“A New Perspective”
Sermon Presented July 11, 2010
Luke 10:25-37
Most of you know that I am directionally handicapped. Map Quest, local and state maps, and my car’s compass won’t keep me from getting lost. I purchased a GPS system several years ago, but when I ended up completely off course on several occasions, I quit using it. However, one of the SYNC features on my new car is directions I push a button on the steering wheel, say “services”, then “directions” and then speak the name of the city or village and the place or address to which I wish to go. Then the audible directions begin. New instructions cut in on my CD book or radio broadcast and tell me where to make the next turn. I love it! I feel more confident when traveling than ever before. I won’t get lost nearly as often – nor will I need to stop at gas stations to seek directions.
I have never been in a life-threatening position when traveling, like the man in our story this morning, nor have I encountered such a needy person in my travels. But Jesus’ parable concerns much more than how to respond to an injured stranger on the road. I invite you to hear this most familiar story with openness, so as to receive a new perspective on it. I’m reading Luke 10:25-37.
Did you notice why Jesus told the story? It was to help answer the question: “What must I do to inherit eternal life?” Jesus asked the lawyer what the “law” said, and this authority on Scripture answered with what every faithful Jew understood: “Love God with all of your heart, soul, strength, and mind, and love your neighbor as yourself.” These words from Leviticus (19:18) and Deuteronomy (6:15) were most familiar to all Jews, and Jesus affirmed his answer! But what does that mean in real life? To find out, the lawyer asks for clarification on who is a neighbor, thus preparing the way for the story we know so well. The lawyer wants to know how to live in the spirit of the law.
Jesus’ story – a man is traveling from Jerusalem to Jericho, about 20 miles along the western side of the Dead Sea. People don’t usually travel this road alone because of the danger of robbery. On this day, a traveler is beaten, robbed, stripped of his clothing, and left for dead. Three men come by: first a priest, then a Levite, and finally a Samaritan. The first two, who represent the Jewish religious leadership show no compassion toward the injured man and pass on by; while the third, a hated Samaritan, stops to help.
A Samaritan is out of place on this Judean road. Samaritans and Jews all worship God, but each group has its own Scriptures, temple, and religious practices, and they don’t like one another. However, the Samaritan shows compassion, while the others do not. He treats the injured man like he would treat a friend or family member – cleansing his wounds, applying bandages, taking him to the emergency room, and offering to pay the bill in full.
A couple of years ago, a twelve-year-old Palestinian boy, Ahmad Khatib, was shot by Israeli soldiers during a street fight near his home in Jenin, on the West Bank. The boy had been holding a toy gun. He was taken to an Israeli hospital, where he died two days later. His parents decided to allow his organs to be harvested for transplant to Israelis. Six people received his organs. His mother, Abla, said, “My son has died. Maybe he can give life to others.” These parents exhibited the kind of compassion leading to eternal life that Jesus was talking about. (James Wallace, Feasting on the Word, Year C, Vol. 3, p. 241-243) They were compassionate neighbors.
We read in Scripture about the possibility of entertaining angels unaware. However, we are also familiar with the saying “There’s a fool born every minute.” So are we wise and compassionate or foolish? In all probability, we don both hats.
When Christopher and I were in Paris, he was trusting and generous. At first he gave to all who asked – and was even prepared to give more when they asked for more. However, when he saw the same scams played on him by different people in different parts of the city, he began to wise up. On the way home, the flight attendants on the American Airlines flight passed a basket to collect any left-over euro to be given to UNICEF. Chris dug in his pockets and put every bill and coin he had left into the collection. He is compassionate, but not always wise. AND most of us are the same.
The injured Jewish man must have been overwhelmed with gratitude toward his savior. He was given a new lease on life by someone he had been conditioned to hate. The loving act of the stranger surely changed him and altered his prejudice. This injured man in the road is as crucial to the story as the Samaritan. There must be someone willing to receive our help for the help to be delivered.
There’s an angle to this story that I had never considered before, but is suggested by Biblical scholar Amy-Jill Levine. She says: “To hear this parable in contemporary terms, we should think of ourselves as the person in the ditch, and then ask, ‘Is there anyone, from any group, about whom we’d rather die than acknowledge, ‘She offered help’ or ‘He showed compassion’? More, is there any group whose members might rather die than help us? If so, then we know how to find the modern equivalent for the Samaritan.” (Feasting on the Word, Year C, Vol. 3, Matthew L. Skinner, p. 243)
The Bible, like our constitution, is a living document. How it is interpreted often depends on the situation at hand. The law of Moses was ancient and its words were familiar to all Jews. At the time of Jesus, people needed a new perspective on how to interpret it, and Jesus provided that.
If someone were to ask you “What must I do to inherit eternal life?” what would you answer? Jesus allowed the lawyer to answer his own question, and then he told a story to a follow-up question. Jesus gave a command to do mercy. To love God is to show mercy. To show mercy is to love God. We receive God’s mercy through people around us. We just need to look for it.
Sometimes our prejudice toward those who are different than we hampers our ability to give or receive mercy. A sense of superiority toward those of different cultures, political views, or people with mental or physical handicaps can hamper us from doing mercy. We aren’t called to be solicitous but to look at each person as a child of God who may be God’s instrument to teach us what God wants us to learn.
We all make mistakes in how we do mercy. We also make mistakes in how we receive mercy. But don’t let those mistakes discourage you from doing what you believe God wants you to do. Hopefully we will learn from our mistakes.
Verse three of Frederick Faber’s hymn “There’s a Wideness in God’s Mercy” goes like this: “For the love of God is broader than the measure of the mind; and the heart of the Eternal is most wonderfully kind.” It is that kind of compassion that we are called to embody as followers of Jesus.
When the lawyer at the end of the story realizes he, and not Jesus, is the one who is being put to the test, he manages to say that the one who has proved to be the neighbor is the one who showed mercy. He cannot bring himself to say the word “Samaritan.” Sometimes this affirmation is all we can do at the time. (Cynthia Jarvis, Feasting on the Word, Year C, Vol. 3, p. 242)
The parable of the Good Samaritan is a story for travelers on the road, a GPS directional system offered by Jesus to lead us in the direction of love and compassion for others. It’s much more than a path to keep us from getting lost. It’s the way to direct us toward eternal life that is a way for the here and now as well as direction toward the future. (Wallace, p. 243) Will we use the help we are offered?
07/11/2010
