There is always an attempt in the Sunday morning church service to have a coronation between the music service with that of the sermon. For instance, if is the sermon is on thanks then the music should be about thanks. Or if the sermon is about the Cross then the music should be about the cross. This brings us to the song for today which is what is now an old song and one of Cher’s first hits. But if you listen to the song, it’s not a song of praise or thanks or a song anything about love. No it’s a song about hate, in particular it’s a song about racial hatred. Was there racial hatred in the Bible and did Jesus have anything to say about it? Yes there a passage of scripture that was a lot about racial hatred. It’s the story of the Good Samaritan. If you have only heard of the Good Samaritan and your not aware what’s the story is all about I hope I can explain the importance of the racial hatred that is displayed in this most famous of all of Jesus’s parables. I hope when you read this rest of post you will agree that this song of Cher’s is instrumental in understanding the full impact of the Good Samaritan.
In the tenth chapter of Luke Jesus is having a conversation will a Jewish lawyer, imagine that a Jewish lawyer! Starting at the twenty fifth verse the Bible says: 25. And, behold, a certain lawyer stood up, and tested him, saying, Master, what shall I do to inherit eternal life? 26. He said unto him, ?What is written in the law? How readest thou ? 27. he, answering, said, thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy strength, and with all thy mind; and they neighbor as thyself. 28. And he said unto him, Thou hast answered right; this do,and thou shalt live. 29. But he, desiring to justify himself, said unto Jesus, And who is my neighbor? 30. And Jesus, answering said A certain man went down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell among thieves, who stripped him of his raiment, wounded him and departed, leaving him half dead. 31. And by chance there came down a certain priest that way; and when he saw him, he passed by on the other side. 32. And likewise a Levite, when he was at the place, came and looked on him. and passed by on the other side. 33. But a certain Samaritan, as he journeyed, came where he was; and when he saw him, he had compassion on him, 34.And went to him, and bound up his wounds, pouring in oil and wine, and set him on his own beast, and brought him to an inn, and took care of him. 35. And on the next day, when he departed, he took out two denarii, and gave them to the host, and said unto him, Take care of him; and whatever thou spendest more, when I come again, I will repay thee. 36.Which , now, of these three, thinkest thou, as neighbor unto him that fell among thieves? 37. And he said, He that showed mercy on him, Then said Jesus unto him, Go, and do thou likewise
This is the best picture that I found on the internet. I decided on this one because it shows the Priest and the Levite passing by. Maybe the painter didn’t like the sight of blood because the man beaten half to death doesn’t have any blood on him. Maybe this painting was suppose to go in a children’ Bible or Sunday School lesson. I did find some really bloody paintings with the man naked but they didn’t show the Priest or the Levite. So I thought this would have to do.
Why do have a song like Half Breed to go with the story of the Good Samaritan? Well you need to know the history between the Jews and the Samaritans. The Samaritans were Jews who intermarried with Gentiles. In the Old Testament several times God did command the Jews (the children of Israel) not to marry Gentiles. By the time of Jesus the Jews had developed a extreme hatred for the Samaritans, they believed they were not true Jews they believed and wait for it —-they believed the Samaritans to be half breeds! What is even worse than the Jews hatred of the Samaritans is that the Jews used the Old Testament (what was the Bible at the time) to justify their hatred of the Samaritans, I couldn’t imagine anyone doing that today! If you will notice when Jesus asked the Jewish lawyer Which, now, of these three, thinkest thou, as neighbor unto him that fell among thieves ? The Jewish lawyer did not say it was the Samaritan, because a good Jew would not even say the word Samaritan, instead he said the one who showed mercy on him. We can only imagine how bad the Jewish Lawyer hated to say that the Samaritan not the good Jewish religious leaders who did not stop to help, was the neighbor to the man beside the road. Then Jesus said what was the most important part of the story Jesus said, Go, and do thou likewise. This is know as a command of Jesus it’s not know as a request of Jesus, or a suggestion of Jesus, or a hope of Jesus, it’s know as a command of Jesus. Do you Go, and do thou likewise? You may say that what happened in the story of the Good Samaritan has never happened to you. Are you sure about that? Have you ever been driving down the highway and you come upon an empty car along the road and a mile or two later do you see a man walking with a gas can in his hand. Do you stop or do you think it’s 10 miles to a gas station then I’ll have to take him back 10 miles and I just don’t have the time to do that, besides that man looked like he could use the exercise and it was his own fault that he ran out of gas this will teach him a lesson that he should plan better and of coarse if someone else wants to help him they can but I’m in a hurry! Do you think that the priest and Levite used these same excuses? They were way to busy and they had places to go that was far more important than stopping and helping this man that they didn’t know and besides it was that man’s own fault that he fell among thieves he should had been more careful. I suppose you could say that you know nothing about cars and you are really have too much fear to stop for someone that you don’t know. Are there any other way that you can follow Jesus command to Go, and do thou likewise. What about supporting others that do what Jesus commanded. For instance what about Obamacare? It seems to me that the biggest supporters of Obamacare would be the followers of Jesus who suppose to be “Christ-like”. But rather than following this command they instead listen to the current day Priests and Levites who stand behind their pulpits and tell their congregation that they should pass those poor people by they don’t deserve our help. You may say that it was just a consequence that Jesus used religious leaders passing by the injured man? Do I believe that when Jesus told the story of Good Samaritan that Jesus knew that nearly two thousand years later that there would be a black President of the United States and his health care plan would be opposed by Pastors? Yes I do believe that! Why do you think that Jesus used a Samaritan as the one who helped, if the Jewish lawyer was telling the story he would have two Samaritans, the people the Jews hated the most, to pass him by and in the Jewish Lawyer story it would be a good Jewish priest that stopped and helped the injured man. I believe like many preachers I’ve heard over the years that the parables of Jesus were not made-up stories like Esop Fables, but rather true stories, believing that Jesus had to make up stories is taking away his deity. Imagine for a moment that the Good Samaritan after he helped the beaten man that the Samaritan took it as his calling to help others. He would call it Samaritan-care. Who do you think would be most opposed to Samaritan-care. If you said the Jewish Priest and Levite you must be very wise! Likewise the white Pastors, especially in the South, believed anything a black president was for God must wanted them to be against. If race doesn’t have anything to do with their opposition to Obamacare what is it? Is it money, do they believe helping someone should not include spending any of their money? If you go back to the story of the Good Samaritan ,not only does the Samaritan bandaged his wounds he put him up his own donkey and the Samaritan walked him to an inn and then the Samaritan used his own money to pay the innkeeper to look after him. And not only did he do that he told the innkeeper he would pay more of his own money if he needed more when he returned. So if the Pastors are saying that their against Obamacare because it might cost them a very small amount of their money they are preaching against one of Jesus commands to Go and do thou likewise. If it’s not race or money why are so many white Pastors against Obamacare. I’m very confused do these pastor have another place in the Bible where Jesus says to pass the needy by the wayside and don’t dare use any of your money on them. I would really like to know where in the Bible they base their beliefs on. I think we need to have a national Good Samaritan Sunday where the Trump worshipping pastors can explain away the story of the Good Samaritan and that Jesus just didn’t know what he was talking about when he said, Go, and do thou likewise, and then maybe they can bring up all those other Bible stories where Jesus tell us not to help the needy, besides there all just faking it anyway. Remember back when Donald Trump was just starting as president and he famously said, “Who knew health care could be so complicated?” Maybe now you can say “Who knew the story of the Good Samaritan could be so complicated?” Please share this story with all your Trump supporters friends it will make them more informed and very mad.