Dr. Phil Brassfield

1^st Corinthians 12:31-13:1

12:31 “But earnestly desire the best gifts. And yet I show you a more excellent way.”

13:1 “Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I have become sounding brass or a clanging cymbal.”

Paul, writing to address a controversy and division in the church in Corinth over the operation of Spiritual gifts, tells the Corinthians that he wanted to show them “a more excellent way”. It was the way of the Master; the way he had learned from Jesus Himself; the way of Love. 

Love. Never underestimate its power. For love’s sake we will do just about anything. 

In 1965 Burt Bacharach co-wrote a song recorded by Dionne Warwick. It was a big hit and the iconic lyrics are immediately recognizable, “What the world needs now is love sweet love, it’s the only thing that there’s just too little of…” So true; true then at the height of the Vietnam War when it was written, and still true today as we see our cities ablaze and rioting in the streets. Love is the answer. 

Hatred has no political solution; prejudice has no legislative remedy; these sins emanate from the heart of man. The only answer is a change of heart. The only thing that can unlock the deepest recesses of the heart of man is the Master Key of love.  This was God’s solution, God’s answer. 

Love does not deny the concept or reality of justice, right and wrong, or truth and untruth. It simply operates in spite of these things. 

God’s love, not our sin or humanity’s depravity, drives the story of redemption. Healing and freedom are its purpose and its focus. Ours should be as well. 

The central verse of the Bible makes this quite clear in John 3:16, “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have everlasting life.”  In this MEGA-verse we see love, sacrifice and rescue. This is the way of the Master.

Later the Apostle John would add a description of God when he wrote:  

1^st John 4:7 & 8 “Beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. He who does not love does not know God, for  God is love.”

1^st John 1:5 “This is the message which we have heard from Him and declare to you, that God is light, and in Him is no darkness at all.”

It’s very telling that the Apostle John describes God in two ways, light and love. Light is the absence of darkness. Love is the absence of fear. John says, speaking of God, “God is light and in Him is no darkness at all…” he goes on to say, “there is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out all fear”. 

Hatred and prejudices at every level and in every expression are the products of both darkness and fear. But without a doubt, love overcomes both. Where love is present, fear cannot drive us to hate others simply because they are not like us. Love provides irresistible light that shines into the dark world of self-interest and self-centeredness and illuminates our heart’s motives and agendas.  

Dr. Martin Luther King once said, “Love is the only force capable of transforming an enemy into a friend.”

Jesus told an amazing story recorded in Luke chapter ten. It’s often referred to as “The Good Samaritan”. It is a scandalous, racially charged story that Jesus tells in response to a self-righteous man’s question as to who he should view as his neighbor. In other words, who is he obligated to show kindness to? 

This is indeed interesting since, as in America today, ancient Israel was bitterly divided down political party lines and by racial distinctive. There were three parties in Jesus’ day; the conservatives (Pharisees), the liberals (Sadducees), and the Zealots (Nationalists). Then, of course from a racial point of view, Jews and gentiles weren’t allowed to even be in the same house together or eat together. There was strict segregation. But, then there was one other group. All the parties considered them lowest on the social class spectrum. They were the racial mixed Samaritans. The Jews called them a “herd” not a nation, denying them any national legitimacy. The worst insult a Jew could speak to someone was to call him or her a Samaritan. 

This must be considered when reading the story: Luke chapter 10:25-37.

Read and let the text speak for itself…

Highlights from the story:

1. The ancient road from Jerusalem to Jericho was a winding, down hill, treacherous journey, of some 17 miles. It was the perfect area for an ambush as merchants returned to their home areas after visiting Jerusalem to conduct business or visit the markets with their products. 

2. The man’s (presumably a Jew) predicament is indicative of life’s unforeseen disasters for us all. Hemingway once said, “Life breaks us all”.

3. Organized religion without compassion (illustrated by the neglect of the Priest and the Levite) offers no real solutions for the disasters of life. There is, too often, a rational reason as to why we should not get involved. Too often our religious predispositions get in the way of our divine purpose. Religion absent of true spiritual relationship will always pass on the other side and away from hurting people, broken by life. The religious were particularly offended by open nakedness. And if that was not the reason for the neglect, touching a dead body could have caused them to become ritually defiled. Either way, the man’s condition would have been a problem, an obstacle and precluded their help. Jesus intentionally pointed this out.  

4. The Samaritan came to the rescue. He was someone who believed that he had nothing to loose. Someone who knew what it was like to be a victim of abuse, injustice and pain, and couldn’t stand by and do nothing when confronted with someone else’s suffering. At this part of the story, there would have been a collective gasp from the audience as they realized that Jesus made the Samaritan the hero of the story.

5. This story Jesus told is filled with symbolism and layered truth, but let me point out some characters in the story:

a. There is the man who was robbed. (This represents anyone/everyone who has been broken by life’s disasters.)

b. There are the Priest and Levite who represent stagnant religion. A religion without compassion or purpose. A system that is driven by form and function that tries to reach to God selfishly without reaching to man in compassion. 

c. There is the Samaritan who came to the rescue. (He is a type of Jesus, who came into a broken world and sacrificed and served and funded our rescue with his heavenly bounty.) That’s right, Jesus made the Samaritan the hero of the story.

In the Samaritan, we see what Paul called “The More Excellent Way.” It is the Way of the Master. And it must be the way of the church during these difficult days. 

As I close today, you may ask, “but what about the other character in the story?” You’re right! There is another. 

There is the Inn and the Inn Keeper. (This is a type of the believer and the church.) Jesus tells him to care for the broken He has brought to the Inn, that he will return, and if there is additional cost, he will pay. 

The Church is the Inn. And you and I are the Innkeepers. What the religious failed to do on the road, we are now commanded to do from the Inn. The Samaritan of the story, Jesus, will return to see how we have cared for the broken. He (Jesus) has given us all we need to support, love and heal the broken in our midst.

This really puts in perspective the question, and we all during these times must answer it, “Who is my neighbor”? 

Mother Teresa once said, “Not all of us can do great things, but we all can do small things with great love.”