Mine and Yours

This simple outline was passed on to me by my good friend, Mike Keppler, in Illinois. But it was not original with him. In fact, this outline has been around a long time.

What’s Yours Is Mine, and I’ll Take It:

“A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, when he was attacked by robbers. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him, and went away, leaving him half dead.” - Luke 10:30

“Do not envy the violent, or choose any of their ways. For the LORD detests the perverse but takes the upright into his confidence. The LORD’s curse is on the house of the wicked, but he blesses the home of the righteous." - Proverbs 3:31-33

Thievery is against the law of God. One of the Ten Commandments is “Thou shalt not steal.” By this command God protects private property and establishes the right of a person to benefit from his hard work. If another man is lazy and unwilling to work, he cannot simply come to the house of the faithful, hard worker, and take what that man has labored to produce. If he does, he is subject to law enforcement.

Thievery is also against natural law. That is why prohibitions against stealing exist in practically all human communities, no matter how primitive or religious their culture. Stealing destroys the social order. It undermines the trust that is required for humans to have productive communities that flourish. Robbers are active every day in our city. It creates a real problem for attracting businesses and families. No one wants to live among thieves.

People have been stealing since the very beginning—since Cain stole from his brother, Abel, his very life by killing him. It is part of our fallen nature to covet what other people have—from their shoes to their wives.

This philosophy of life—what’s yours is mine, and I’ll take it—is introduced by Jesus at the beginning of his story about being a neighbor. Thieves attacked a man traveling the road.

• I have always read quickly past the thievery, supposing that it was preliminary to the core truth. But reflecting on it this week, I have decided that it is actually an integral part of the story.

• People hurt other people. They rob them, wound them, and kill them. This is part of the reality of our existence.

• This man is a victim, not of a storm or a flood, but of a gang of thugs who attacked him. We cannot say of this man in the ditch that God did this to him. No, other people did this to him.

• There is a distinction between being struck with cancer and being shot with a gun. In the first instance, humans may have nothing to do with your pain. In the second, other people have everything to do with your pain.

Part of our work in the world is helping people who have been injured by their neighbors rather than loved by them.

What’s Mine Is Mine and I’ll Keep It:

“A priest happened to be going down the same road, and when he saw the man, he passed by on the other side” - Luke 10:31

"Do not withhold good from those to whom it is due, when it is in your power to act." - Proverbs 3:27

A priest and a Levite withheld their resources from the man in the ditch. They were in a hurry, I suppose, or maybe just frightened by the situation. When you see someone lying by the side of the road bleeding, you become very cautious. The thieves may not have left. It could be a trap for you. It is dangerous business to stop and help a stranger. So these two people practiced this philosophy: What’s mine is mine, and I’ll keep it.

We want to give these two people a pass. We actually do this every day along with all other people on the planet—we walk by the hurting and wounded. I am not lying. It’s true. We could be up in the hospitals or in the nursing homes or in a hundred other places taking care of wounded people. But we have to live our lives. Our productivity requires that we keep a schedule. We must remain in control of our time. This is reality for us.

Jesus is describing another reality. He is describing what it means to be a neighbor. He is inverting the question of the expert: Who is my neighbor? He is answering another question: Who was a neighbor to the wounded man?

The Apostle Paul addresses both thievery and compassionate care in one verse: "Anyone who has been stealing must steal no longer, but must work, doing something useful with their own hands, that they may have something to share with those in need." - Ephesians 4:28

• The thief needs to go to work with his own two hands and earn a living by the sweat of his brow like all people should.

• When that thief has earned his money he should not be greedy and keep it all. Instead, he should share with those in need.

I cannot work out for you all the nuances of your working and sharing. But I can tell with no uncertainty: the Priest and the Levite are not the heroes of Jesus’ story. They are the goats. They are just as guilty of sin as the robbers.

"The prophet said, 'Will a man rob God?' Yet you rob me. You ask, 'How do we rob you?' 'In tithes and offerings. You are under a curse—the whole nation of you—because you are robbing me.'” - Malachi 3:8-9

What’s Mine Is Yours, and I’ll Share It:

The next day he took out two denarii and gave them to the innkeeper. ‘Look after him,’ he said, ‘and when I return, I will reimburse you for any extra expense you may have” - Luke 10:35

Do not say to your neighbor, “Come back tomorrow and I’ll give it to you”— when you already have it with you. Do not plot harm against your neighbor, who lives trustfully near you. - Proverbs 3:28-29

Jesus is describing what it means to keep the Second Commandment—love your neighbor as yourself. He is describing what it means to be a neighbor.

Being a neighbor is about your wallet. Jesus is talking about money—substantial money. The Samaritan is getting out his wallet. He is giving to the innkeeper two silver coins that may provide care for this wounded man for a week. He is making a promise to give him more money should his care of the man require it. Your neighborliness—your keeping of the Second Command—is connected to your wallet. But more than that,

Your care of neighbor is connected to your heart. “Where your treasure is, there will your heart be also” (Matthew 6:21). The wisdom of God and Jesus’ teaching insist on these core truths:

• Generosity yields better returns than greed.

• It is more blessed to give than to receive.

• You will be a healthier, happier person if you will honor the Lord with your wealth—all of it.

• Prosperity and peace are not the returns of accumulation but the returns of love and faithfulness.

I make visits to the sick and elderly like all pastors do. I see them in the nursing homes and hospitals and sometimes in their homes. Often I have this experience: I go to speak to the sick and weak, and I depart with an offering. They make an offering to the Lord and ask me to deliver it.

Last Sunday a newly employed individual in our church related to me the joy of her first offering to the Lord after the income the new job produced income. She described how she slowly wrote out the check, deciding how she would date it, and carefully prepared that gift for Sunday morning. She wept as she told me about God’s provision for her, and her joy in giving.

I am not making this up. This is a law of the universe that conforms to the character of God. It is more blessed, happier, more abundant, to give than to receive.