I still remember sitting in fourth-grade Sunday school, perplexed by the parable of the Good Samaritan. Little did I know, that lesson would seed a lifelong journey of self-discovery, challenging me to peel back the layers of who I really am beneath the roles I play. Our latest episode invites you on an enlightening exploration of identity, heroism, and the pursuit of goodness that transcends societal expectations. As I recount the pivotal moments that steered me from teaching to founding a church with my wife, Kathy, we confront the weight of virtue and the struggles we face to maintain our sense of self amidst gossip, judgment, and adversity.
Key Takeaways:
- The story of the Good Samaritan teaches us about the importance of helping others, but it can also create pressure to be a “good person” in our own strength.
- Many people judge themselves and others based on their ability to be a Good Samaritan, but this can lead to feelings of inadequacy and burnout.
- It is essential to recognize that we are all broken and in need of healing. We cannot save ourselves or others through our own efforts.
- Jesus is the ultimate Good Samaritan who sees us in our brokenness and offers healing and restoration.
- By allowing Jesus to bind up our wounds and transform our lives, we can experience true goodness and live out our purpose.
Where To Dive In:
0:00:00 Introduction to the topic of self-identity and the story of the Good Samaritan
0:01:15 The setup of the Good Samaritan story and the actions of the religious leaders
0:03:18 Good Samaritan’s unexpected act of helping the injured man
0:05:50 Personal reflection on the impact of the Good Samaritan story in childhood
0:08:05 Cultural perception of being a good person as a Good Samaritan
0:10:33 Transition to the speaker’s personal journey in ministry
0:11:09 Decision to enter the ministry and founding a church
0:11:37 Striving to be a good husband, neighbor, and pastor
0:11:47 Experience of living in a small town and dealing with gossip and rumors
0:12:47 Steve Gray contemplates leaving the ministry due to personal attacks and feeling broken
0:14:17 Considers returning to teaching after call from his former school
0:16:33 Reality that he has put too much pressure on himself to be good and feels broken
0:19:20 Steve realizes that he is the one left for dead in the ditch and that Jesus is the true Good Samaritan
0:21:18 Connects the concept of being half dead in the story of Adam and Eve to his own experience
0:23:39 Reflection on how Jesus bandaged up his life and gave him a whole new life
0:24:07 Who are you really? Reflecting on one’s identity and wounds
0:24:43 Turn to Jesus for healing and guidance
0:25:12 Promoting the book “If You Only Knew” and its impact
0:25:40 Let Jesus bind up your wounds and set you on a new path
About the host:
Steve Gray is the founding and senior pastor of Revive Church KC. He has been in the full time ministry for over 40 years and was launched into national and international recognition in the late 1990’s as the leader of the historic Smithton Outpouring, and again in 2009 when he lead the Kansas City Revival which was televised nationally on the Daystar television network. Steve is also a veteran musician, songwriter, recording artist and published author. His books include When The Kingdom Comes, Follow The Fire, My Absurd Religion, and If You Only Knew.
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Transcript:
0:00:00
Who are you really? I thought I knew who I was until God got into my life and showed me something about myself. Find out who you really are on the next more faith more life podcast. Hello, everybody. So glad you joined me today on more faith more life podcast. Today I want to talk about who are you? Really, really, really, who are you? And I want to talk and add to it the story of the Good Samaritan to kind of balance this out a Bible story and find ourselves within it.
0:00:28
Because everybody knows the good Samaritan phrase. The Good Samaritan is the guy or gal on the highway that stops when you have a flat tire or flags somebody down or helps you in life or whatever. And they call them a good Samaritan. But we’re going to go back and look at the story as it really is and see where you might be in it, because who are you really? You might really be in the story of the Good Samaritan. Okay, so let’s back up and hear the story. I’ll just tell it to you. Okay, so here we are, the good Samaritan story. All right, so a man was traveling on a road. It’s a road that is well known for crime back in Bible days for robberies and things.
0:01:15
And he was on that road. And sure enough, he goes on it and he gets robbed. He gets beat up really, really bad. And the Bible tells us in the story that he was left for dead. In fact, it tells us that he was left half dead. He’s barely alive or half alive, half dead. Okay, so in the story then, we have a Jewish leader, a priest comes by, only he walks on the other side of the road. He doesn’t stop to help him.
0:01:47
And there’s a lot of reasons, religious reasons, why they would think that, because he’s probably covered in blood. And if you go over and help him and you’re a priest or a person, then you have to go in the Jewish law, you have to go cleanse yourself for a certain amount of, you know, you get blood all over you. Now you changed your whole week like that. So he passes on the other side, but he’s a religious leader.
0:02:10
And then another religious leader, Levite, comes by and he’s another religious leader, and he walks probably for the same reason he walks on the other side of the road, too. Okay, so that’s the setup. Is a man’s beat up bad, robbed, left half dead, and one religious person and two religious people don’t help him. They walk around the other side. Okay, so there you go. Now, part of that is we reading the Bible, would expect the religious person right to do the right thing and stop and help him anyway. Even if it’s inconvenience to you. You stop and help anyway. But they didn’t.
0:02:50
Well, then that’s when the Samaritan comes. We call it the good Samaritan. It doesn’t say. It’s really not called that. It’s just a Samaritan. Now, here’s the thing. In that era, in that time period, Jews, by the way, the man in the ditch, half dead, would be a Jew in the story. I should have said that. So there’s a Jewish man and the priest. Jewish, priest, Jewish Levite. They don’t help him, okay?
0:03:18
And so a Samaritan comes by. Now, in their culture, in their society. Back then, Samaritans and Jews had nothing to do with each other. Nothing. And wouldn’t speak. In fact, Samaria was like, say, it’s right here. Jews wouldn’t even, unless it was an emergency or they really in a hurry, wouldn’t even walk through Samaria. They would walk around it. Okay? So it’s an ongoing problem. It was an ongoing problem.
0:03:47
And yet the Samaritan who would have nothing to do with Jews, normally he stops and helps him. That’s why we call him the good Samaritan. He stopped his life and kind of broke custom, society’s custom and culture. And he helps the man, and he bandages him up. He fixes him up, makes sure he’s okay. And then he takes him to hotel, and he tells the manager, here, take care of this man. I got to go someplace, but take care of this man.
0:04:21
And when I get back, here’s some money. When I get back, if this is not enough and I still owe or it still costs more money than what I gave you or whatever, I’ll even give you more, okay, I’ll take care of the bill when I get back. Okay. Now, this is pretty strong teaching in Jesus day because Jews listening to this wouldn’t like it. Jews listening to his teaching on the good Samaritan. We’re not bothered by it. We get a whole other message out of it in our time. But Jews wouldn’t have liked it because they’re kind of like, okay, the two Jewish guys didn’t help him. Now, in your story, a Samaritan is the good guy, okay?
0:05:08
He helps him and he goes along his way. And from there, we get the phrase, the good Samaritan. Now, let me tell you a story. Zip up to when I’m in the fourth grade, so I’m fourth grade in Sunday school. I went to Sunday school, I guess you’d call that till almost the 8th grade, I think. Maybe less. Maybe it was less than that. And then by eighth grade, I didn’t go to church at all. But anyway, so I’m in the fourth grade, and on the fourth grade we had, maybe you grew up this way, or remember, or you’re old enough. Dreamer. We had, like, flannel boards or something. I don’t know what it was, but we had little dress up people, and you could stick them on this board.
0:05:50
So we had the beat up man, and he would be here on the board, and then we’d have the priest and the Levite, they’d be stuck over here on this side of the board, because they walked around, right? And then in the middle, we’d have the good Samaritan guy, and he’d stick him up there on the board. Couldn’t get him close to the beat up guy, right? Okay. So the story goes, and my fourth grade teacher tells the story, probably better than I did, and she’d tell the story with the little people, and at the end of it, then she said to all of us, okay, so which one are you? Who are you?
0:06:30
That’s why I’m asking you. Who are you, really? And so she’d ask us, she said, okay, and she’d hold up the little figures, who are you? And are you the priest? No, we’re not the priest. She’d put it back on, are you the Levite? And she’d show it, no, I’m not the Levite. No. And, well, which one are you? Who are you, really? And then she’d get the good Samaritan, and she’d hold the. Or the Samaritan, and she’d hold the Samaritan up to us.
0:06:57
Which one are you, really? Who are you, really? Are you the Good Samaritan? And we’d all raise our hand. Yeah, we’re the good Samaritans. That’s who we are. Like that. That’s right. And then she’d put it back and talk to us about it. So we all need to be good Samaritans in our lives and help each other and love each other, et cetera. Okay? Now, that’s just a simple fourth grade story, and it’s pretty fantastic Bible story with a lot of implications for deeper study of culture and ways.
0:07:31
But that’s the fourth grade version that I got. And in the fourth grade, we all raised our hands yay. I’m the Good Samaritan, and we’re all going to be good Samaritans, but not turning it into theology for a fourth grader, we didn’t think that way, of course, but when you do think of it, you realize, hey, I think I did get some theology in me by this story. And a lot of people who maybe didn’t even go to Sunday school, maybe you did. You have heard the phrase the Good Samaritan. But that’s what we all want to raise our hand and say, I’m the Good Samaritan.
0:08:05
So without knowing it, I got a theology or I got a doctrine is a better word, probably. I got the doctrine of the Good Samaritan inside of me, and I realized that’s what you do. That’s what you go through life doing. You go through life, and all the good people are good Samaritans, and you go help people. And so I’m going to now be the Good Samaritan my whole life, and I’m going to go about, and I’m going to try to help people, and I’m going to try to do good and be good and help everybody that’s got a problem, I’m going to help them. And, okay, you got the picture.
0:08:38
And if you’ll think about it, in our culture and society today, everybody kind of knows that’s what they should be. We should be good Samaritans. We sort of have a culture, good Samaritan in us. Now, that doesn’t mean everybody’s going to stop on the highway and help somebody. Right? But the idea is in us, that that’s what makes a good person. A good person is a good Samaritan. Right? And so we get that. So, you know what?
0:09:08
That’s what I. Maybe from the fourth grade on, I’m going to put that on me. I’m going to be the Good Samaritan. So that’s who I became, and that’s kind of how we judge. I did anyway. Kind of how you judge good and bad. Bad people don’t help people. Good people help people. And the kingdom of God and Jesus and church and all that. It never really came into it. And for most people today, it doesn’t come into it.
0:09:38
Most people today, they believe this is their theology or their doctrine is you just need to be a. What you got it. A good person. That’s what you’re supposed to be, a good person. And so then you’ll hear their other, you know, they’ll hear about Jesus and church and Bible. And then there they go say, well, I just believe you need to be a good person. That’s what they believe. Okay, so who is that good person?
0:10:06
That person is the good Samaritan, whether you call it that or not. So here I go through life trying to be good, trying to be a good Samaritan, trying to be good. And that’s how I judge myself. I think that’s how we judge other people. They’re a good person. They help people. They’re nice, bad person. They don’t help people. They’re not so nice. Okay, so here we go through life with this on us, and that’s who we believe we’re supposed to be.
0:10:33
And so I’m going through life and doing the best I can, and then I get up a little older, and I do become a Christian at age 23. And by 24, well, no, probably during that year, I was still 23. I decided rather than teach school, which I loved teaching school, by the way. I loved being the music teacher at a school, great school, great people. Loved it, loved the kids. But I felt like it was time for me to reconsider something I never had before. And that was going to the ministry, and that means I’m going to have to start studying again.
0:11:09
I got to study at least three years to get going. I studied more than that, but at the time. But that’s what I decided to do. So I went into the ministry. Now I’m 2324-2526 getting up there. And I traveled in the ministry and then decide to pastor and start our own church. There was a building there, but we founded it because they didn’t have any people. It was empty, an empty church building. And so Kathy and I, we start our own church, and we’re moved to the know there. And we’re trying to be a good husband and wife, trying to be good neighbors, trying to be good pastors, trying to be good, good.
0:11:47
Right? So life goes on. And in a small town, I don’t know if any of you grew up in a small town, I don’t recommend it, but some people do. And I spent a lot of years there. Our daughter went to school there and high school there and graduated there. And so we were there, but it was not a good experience. Small town gossip. And I didn’t grow up in a big city, but I grew up in a town about 20,000. So at least you didn’t know everybody.
0:12:15
And in this town, still saying everybody knows everybody, and a lot of them you don’t like, and they don’t like you. And there’s just feuds and gossip and rumors, and it’s just so easy to spread it in this little town. And so I survived it. And I survived it. And some people didn’t really want me to be there in that town, in that church, because I’m a lively person. I like lively music. We play loud.
0:12:47
You can hear the music a block away from their church, and they raise their hands and they believe in the power of God. Some people didn’t like that. So I already had the gossip and rumors, and I survived it. But as the years went by, it got worse and worse until finally it was really personal to where somebody made up some. I don’t know, really. I never heard it. I was told of stories. They were just stories that weren’t true. But nobody ever came up to me and told me exactly what they were.
0:13:22
I just kind of figured it out by listening here and there. Well, anyway, it seemed like I given the best years of my life. I was thinking, to this little town and this little church. And now I just thought, this is not good. These are not good people. Of course there were good people there, but some. And I thought, is this what I want to do the rest of my life? Well, the church was going great, okay?
0:13:51
But I started not doing so great. I started reconsidering. And then as it went on, I thought, well, maybe this is happening to me because maybe God’s trying to tell me something. Maybe he’s trying to tell me he’s finished with me. I shouldn’t have been in the ministry. I shouldn’t be anymore. And at that time, wouldn’t you know it, too, at that time, the school that I used to teach in contacted me and asked me to come back.
0:14:17
And this was quite a few years later because we still had a great relationship. And so I’m thinking, like, well, I could just go back to teaching anyway. My heart was just hurting. I’m thinking, maybe God’s finished with me and do I want to spend the rest of my life in this kind of atmosphere and in the ministry? I’m trying to do good. I’ve been trying to be good, and people don’t let you be good, and they treat you bad.
0:14:45
And I was going downhill fast, all right? I didn’t know what to do with myself. I was stunned. I couldn’t hardly preach. Then it got so bad in me. I couldn’t hardly preach. I couldn’t talk. I didn’t want to be anything. I didn’t want to do anything. I just wanted to hide out and kind of quit life, right? Okay, so now back to the Good Samaritan story. Right? Back to our story. So all my life, including going to this small town, starting the church, all the stuff you go, be good. If you’re good, then it’s going to turn out good, right? That’s what you think.
0:15:25
And all of a sudden, it didn’t turn out good. So like I said, back to our story. Now we have characters in this story. And I’m thinking back and realizing, well, why am I in this mental and emotional condition? And I’ve already explained the circumstances were right, but for a person to feel like I felt, but why can’t I get over it? Why am I so broken? I started putting the pieces together and realizing, you know what?
0:15:58
I’ve been trying to be good. Tried to be good my whole life, at least my Christian life. I really tried to be good. Tried to be a good pastor, good dad, good husband, all the good, right? And it didn’t work. I’m busted in pieces, and I go back to the story and I think, well, I’ve put a lot of pressure on my life to be good because that’s what you’re supposed to be is good, right? A good pastor? Oh, he’s a good guy. And there are people saying I wasn’t a good guy. I hadn’t done anything but do what pastors do.
0:16:33
But there were people saying I wasn’t a good guy, and it’s making up stuff. And I thought, why are they doing that? And why does it bother me so much? Well, because the stipulation I put on myself that you’re supposed to be good, and if you’re good, good things turn out right. So. Didn’t turn out so good, and I didn’t feel so good and about myself. So I’m going back over it. Where did this happen? Now we remember, right?
0:17:00
Remember the fourth grade? Yeah. There I am in the fourth grade, and my fourth grade teacher, who was a very nice person, but without knowing it, told me what I’m supposed to be and let me know that I needed to be the good Samaritan, right? I’m not going to be the priest. I’m not going to walk on the other side the rest of my life and just ignore hurting people. And I’m not going to be the L?evite and walk on the other side and ignore somebody all beat up and messed up and half dead.
0:17:34
So she said, who are you going to be? Well, I’m going to be the good Samaritan. The whole class said they’re going to be the good Samaritan. And so I put that on myself to be good. The good Samaritan. That’s what life is about. I just believe you need to be good, okay? And so there you go. I walked into that, and so I need to be the good Samaritan. Now all of a sudden, life isn’t working. I don’t feel so good, and other people haven’t been good, and that’s when it happened. And I want it to happen to you, because I go back through.
0:18:08
I’m going back through and thinking, who am I, really? And I thought, well, I’m not the priest. I’m not the Levite. Guess what? But neither am I the good Samaritan. Oh, now something’s happening to me, because my whole life, that’s who you’re supposed to be. And all of a sudden, they say, but I’m not, and I never was supposed to be. We all need to be good. You know that. But to put that as the thermometer of life, to judge your life by it.
0:18:44
And so I go, I’m not the priest. I’m not the Levite. You know what? But neither am I the good Samaritan. So who am I, really? And that’s when it hit me. You know you’re way ahead of me, right? You know who I am, really? I was the one left for dead. I’m the one in the ditch, and I never wanted to be there. I never wanted to admit I was there. I never wanted to admit that I had hurts in me, or I got beat up by life a little bit because I just want to go about doing good still, like everything’s fine, and I’m not fine.
0:19:20
I’m in the ditch, and I’ve been left there, and all of a sudden, I’m not the good Samaritan. But I found one who is. Who is the good Samaritan? You got it. In my life, at least it wasn’t a priest and it wasn’t a Levite. It was Jesus himself. Jesus saw me and all of a. Ah, what have I been thinking my whole life? You’re the good Samaritan. You’re the one that picks up our life. You’re the one that sees us when we’re beat up and we’re messed up and we’re hurting, and maybe it’s our fault. Maybe it’s not our fault. It doesn’t really matter whether it was your fault or not. You’re beat up and in the ditch. And you’re not feeling like you should feel, and you’re not being who you’re supposed to be in life. And you’re all messed up, and you’re just half dead.
0:20:10
And I like that word, half dead. And I think Jesus told it on purpose and put that in there on purpose because you know the feeling like maybe you still do some good, but there’s still some wounds and cuts and bruises and hurts and memories. And so you’re not up to par. You’re just kind of half doing who you’re supposed. You’re not that bad, but you’re not that good. Like, you’re living about half.
0:20:47
You got a half joy, you got a half sense of humor, but there’s a lot in you that’s not fun, and there’s a lot going off inside of you, a lot of fears and anxieties and stuff. And so you’re doing okay halfway, but you’re not the whole way. You’re about halfway. You’re half dead or you’re half alive. And there’s a reason that he did that. Let’s back up just a little more now. A little more in the Bible, and we’ll finish this off.
0:21:18
Okay, so back up in the Bible now we’re going to go to the book of Genesis, all right? You know, you’ve heard that book, the first book in the Bible, and you’ve heard of Adam and Eve. I know that. Just like the good Samaritan, you’ve heard of them. And so you may have known they were created great good. Everything’s good. And they weren’t supposed to eat of the one tree of the knowledge of good and evil, and they did.
0:21:42
Now listen to what God told them or told Adam. Told them what would happen to them if they ate of that tree. Okay, this is how it’s actually translated, but it doesn’t sound right in English, but you’ll hear it. Okay, so God said, don’t eat of that tree, for when you eat of that tree, you will die, die. Or dying, you shall surely die. All right, let’s do it again. You’ll die. Die. Okay, now, did they fall over dead? They ate of the tree. They sinned, the big mess.
0:22:20
But did they fall over dead? No. There are two dies in there, though, right? Dying. Thou shalt surely die, as I said in the king James. Okay, so there’s two dies in there, right? Die, die. So how dead were they? You got it. You’re figuring it out, aren’t you? They were half dead. Half dead. They didn’t fall over dead. Their bodies were still moving, but spiritually they were dead. And they had knowledge of evil that God never wanted them to know, that kind of no evil. He wanted to keep it so pure.
0:22:54
So they were half dead. And now you, guy in the ditch, Jesus uses those words, right? He says, and there he was. He’s half dead, right? Half dead. And so now Jesus is going to come along, and what’s he do? He’s going to restore the dead part in him, right? He’s going to save the dead part, the good Samaritan. He’s going to take care of him. But in my life, that’s what Jesus did to me. The dead part, half of me maybe was doing good, but I’m half dead. And he came and he bandaged up my life, took care of me, and set me a whole new life. He gave me a whole new life.
0:23:39
Everything changed from that moment on, everything changed, and I already was a believer, but I was still trying to be good myself, and half dead on the inside, trying to do it all myself. Even though I’m a believer now, all of a sudden I realize, you know what? I can’t be the good Samaritan, but Jesus can. And I let him be that, and I let him be that. Now, of course, through me, I can be a Good Samaritan. If it’s Jesus through me, then it’s not the pressure on me.
0:24:07
It’s he’s going to do great things in my life and do great things through me. So that’s what I was here to tell you today. Who are you really? Think about it. Have you put that on yourself as a man or a woman, a parent, a job, whatever, friends? You put that that. Hey, I have this expectation on myself. I’m supposed to be the good Samaritan, but admit now, who are you really? You know what chances are? You’re like I was. You got a lot of wounds and beat up places in your life, and you’re as half dead as I was.
0:24:43
That’s why it’s so important that you turn to Jesus fully. Don’t try to save yourself. Don’t try to be good. Let him be good and bandage up your life first before you try to bandage up everybody else. That good advice. So there. Isn’t that great? Who are you really? You may be like me. You may be the one that is half dead or left half dead and needs fixing up. That might be you. Well, so glad we could be together. Don’t forget the book.
0:25:12
If you only knew. It’s small. You can read it an hour and a half, 2 hours. It’s quick and it’s got lessons about where is America going and where are we going as a church and you need to get it. Politicians are getting it and reading it and I hope it’s having the impact I hope it has on them that it’s had on others. So do that. You can just go right there. More faith, more life and you can get it right there. There’s other things also that you can get.
0:25:40
We can talk about that later, but just let this soak in. Are you going through life with a pressure on you? I’m supposed to be the good Samaritan. I’m supposed to be good and I don’t always feel good. I feel about half good. Let Jesus come and bind up your wounds and set you on a new path like he did me. Because if he did it for me, he’ll do it for you. Till next time. Bye.
