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Luke 10

The Parable of the Good Samaritan

 ²⁵ And behold, a lawyer stood up to put him to the test, saying, “Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?” ²⁶He said to him, “What is written in the Law? How do you read it?” ²⁷And he answered, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself.” ²⁸ And he said to him, “You have answered correctly; do this, and you will live.”

²⁹But he, desiring to justify himself, said to Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?” ³⁰Jesus replied, “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and he fell among robbers, who stripped him and beat him and departed, leaving him half dead. ³¹Now by chance a priest was going down that road, and when he saw him he passed by on the other side. ³²So likewise a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. ³³But a Samaritan, as he journeyed, came to where he was, and when he saw him, he had compassion. ³⁴He went to him and bound up his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he set him on his own animal and brought him to an inn and took care of him. ³⁵And the next day he took out two denarii and gave them to the innkeeper, saying, ‘Take care of him, and whatever more you spend, I will repay you when I come back.’ ³⁶Which of these three, do you think, proved to be a neighbor to the man who fell among the robbers?” ³⁷He said, “The one who showed him mercy.” And Jesus said to him, “You go, and do likewise.”

Pentecost 7 C Luke 10:25-37 (The sermon)

The man who chose to jump in the ring with Jesus for a little intellectual sparring was no lightweight. He had trained long and hard for this and now he was in prime condition. After all he was an expert in the law. So he thought that he would present a particularly tricky question in order to demonstrate Jesus’ shortcomings. He said, “teacher, what must I DO to inherit eternal life?”

The trap was set, but Jesus wasn’t about to be cornered, being a Jewish rabbi he answered the question with a question. “What is written in the law? How do you read it?” The lawyer knew his stuff. Are you kidding “Love God with your entire being and love your neighbor as yourself.” He was astute in pointing out that the whole law can be conveyed with two simple ideas. In addition to that, it might indicate how you show your love for God? Interactions with our neighbors provide perfect opportunities to show God just how much we love him. Or how little we love him.

So, what can we learn from the way we treat others? Every man naturally loves himself, so all he needs to do, is measure the love he has for his neighbor, by comparing it to the love he has for himself. And don‘t worry, there is no danger that his love for his neighbor will ever exceed his love for himself. I have heard men say that it’s dangerous for a man to love his wife too much, but I have yet to meet that man. The problem is quite the opposite.

The lawyer’s answer to Jesus’ question, was prompt, concise and confident. It is difficult to listen when you already know all the correct answers.

Jesus responded, “You have answered correctly. DO this and you will live.” So they were in agreement. Right? End of discussion. Not so fast, you’ve got to be careful with what you agree to. He was a lawyer after all and he wasn’t about to neglect the fine print. He was well aware of the promise God had spoken to his ancestors, “cursed is the man who does not continue to do everything that is written in the law.” So, his next maneuver was to fine tune the definition of “neighbor.” For truly, no self-respecting Israelite would ever consider a foreigner a neighbor. Outsiders were outside their community. Listen to the way Emerson put it, “I grudge the dollar, the dime, the cent, I give to such men as do not belong to me, and to whom I do not belong.” Love your neighbor and hate your enemy, that was the mantra for the Jews of Jesus’ day. So let’s be really clear about who my neighbor is. Who exactly is my neighbor?

A perfect introduction to our story. A man was traveling from Jerusalem down to Jericho when some thugs robed him of all his possessions, took his donkey, and left him stranded. That in and of itself could have been a death sentence, without food, water, protection or transportation, but that was just the beginning. They stripped him naked, beat him to a bloody pulp and left his wounds to finish the job.

Naked, penniless, dying and alone. And to make it worse he was in a place that was not likely to be discovered. Despair was starting to take hold of the man. He didn’t want to die. He wanted someone to rescue him. But there was no one.

Then he heard it. It got louder and louder. The sound of hooves in the hard packed dirt above him on the main road. From the bottom of the ditch he could see that someone was nearby. The donkey had apparently stopped. Through his blood caked eyelids he could just make out the shape. Could it be? He saw the ornamentation of a priest. It was one of his own kinsman! At last help had arrived. As bad as the pain was, he took comfort knowing that he would be alright. He knew he wouldn’t have to wait much longer. And then the noise came again, the sound of hooves in the hard packed dirt, only this time growing more faint. No! Wait! Didn’t you see me? I’m your brother. I’ll die. Come back.

Was it minutes, hours, or days he didn’t know, but he was sure, he heard the sound again. You came back, you did see me. He peered out from under the stiff crust around his eyes and saw the unmistakable garb of a Levite. Not the same man as before. But hey, he didn’t care who rescued him. Here I am. Lift me up. Take me with you. As quickly as he had come, the Levite left. Without even stopping, the man was gone. Once again, the sound of hooves trailed off into the distance.

Why didn’t the men stop to help? I am an Israelite, from the same tribe. We share the same blood. I am a successful merchant, and an upstanding member of my community. If only they knew who I am they surely would have helped. My family would have given them a great reward.

The man was oblivious the absolute horror of his appearance. Most of his skin had turned red, it had been badly burned by the sun. He had deep gashes, bruises, and a huge swollen face. His shattered limbs were dangling limp and lifeless. He was a pathetic mass of dirt and blood, crumpled in a heap on the side of the road. He was almost unrecognizable as a human being. So, no they hadn’t noticed that he was one of their kinsmen.

Then he heard the sound once more. But this time he didn’t even bother to open his eyes. No one was going to stop anyway. But whoever it was came off the path right up to him. The donkey stopped, and now, someone was hovering right over him. So he looked up. And right before him was, well, a man. No man he had any interest in seeing, especially now. Half-breed Samaritan, what are you doing here? Bastard son Have you come to torment me? Rejected step child Why did you even stop? Leave me in peace to die. Oh God I cry out by day and you do not answer me. Instead, you send my enemy here to spit on me. Death would be better than this.

Then the foreigner looked at him and loved him. This outcast began attending to his medical needs. He cleaned out the wounds with antiseptic, to prevent infection, he applied ointment, to keep the skin soft and he wrapped the man in clean bandages to assist the healing. Then the outsider put the Israelite on his animal and without a whisper of complaint, he walked all the way back to civilization. And the donkey carried the wounded Israelite to an inn. There the outsider ordered the best medical care, the best food, service and room. And he left enough money for two months stay. He paid in advance. And if that wasn’t enough, he told the inn keeper that any expenses that the Israelite incurred he would pay. Even when he went away he directed others to take care of the man. Apparently his reputation was so well established that people could simply take him at his word.

Jesus then takes the lawyer’s question out of the realm of the theoretical, and redirects it into the practical. Remember, the lawyer asked Jesus to define who his neighbor was, but Jesus changed the question. He asked, “Which of these three men do you think acted as a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?”

The lawyer knew that as much as he hated to admit it, the one who could not even be named, he was the one who had fulfilled what the law demanded. He showed an extravagant love. This is what one must do to inherit eternal life. The Samaritan was a perfect model of what a neighbor should be. So, once again, the lawyer answered correctly. And again, Jesus concludes, “Go and DO the same.”

This is an illustration of how one should act and how one must act if he wants to DO what is necessary to achieve heaven. So, it isn’t surprising that the one who did DO what was necessary for all of us to go to heaven does in fact share some characteristics with the Samaritan.

The one who was rejected is the one who rescued the helpless. We are helpless to save ourselves from our selfish lives but we have been rescued. Even when we were a dirty mess, He carried us to safety. He came down off his donkey to lift up the injured. He brought the dead back to life. He provided for all of our needs. Even though he went away for a time, He has directed his servants to take care of us, with the best care and concern. His reputation has been so well established that we can take him at his word. He has given us more forgiveness than we have sin. And if there are any other expenses, he has agreed in advance that everything has been paid, in full. Apparently all the Doing that needs to be done, has been completed. It is finished.

What do you suppose was the motivation for the Samaritan to act this way? Or for that matter why would a well-to-do girl from a safe and comfortable life give up her security to serve those who are helpless and dying in Calcutta? Perhaps she knew that she was helpless and dying is now grateful that she has been rescued. And now she acts on behalf of Christ to seek and to save the lost.

Today we baptize little Gabriel. He is helpless he can’t Get food for himself, he can’t walk very far and even without the help of robbers, he would die if he were left on the side of the road. He can’t even ask God to save him. But God is the God of the least, the last, the lost and the little ones. God has come to him today and has rescued him. Gabriel has received his word and his word can be trusted. He has called the little ones to himself. He sees our needs before we do. Rejoice in being little lost ones your savior has found you.