  • 00:04:42.628 --> 00:04:46.499
  • Over and over and over and over and over again was pounded in
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  • The heart.
  • 00:04:51.671 --> 00:04:53.005
  • They'd have the shema written over the doorpost.
  • 00:04:53.005 --> 00:04:55.108
  • They had a shema in different places in the house.
  • 00:04:55.108 --> 00:04:58.277
  • So anything everybody knew, every believing, practicing jew
  • 00:04:58.277 --> 00:05:02.115
  • Knew, even a modified practicing jew, they knew what was in
  • 00:05:02.115 --> 00:05:06.519
  • The shema.
  • 00:05:06.519 --> 00:05:07.854
  • On top of that, you can be pretty sure that that very
  • 00:05:07.854 --> 00:05:11.824
  • Religious lawyer had phylactery on his wrist, maybe on his head.
  • 00:05:11.824 --> 00:05:18.097
  • In that phylactery it would be verses from the shema,
  • 00:05:18.097 --> 00:05:21.033
  • Deuteronomy 6. and there would be verses from leviticus 19,
  • 00:05:21.033 --> 00:05:25.104
  • Particularly verse 18.
  • 00:05:25.104 --> 00:05:26.739
  • Put those two verses together and what do you have?
  • 00:05:26.739 --> 00:05:29.308
  • You have exactly the answer that the lawyer gave to jesus.
  • 00:05:29.308 --> 00:05:34.814
  • The lawyer asked the question and jesus said, "well, how do
  • 00:05:34.814 --> 00:05:38.151
  • You interpret this?"
  • 00:05:38.151 --> 00:05:39.819
  • He flipped it back on him and he said, "how do you
  • 00:05:39.819 --> 00:05:43.356
  • Understand that?"
  • 00:05:43.356 --> 00:05:44.690
  • And the lawyer said-- remind you, there's a whole bunch of
  • 00:05:44.690 --> 00:05:48.094
  • People there, perhaps 1000 or so.
  • 00:05:48.094 --> 00:05:50.530
  • The lawyer said, "you shall love the lord thy god with all your
  • 00:05:50.530 --> 00:05:54.634
  • Heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, with all your
  • 00:05:54.634 --> 00:05:58.771
  • Strength, first commandment."
  • 00:05:58.771 --> 00:06:02.275
  • Then he said, "love your neighbor as you love yourself."
  • 00:06:02.275 --> 00:06:06.846
  • And jesus said, "a-plus, you got it right.
  • 00:06:06.846 --> 00:06:11.818
  • That's exactly on target."
  • 00:06:11.818 --> 00:06:13.986
  • Here we see jesus and this lawyer agreeing.
  • 00:06:13.986 --> 00:06:20.960
  • And then jesus said, "go and put it into practice," okay.
  • 00:06:20.960 --> 00:06:29.335
  • "love god with every ounce of everything and love your
  • 00:06:29.335 --> 00:06:34.540
  • Neighbor as you love yourself."
  • 00:06:34.540 --> 00:06:37.610
  • And then you see what happened.
  • 00:06:37.610 --> 00:06:39.011
  • All this had flipped on the lawyer.
  • 00:06:39.011 --> 00:06:40.913
  • Remember i said a parable is a mirror and a window?
  • 00:06:40.913 --> 00:06:44.650
  • Here, all of a sudden, the lawyer was asking the question
  • 00:06:44.650 --> 00:06:48.221
  • And, by the way, an esteemed lawyer will never ask a question
  • 00:06:48.221 --> 00:06:51.724
  • In a court of law unless they know the answer the witness is
  • 00:06:51.724 --> 00:06:54.827
  • Gonna give.
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  • Every lawyer here will tell you that.
  • 00:06:56.162 --> 00:06:57.864
  • Every lawyer here, if they've been in a courtroom, you've
  • 00:06:57.864 --> 00:06:59.899
  • Probably made that mistake and you got an--whoa, i didn't
  • 00:06:59.899 --> 00:07:03.736
  • Want that.
  • 00:07:03.736 --> 00:07:05.071
  • So they always know the answer.
  • 00:07:05.071 --> 00:07:06.405
  • And the lawyer knew phi beta kappa, this answer, it was
  • 00:07:06.405 --> 00:07:09.942
  • A lay-up.
  • 00:07:09.942 --> 00:07:11.277
  • He'd had it all of his life in the shema.
  • 00:07:11.277 --> 00:07:12.979
  • He had it all and probably had it written in phylactery on
  • 00:07:12.979 --> 00:07:15.581
  • His wrist.
  • 00:07:15.581 --> 00:07:16.916
  • Jesus said, "you answer it exactly.
  • 00:07:16.916 --> 00:07:18.885
  • Now, go put it into practice."
  • 00:07:18.885 --> 00:07:22.488
  • Now, here is the trick here that twists us.
  • 00:07:22.488 --> 00:07:26.559
  • Nobody, anywhere, any place, any time in history, would be able
  • 00:07:26.559 --> 00:07:33.232
  • To put that law into practice.
  • 00:07:33.232 --> 00:07:35.868
  • Do you get that?
  • 00:07:35.868 --> 00:07:37.637
  • You can't do it.
  • 00:07:37.637 --> 00:07:39.906
  • The lawyer knew it and certainly jesus knew it.
  • 00:07:39.906 --> 00:07:44.977
  • Love god with everything.
  • 00:07:44.977 --> 00:07:46.345
  • Well, how do you know i love god?
  • 00:07:46.345 --> 00:07:48.014
  • I tell you, love your neighbor as you love yourself.
  • 00:07:48.014 --> 00:07:53.152
  • And then we see the lawyer gets in deeper trouble at all and he
  • 00:07:53.152 --> 00:07:57.623
  • Understands it and verse 29 is so good.
  • 00:07:57.623 --> 00:08:01.727
  • He said, "but he," the lawyer, "wanted to justify himself."
  • 00:08:01.727 --> 00:08:07.567
  • Let's stop right there and let this come home to you and to me.
  • 00:08:07.567 --> 00:08:13.406
  • Do you ever try to justify?
  • 00:08:13.406 --> 00:08:15.141
  • All the time.
  • 00:08:15.141 --> 00:08:16.842
  • Do you try-- yes.
  • 00:08:16.842 --> 00:08:18.978
  • Anybody?
  • 00:08:18.978 --> 00:08:20.313
  • Oh, yes, every one of us.
  • 00:08:20.313 --> 00:08:21.647
  • "well, i didn't go there because i had this.
  • 00:08:21.647 --> 00:08:24.550
  • The real reason was this, though.
  • 00:08:24.550 --> 00:08:26.152
  • You think it's this.
  • 00:08:26.152 --> 00:08:27.787
  • I look bad over here.
  • 00:08:27.787 --> 00:08:29.121
  • I told that lie because i was trying to protect."
  • 00:08:29.121 --> 00:08:31.490
  • I mean, we are experts, every one of us here,
  • 00:08:31.490 --> 00:08:35.261
  • At self-justification.
  • 00:08:35.261 --> 00:08:37.029
  • Anybody who thinks you're not, would you stand up?
  • 00:08:37.029 --> 00:08:39.532
  • I want to see you because you're immediately going to heaven.
  • 00:08:39.532 --> 00:08:46.138
  • So here, the lawyer is trying to justify himself.
  • 00:08:46.138 --> 00:08:48.874
  • Why is he trying to explain this?
  • 00:08:48.874 --> 00:08:53.079
  • He was embarrassed.
  • 00:08:53.079 --> 00:08:55.247
  • He asked a question, he knew the answer to it from the time he
  • 00:08:55.247 --> 00:09:00.252
  • Was 3 years old.
  • 00:09:00.252 --> 00:09:02.922
  • And then jesus flipped it on him and he gave the answer.
  • 00:09:02.922 --> 00:09:07.026
  • And then jesus said, "hey, you are a legalist.
  • 00:09:07.026 --> 00:09:09.895
  • You are a religious legalist, a pharisee, a god-fearing man.
  • 00:09:09.895 --> 00:09:15.067
  • You go and put this in practice."
  • 00:09:15.067 --> 00:09:17.470
  • Remember the question?
  • 00:09:17.470 --> 00:09:19.872
  • "what must i do to inherit eternal life?"
  • 00:09:19.872 --> 00:09:22.108
  • Jesus said, "you go and practice this and you've got life, you've
  • 00:09:22.108 --> 00:09:25.845
  • Got eternal life.
  • 00:09:25.845 --> 00:09:27.179
  • That's what you do.
  • 00:09:27.179 --> 00:09:28.514
  • That's the answer."
  • 00:09:28.514 --> 00:09:30.249
  • And the lawyer was, "i can't do that.
  • 00:09:30.249 --> 00:09:35.855
  • I'm not doing that.
  • 00:09:35.855 --> 00:09:37.823
  • I'm not even trying very hard.
  • 00:09:37.823 --> 00:09:39.492
  • I've given up a long time ago."
  • 00:09:39.492 --> 00:09:41.193
  • So he thought to justify himself by redirecting the conversation.
  • 00:09:41.193 --> 00:09:47.366
  • Anybody do that?
  • 00:09:47.366 --> 00:09:49.502
  • Ever seen that happen?
  • 00:09:49.502 --> 00:09:51.871
  • And then he turned to jesus and look what he said: "but he
  • 00:09:51.871 --> 00:09:56.175
  • Wanted to justify himself, so he asked jesus, 'well, who is
  • 00:09:56.175 --> 00:09:59.578
  • My neighbor?'"
  • 00:09:59.578 --> 00:10:00.913
  • In a debate when you get caught, ask the person to define
  • 00:10:00.913 --> 00:10:04.283
  • Some terms.
  • 00:10:04.283 --> 00:10:05.751
  • You familiar with that?
  • 00:10:05.751 --> 00:10:07.086
  • Well, what do you mean by this?
  • 00:10:07.086 --> 00:10:08.654
  • See, the lawyer was caught, he was captured, he was nailed
  • 00:10:08.654 --> 00:10:12.124
  • Down, it was discovered about his life he wasn't as good and
  • 00:10:12.124 --> 00:10:15.661
  • As smart as [inaudible]
  • 00:10:15.661 --> 00:10:16.996
  • So he tried to justify himself and he did it by asking
  • 00:10:16.996 --> 00:10:20.399
  • Another question.
  • 00:10:20.399 --> 00:10:21.734
  • "well, by the way, who is my neighbor?"
  • 00:10:21.734 --> 00:10:23.069
  • And in that day and time and even to an extent today, when
  • 00:10:23.069 --> 00:10:27.573
  • Serious ethical conversations take place, people want to know
  • 00:10:27.573 --> 00:10:34.413
  • Who is your neighbor.
  • 00:10:34.413 --> 00:10:36.916
  • Who is your neighbor?
  • 00:10:36.916 --> 00:10:39.218
  • And this lawyer had been in all kinds of debate, defining
  • 00:10:39.218 --> 00:10:42.888
  • Neighbor, yeah.
  • 00:10:42.888 --> 00:10:44.590
  • And it's still a debate, by the way.
  • 00:10:44.590 --> 00:10:46.092
  • It'll be a debate when we leave here, until i answer it at
  • 00:10:46.092 --> 00:10:49.328
  • The end.
  • 00:10:49.328 --> 00:10:51.130
  • Is your neighbor, your family?
  • 00:10:51.130 --> 00:10:54.667
  • You're to love him the way you love yourself, your family?
  • 00:10:54.667 --> 00:10:57.103
  • Oh yeah, i'll work on that.
  • 00:10:57.103 --> 00:10:58.437
  • Is your neighbor those that you know?
  • 00:10:58.437 --> 00:11:00.339
  • Are the neighbors are those who believe like you believe?
  • 00:11:00.339 --> 00:11:03.642
  • Is your neighbor the person who has the same education, the same
  • 00:11:03.642 --> 00:11:07.947
  • Color skin, the same background, the same ethnicity, the same
  • 00:11:07.947 --> 00:11:11.684
  • Tastes that you have?
  • 00:11:11.684 --> 00:11:13.018
  • Is that who your neighbor is?
  • 00:11:13.018 --> 00:11:15.721
  • Is your neighbor someone you haven't met?
  • 00:11:15.721 --> 00:11:18.924
  • Who is your neighbor?
  • 00:11:18.924 --> 00:11:20.593
  • And this is a question that is relevant.
  • 00:11:20.593 --> 00:11:22.862
  • I could stand anybody up here as i have stood up myself, as i've
  • 00:11:22.862 --> 00:11:27.500
  • Studied this, and said just exactly who do you think your
  • 00:11:27.500 --> 00:11:31.670
  • Neighbor is?
  • 00:11:31.670 --> 00:11:34.673
  • And jesus answered it with a parable, a true story.
  • 00:11:34.673 --> 00:11:41.881
  • Unbelievable story in that culture.
  • 00:11:41.881 --> 00:11:44.884
  • Listen at it, verse 30: "in reply jesus said, 'a man go down
  • 00:11:44.884 --> 00:11:49.722
  • From jerusalem to jericho.
  • 00:11:49.722 --> 00:11:53.626
  • When he was attacked by robbers, they stripped him of his
  • 00:11:53.626 --> 00:11:56.328
  • Clothes, beat him and went away, leaving him half dead.
  • 00:11:56.328 --> 00:12:00.466
  • A priest happened to be going down the same road, and when he
  • 00:12:00.466 --> 00:12:03.669
  • Saw the man, he passed by on the other side.
  • 00:12:03.669 --> 00:12:06.705
  • So too, the levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed
  • 00:12:06.705 --> 00:12:10.042
  • By on the other side.
  • 00:12:10.042 --> 00:12:11.377
  • But a samaritan, as he traveled, came where the man was; when he
  • 00:12:11.377 --> 00:12:15.181
  • Saw him, he took pity on him.
  • 00:12:15.181 --> 00:12:17.183
  • He went to him, bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine.
  • 00:12:17.183 --> 00:12:21.654
  • Then he put the man on his own donkey, brought him to an inn,
  • 00:12:21.654 --> 00:12:25.291
  • Took care of him.
  • 00:12:25.291 --> 00:12:26.625
  • The next day he took out two denarii and gave the innkeeper.
  • 00:12:26.625 --> 00:12:30.596
  • "look after him," he said, "and when i return, i will reimburse
  • 00:12:30.596 --> 00:12:34.099
  • You for any extra experience you may have had."'" hello.
  • 00:12:34.099 --> 00:12:42.808
  • The question before the house for all of us, as for that
  • 00:12:42.808 --> 00:12:47.913
  • Lawyer, who in the world is your neighbor?
  • 00:12:47.913 --> 00:12:52.651
  • And the lawyer, the debate that day, was how big a circle do you
  • 00:12:52.651 --> 00:12:58.424
  • Take in for your neighbor?
  • 00:12:58.424 --> 00:13:00.359
  • Where do you draw lines as to who your neighbor is?
  • 00:13:00.359 --> 00:13:04.997
  • Where is the line that is drawn here?
  • 00:13:04.997 --> 00:13:09.335
  • And jesus tells this story and what a story it was.
  • 00:13:09.335 --> 00:13:16.141
  • Listen, the road from jerusalem to jericho is 17 miles.
  • 00:13:16.141 --> 00:13:20.980
  • It's about a 3200-foot drop and 17 miles.
  • 00:13:20.980 --> 00:13:26.085
  • Do you see it?
  • 00:13:26.085 --> 00:13:27.419
  • I've been down the road myself.
  • 00:13:27.419 --> 00:13:29.255
  • It is a winding road.
  • 00:13:29.255 --> 00:13:31.924
  • It was called the road of blood because criminals, robbers,
  • 00:13:31.924 --> 00:13:38.063
  • Would hide behind turns in the road and they would go and jump
  • 00:13:38.063 --> 00:13:41.834
  • Out and knock somebody in the head, take what they have,
  • 00:13:41.834 --> 00:13:45.237
  • And run.
  • 00:13:45.237 --> 00:13:46.572
  • And here comes this jewish man, foolishly going downhill.
  • 00:13:46.572 --> 00:13:50.376
  • Perhaps he had goods with him and robbers come out and they
  • 00:13:50.376 --> 00:13:54.046
  • Take him.
  • 00:13:54.046 --> 00:13:55.381
  • Evidently, he resisted because he was beat up.
  • 00:13:55.381 --> 00:13:57.683
  • They would probably have just taken his stuff, but he wanted
  • 00:13:57.683 --> 00:13:59.985
  • To fight.
  • 00:13:59.985 --> 00:14:01.320
  • That's the reason he thought he was secure.
  • 00:14:01.320 --> 00:14:02.655
  • And man, he was beaten to a pulp.
  • 00:14:02.655 --> 00:14:04.256
  • Have you ever seen anybody really, really, really
  • 00:14:04.256 --> 00:14:07.259
  • Beaten up?
  • 00:14:07.259 --> 00:14:08.594
  • "oh, i've seen a black eye and i--" oh no, no.
  • 00:14:08.594 --> 00:14:10.262
  • Somebody beat to the inch of their life?
  • 00:14:10.262 --> 00:14:13.365
  • If you've never seen that, you can't understand this.
  • 00:14:13.365 --> 00:14:16.869
  • Teeth knocked out, eye closed, cut, bleeding, head, arms
  • 00:14:16.869 --> 00:14:23.442
  • Broken, bones.
  • 00:14:23.442 --> 00:14:25.811
  • And it says these robbers took everything he had and left him
  • 00:14:25.811 --> 00:14:29.548
  • Half dead in the pit, in the ditch, by the road.
  • 00:14:29.548 --> 00:14:37.156
  • Beat up and then coming down the road, going down to jericho.
  • 00:14:37.156 --> 00:14:43.028
  • By the way, jericho was like going to florida in that day.
  • 00:14:43.028 --> 00:14:45.764
  • You didn't know that.
  • 00:14:45.764 --> 00:14:47.199
  • In jericho, the hasmoneans who'd rule, they had a
  • 00:14:47.199 --> 00:14:51.370
  • Palace there.
  • 00:14:51.370 --> 00:14:52.705
  • Herod had four palaces in jericho with a swimming pool,
  • 00:14:52.705 --> 00:14:56.442
  • A sunken garden.
  • 00:14:56.442 --> 00:14:57.776
  • You see, it got cold and windy up in jerusalem and they went
  • 00:14:57.776 --> 00:15:01.380
  • Down to jericho, to florida, and that was sort of resort area.
  • 00:15:01.380 --> 00:15:05.551
  • So evidently, this priest was going for a resort.
  • 00:15:05.551 --> 00:15:11.090
  • He'd been working in the temple, sacrificing, praying, killing
  • 00:15:11.090 --> 00:15:15.227
  • Animals, putting his hands on people.
  • 00:15:15.227 --> 00:15:17.529
  • He was worn out and he was going down for a little r and r and he
  • 00:15:17.529 --> 00:15:22.301
  • Was going down to jericho and he saw as he was going down the
  • 00:15:22.301 --> 00:15:28.474
  • Road, this guy who was-- looked like he was dead.
  • 00:15:28.474 --> 00:15:33.512
  • But you know, if he, as a priest, as a holy man, would
  • 00:15:33.512 --> 00:15:38.517
  • Have gone and touched that man and he died, he would be
  • 00:15:38.517 --> 00:15:41.820
  • Ceremonially unclean.
  • 00:15:41.820 --> 00:15:43.155
  • He couldn't do his job for several weeks.
  • 00:15:43.155 --> 00:15:45.858
  • "whoa, man, i'm a holy man."
  • 00:15:45.858 --> 00:15:49.094
  • So he saw this man beaten up and he went by on the other side.
  • 00:15:49.094 --> 00:15:57.236
  • Coming along behind him, now a priest was the highest tribe of
  • 00:15:57.236 --> 00:16:02.207
  • Aaron, levite man, highest, beautiful robes.
  • 00:16:02.207 --> 00:16:05.277
  • I mean, when you saw him coming, you didn't say, "i wonder who
  • 00:16:05.277 --> 00:16:08.313
  • That is."
  • 00:16:08.313 --> 00:16:09.948
  • You could tell.
  • 00:16:09.948 --> 00:16:11.583
  • Coming behind him was a levite who was-- led the music in the
  • 00:16:11.583 --> 00:16:15.654
  • Temple or had the business of the temple.
  • 00:16:15.654 --> 00:16:18.157
  • He was coming right behind the priest, and he went over a
  • 00:16:18.157 --> 00:16:22.061
  • Little closer and saw the man was beaten up.
  • 00:16:22.061 --> 00:16:24.329
  • But he said, "you know, he may be dead, he may not be dead."
  • 00:16:24.329 --> 00:16:28.067
  • And he just followed the priest who went on ahead of him.
  • 00:16:28.067 --> 00:16:33.472
  • Now think about the person in the pit, beaten up.
  • 00:16:33.472 --> 00:16:37.810
  • I'm sure he saw the priest come, and he said, "boy, am i lucky?
  • 00:16:37.810 --> 00:16:41.680
  • Here comes a man of god who has been taught all of his life to
  • 00:16:41.680 --> 00:16:47.352
  • Minister to people."
  • 00:16:47.352 --> 00:16:50.289
  • But he went by.
  • 00:16:50.289 --> 00:16:51.757
  • "well, i'm lucky the levite-- i guess he asked him to take care
  • 00:16:51.757 --> 00:16:54.960
  • Of the--" he went by on the other side too, if the man
  • 00:16:54.960 --> 00:16:59.164
  • Happened to be conscious.
  • 00:16:59.164 --> 00:17:01.733
  • And then here comes-- jesus tell the story.
  • 00:17:01.733 --> 00:17:04.937
  • And i'm sure the audience all, "he's gonna say, 'well, here
  • 00:17:04.937 --> 00:17:07.606
  • Comes an ordinary jew comes out.'"
  • 00:17:07.606 --> 00:17:09.508
  • Oh no, he shocked them.
  • 00:17:09.508 --> 00:17:13.278
  • Here comes this samaritan.
  • 00:17:13.278 --> 00:17:20.152
  • In luke 10, where this story's told, look in the chapter before
  • 00:17:20.152 --> 00:17:24.289
  • And you'll see that a samaritan had mistreated, not given
  • 00:17:24.289 --> 00:17:28.193
  • Hospitality to james and john, two of jesus's apostles, and
  • 00:17:28.193 --> 00:17:31.864
  • James and john said, "let me call down lightning on
  • 00:17:31.864 --> 00:17:35.300
  • That samaritan."
  • 00:17:35.300 --> 00:17:37.469
  • Samaritan was the bottom of the bottom of the bottom of
  • 00:17:37.469 --> 00:17:40.272
  • The bottom.
  • 00:17:40.272 --> 00:17:41.607
  • Hey, remember who the samaritans were?
  • 00:17:41.607 --> 00:17:43.008
  • You may not.
  • 00:17:43.008 --> 00:17:45.043
  • In 722 syria came and took over israel and took a whole 22,000
  • 00:17:45.043 --> 00:17:51.917
  • People out of the northern kingdom.
  • 00:17:51.917 --> 00:17:53.986
  • Some jews were left and then syria came in and they inhabited
  • 00:17:53.986 --> 00:17:58.657
  • That kingdom and they intermarried.
  • 00:17:58.657 --> 00:18:02.594
  • Jew married with a non-jew, with a pagan, and that's who the
  • 00:18:02.594 --> 00:18:07.166
  • Samaritans were.
  • 00:18:07.166 --> 00:18:09.168
  • In fact, the jews thought they're not only heretics, they
  • 00:18:09.168 --> 00:18:13.472
  • Were not pleasing to god, and the samaritans built their own
  • 00:18:13.472 --> 00:18:17.242
  • Place of worship on mount gerizim.
  • 00:18:17.242 --> 00:18:21.146
  • They didn't believe-- mount gerizim, that's where
  • 00:18:21.146 --> 00:18:23.448
  • We worship.
  • 00:18:23.448 --> 00:18:24.783
  • And so they hated one another, they despised one another, they
  • 00:18:24.783 --> 00:18:29.021
  • Had nothing to do with one another.
  • 00:18:29.021 --> 00:18:30.956
  • And of all things, jesus is telling this story and said,
  • 00:18:30.956 --> 00:18:34.826
  • "well, here's the priest and here is the levite went by on
  • 00:18:34.826 --> 00:18:39.932
  • The other side, and now a samaritan stops, goes down into
  • 00:18:39.932 --> 00:18:48.574
  • The pit.
  • 00:18:48.574 --> 00:18:50.175
  • Oh, and ministers to the man.
  • 00:18:50.175 --> 00:18:54.413
  • Took wine, washed all of his wounds.
  • 00:18:54.413 --> 00:18:58.517
  • He went on and took some oil and tried to comfort him."
  • 00:18:58.517 --> 00:19:02.354
  • Well, that ought to be enough.
  • 00:19:02.354 --> 00:19:03.689
  • Don't-- you know, how far you have to go?
  • 00:19:03.689 --> 00:19:05.824
  • This guy hates me, and then he picked him up and he put him on
  • 00:19:05.824 --> 00:19:12.631
  • His donkey.
  • 00:19:12.631 --> 00:19:14.833
  • Well, that's enough.
  • 00:19:14.833 --> 00:19:16.168
  • And he walked all the way, with a man on his donkey, all the way
  • 00:19:16.168 --> 00:19:20.806
  • To an inn, checked the man in, paid for 2 denarii.
  • 00:19:20.806 --> 00:19:25.410
  • That would be 24 days of food and said, "look after him."
  • 00:19:25.410 --> 00:19:31.550
  • He said, "i'm gonna come back," this is a samaritan now, "and if
  • 00:19:31.550 --> 00:19:36.021
  • There's any overcharges, anything i missed to take care
  • 00:19:36.021 --> 00:19:38.957
  • Of him, i will pay you when i return."
  • 00:19:38.957 --> 00:19:41.526
  • Hello, ladies and gentlemen, we go by on the other side all the
  • 00:19:41.526 --> 00:19:47.332
  • Time, every one of us, because we've discovered when you go
  • 00:19:47.332 --> 00:19:52.271
  • Down in the pit and you try to help and love and restore,
  • 00:19:52.271 --> 00:19:57.276
  • It's dangerous.
  • 00:19:57.276 --> 00:19:58.977
  • Maybe it's a setup.
  • 00:19:58.977 --> 00:20:00.312
  • Maybe the-- maybe somebody's not really hurt and they're waiting
  • 00:20:00.312 --> 00:20:02.614
  • To rob me.
  • 00:20:02.614 --> 00:20:04.216
  • It's dangerous.
  • 00:20:04.216 --> 00:20:06.485
  • It is forbidden.
  • 00:20:06.485 --> 00:20:08.186
  • You don't have to do it.
  • 00:20:08.186 --> 00:20:10.789
  • And man, it sure is costly of time, energy, and money if you
  • 00:20:10.789 --> 00:20:15.827
  • Really get down like the samaritan did in order to
  • 00:20:15.827 --> 00:20:20.332
  • Rescue someone.
  • 00:20:20.332 --> 00:20:25.270
  • We all understand that.
  • 00:20:25.270 --> 00:20:28.040
  • And the bottom line is that jericho road goes right down in
  • 00:20:28.040 --> 00:20:31.476
  • The middle of every step i take and every step you take every
  • 00:20:31.476 --> 00:20:35.080
  • Day of the life.
  • 00:20:35.080 --> 00:20:36.415
  • And we're more like the priest and the levite, most of us, than
  • 00:20:36.415 --> 00:20:39.818
  • We are the good samaritan.
  • 00:20:39.818 --> 00:20:42.020
  • Anybody want to debate that?
  • 00:20:42.020 --> 00:20:47.392
  • And then we come to the end of the story.
  • 00:20:47.392 --> 00:20:52.664
  • Powerful, powerful ending of the story.
  • 00:20:52.664 --> 00:20:57.769
  • Jesus said, "which of these three do you think was a
  • 00:20:57.769 --> 00:21:01.239
  • Neighbor to the man who fell at the hand of robbers?"
  • 00:21:01.239 --> 00:21:05.243
  • Let me tell you what happens with our rationalization when
  • 00:21:05.243 --> 00:21:08.680
  • How we discover and deal with people who are in the pit.
  • 00:21:08.680 --> 00:21:12.818
  • And by the way, how big is the circle?
  • 00:21:12.818 --> 00:21:16.521
  • How-- where is the line of love as to who our neighbors is?
  • 00:21:16.521 --> 00:21:21.026
  • That line of love is the same line of love that god has.
  • 00:21:21.026 --> 00:21:26.264
  • And god doesn't leave out anybody, anytime, anywhere.
  • 00:21:26.264 --> 00:21:33.538
  • Once a man fell into a pit, he couldn't get himself out.
  • 00:21:37.709 --> 00:21:40.946
  • Man, beat up in the pit.
  • 00:21:40.946 --> 00:21:43.382
  • A sensitive person came along and said, i feel for you down
  • 00:21:43.382 --> 00:21:47.819
  • There, and look in the mirror, folks.
  • 00:21:47.819 --> 00:21:52.524
  • A practical person came along and said, "i knew you were gonna
  • 00:21:52.524 --> 00:21:56.495
  • Crawl in that pit sooner or later."
  • 00:21:56.495 --> 00:21:59.998
  • A pharisee came: "only bad people fall into a pit."
  • 00:21:59.998 --> 00:22:05.737
  • A mathematician calculated how far he fell.
  • 00:22:05.737 --> 00:22:10.675
  • A news reporter won an exclusive story on his pit.
  • 00:22:10.675 --> 00:22:15.914
  • An irs agent asked if he were paying taxes on the pit.
  • 00:22:15.914 --> 00:22:22.187
  • A politician dropped an absentee ballot and a free cell phone
  • 00:22:22.187 --> 00:22:26.258
  • Down into the pit.
  • 00:22:26.258 --> 00:22:34.666
  • So true.
  • 00:22:34.666 --> 00:22:36.001
  • A self-pitying person-- a self-pitying person said, "you
  • 00:22:36.001 --> 00:22:39.838
  • Haven't seen anything until you've seen my pit."
  • 00:22:39.838 --> 00:22:44.042
  • A mystic said, "just imagine you're not in a pit."
  • 00:22:44.042 --> 00:22:49.514
  • The optimist said, "things could be worse."
  • 00:22:49.514 --> 00:22:53.418
  • A pessimist said, "things will get worse."
  • 00:22:53.418 --> 00:23:02.727
  • And then the real twist hits our lawyer friend: which one of
  • 00:23:02.727 --> 00:23:09.768
  • These were a neighbor?
  • 00:23:09.768 --> 00:23:11.670
  • And the expert in the law replied, "the samaritan who had
  • 00:23:11.670 --> 00:23:17.943
  • Mercy on him," and jesus said, "go and do likewise."
  • 00:23:17.943 --> 00:23:23.148
  • He already said if-- the question began, "what does it
  • 00:23:23.148 --> 00:23:26.418
  • Take for me to have eternal life?"
  • 00:23:26.418 --> 00:23:28.854
  • And jesus said, "keep this law, number one.
  • 00:23:28.854 --> 00:23:32.257
  • Number two, perfectly.
  • 00:23:32.257 --> 00:23:33.592
  • Number one, love god with all you have."
  • 00:23:33.592 --> 00:23:35.660
  • That's the vertical relationship, love your neighbor
  • 00:23:35.660 --> 00:23:38.296
  • As you love yourself.
  • 00:23:38.296 --> 00:23:39.664
  • That's the horizontal relationship.
  • 00:23:39.664 --> 00:23:42.367
  • And the lawyer knew he couldn't do it and we know no human being
  • 00:23:42.367 --> 00:23:45.704
  • Can do it.
  • 00:23:45.704 --> 00:23:47.038
  • And then you decide who is my neighbor and my neighbor is
  • 00:23:47.038 --> 00:23:51.343
  • Anybody, anywhere, anytime, that we're able to go and love and
  • 00:23:51.343 --> 00:23:56.281
  • Minister and seek to help and heal and to rescue them in life.
  • 00:23:56.281 --> 00:24:03.455
  • It says he had compassion on him.
  • 00:24:07.259 --> 00:24:10.028
  • What is compassion?
  • 00:24:10.028 --> 00:24:12.931
  • It's my pain in your heart.
  • 00:24:12.931 --> 00:24:15.800
  • Did you get a definition?
  • 00:24:15.800 --> 00:24:17.469
  • Compassion is your pain in my heart or my pain in your-- that
  • 00:24:17.469 --> 00:24:22.841
  • Is compassion.
  • 00:24:22.841 --> 00:24:24.175
  • But compassion isn't enough.
  • 00:24:24.175 --> 00:24:25.577
  • Mercy is we have compassion and we respond to that compassion by
  • 00:24:25.577 --> 00:24:30.315
  • Getting down in the pit and trying to rescue that person,
  • 00:24:30.315 --> 00:24:33.952
  • Lead them to christ, minister to their life, let them know that
  • 00:24:33.952 --> 00:24:37.923
  • God loves them, and let them know by our actions that we love
  • 00:24:37.923 --> 00:24:44.162
  • Them too.
  • 00:24:44.162 --> 00:24:46.798
  • Ladies and gentlemen, if we who name the name of jesus would do
  • 00:24:46.798 --> 00:24:50.569
  • Just a microscopic example of what jesus is telling us to
  • 00:24:50.569 --> 00:24:57.175
  • Practice, it would change everything,
  • 00:24:57.175 --> 00:25:02.914
  • Everything, everything.
  • 00:25:02.914 --> 00:25:07.652
  • Ed: we have so much to be thankful for.
  • 00:25:07.652 --> 00:25:11.122
  • And i wanna thank you for your faithfulness, your generosity,
  • 00:25:11.122 --> 00:25:14.326
  • Your prayers as part of the "winning walk" family.
  • 00:25:14.326 --> 00:25:17.862
  • And we want to enter 2026 strong, ready to reach even more
  • 00:25:17.862 --> 00:25:22.667
  • People with the life-changing good news of jesus christ.
  • 00:25:22.667 --> 00:25:26.972
  • We live in an embattled culture.
  • 00:25:26.972 --> 00:25:30.008
  • Now is the time for boldness.
  • 00:25:30.008 --> 00:25:31.810
  • I believe that together we can finish the year strong and be
  • 00:25:31.810 --> 00:25:35.647
  • Ready to start in 2026 with strength and boldness
  • 00:25:35.647 --> 00:25:40.118
  • In sharing the truth of jesus christ
  • 00:25:40.118 --> 00:25:43.388
  • To a dark and hungry world.
  • 00:25:43.388 --> 00:25:46.057
  • Thank you again for boldly giving and
  • 00:25:46.057 --> 00:25:48.693
  • Standing with "the winning walk," with me through
  • 00:25:48.693 --> 00:25:51.429
  • Your prayers and support.
  • 00:25:51.429 --> 00:25:53.765
  • God bless you, and your end of the year gift will be used
  • 00:25:53.765 --> 00:25:57.736
  • To maintain and expand god's family around the world.
  • 00:25:57.736 --> 00:26:03.341
  • Ed: i remember a bible study group that consisted of
  • 00:26:04.609 --> 00:26:07.445
  • Doctors and attorneys and ceos and vice presidents and
  • 00:26:07.445 --> 00:26:10.982
  • Presidents of corporations, entrepreneurial geniuses, and
  • 00:26:10.982 --> 00:26:15.053
  • A street-sweeper.
  • 00:26:15.053 --> 00:26:17.689
  • In the initial meeting, the group leader asked each to
  • 00:26:17.689 --> 00:26:20.625
  • Identify himself.
  • 00:26:20.625 --> 00:26:22.427
  • First one said, "i'm a physician," another, "i'm
  • 00:26:22.427 --> 00:26:25.764
  • An attorney."
  • 00:26:25.764 --> 00:26:27.465
  • "i'm vice president of operations," answered the third.
  • 00:26:27.465 --> 00:26:30.835
  • And finally, it was the street-sweeper's turn.
  • 00:26:30.835 --> 00:26:34.239
  • There was a little apprehension what he would say.
  • 00:26:34.239 --> 00:26:36.608
  • He said, "i am a son of the king."
  • 00:26:36.608 --> 00:26:41.813
  • He had no identity the world in which he could boast.
  • 00:26:41.813 --> 00:26:46.618
  • But he knew his core identity.
  • 00:26:46.618 --> 00:26:48.920
  • The others were clouded by their earthly titles, position.
  • 00:26:48.920 --> 00:26:53.258
  • But the street-sweeper knew he was chosen by the king of kings
  • 00:26:53.258 --> 00:26:57.195
  • To be a son with all the privileges and honors, man, of
  • 00:26:57.195 --> 00:27:02.300
  • That high position.
  • 00:27:02.300 --> 00:27:04.035
  • Remember, as sons and daughters of god, who you are in jesus
  • 00:27:04.035 --> 00:27:08.606
  • Christ right now, today, there is not a higher position in
  • 00:27:08.606 --> 00:27:15.280
  • Anybody's kingdom.
  • 00:27:15.280 --> 00:27:17.115
  • ♪♪♪
  • 00:27:17.115 --> 00:27:17.115