It’s a situation that could be the
lead-in story on the evening news. A
traveler is beaten, robbed, and left for dead.
And to add to the horror, there were bystanders who looked on--who could
have helped-- but didn’t want to get involved.
It could be the cover story in a Newsweek series on crime in America--
As we reflect on God’s Word to us
today, I would like to consider it in this way: (1) the question of the lawyer:
What shall I do to inherit eternal life?
(2) Jesus’ answer in the example of the Good
Samaritan (3) and the challenge of Jesus: Go and do likewise.
What
shall I do to inherit eternal life? It was a question meant to trip-up or trick
Jesus into making a mistake. St. Luke
tells us that the lawyer was trying to put
Jesus to the test. Any thought of
sin or guilt and the need for forgiveness and grace apparently never entered
the lawyer’s mind when it came to this question about his life with God. He wanted to know what he needed to do
to merit eternal life.
We’re not immune from this idea
that our relationship with God is based on what we do rather than on his
grace—it’s a part of our fallen nature to think this way. We want to believe that because we lead
decent lives and give to good causes we’re somehow more “deserving” of
salvation than those who don’t. But life
with God is based on his grace-- not our works.
“What
must I do to inherit eternal life?” Jesus answers the lawyer this way, “Since
you’re an expert in the Law, What is
written in the Law? The lawyer gives
the perfect answer--the answer right straight from the Word of God: “Love the Lord your God with all your
heart, soul, strength, and mind and your neighbor as yourself”. Jesus had summarized the law just like that. Perfect! Jesus says--Do this (and keep on doing it) and you will live!
The lawyer asked a legal question
and Jesus had him given him the legal answer.
If you fulfill the Law—loving God above all and loving your neighbor as
yourself—and keep on doing that perfectly for all your days--then you will
live.
Case closed--right? Well....not quite. At this point in the dialogue we begin to see
a bit more of what the lawyer is really all about–the truth about his spiritual
condition--that what he really wanted to do was to justify himself. In fact, what he thought he needed to do-- was to justify himself.
But if the lawyer had taken just a
moment to take a good, hard look at himself in the light of God’s Law, he would
have given up all hope of trying to justify himself.
You see, anyone who has truly
applied that summary of God’s Law to themselves: love God with your entire being and your
neighbor as yourself–has despaired of “doing” something to gain eternal
life.
To measure our lives by the
standard of God’s law is to know ourselves for who we really are: those who
have failed to love God and neighbor as we should—those who lack the ability to
DO something to inherit eternal life—those who cannot justify themselves.
That’s what the lawyer should have
realized about himself-- but he thinks there is still a chance. “Who
is my neighbor?” In other words, he
thinks to himself: “If I can just get this neighbor thing nailed down then maybe I have a
chance--just limit the neighborliness needed--give me a checklist of those I
have to be nice to, and I’ve got it made”.
I think it’s interesting that he
didn’t ask Jesus about loving God correctly.
So deluded was he about his
real spiritual condition that he took it for granted that he loved God with the
fullness and depth and breadth of his being as is commanded by the Law. But his attitude towards others showed the
truth-- even about his relationship with God.
Jesus knew what was in the lawyer’s
heart. He knew the self-righteousness and
self-deception that blinded him to the truth about himself and God and Jesus wanted
to pull him off of that shaky foundation and show him how profoundly he needed
the mercy and grace of God—how helpless and broken he really was. And so Jesus told him this story.
A traveler is beaten, robbed,
stripped naked and left for dead.
Passers-by—men who knew it was their duty to help him, men who were
experts in the law, ignored his need.
Finally, another man saw him, had compassion on him, treated his wounds and
provided what was needed for his full recovery.
And –he- was- a -Samaritan. You
can almost hear the gasps from the crowd two thousand years later!
A Samaritan! The hero of a Jewish rabbi’s story! Incredible!
Jews and Samaritans were enemies.
Jews prayed that Samaritans would not be saved. Samaritans were not received as converts. For a Jew to eat food touched by a Samaritan
was the same as eating pork. And it was
better to die than for a Jew to accept help from a Samaritan.
And so for Jesus to use a Samaritan
as an example of one who fulfilled the Law when even the religious leaders
wouldn’t--well, it was just stunning!
Jesus does something else that is
remarkable in this parable. He shows
what the question should really be, holding up the mirror of the law before the
lawyer—so that he can see how far he really is from keeping the law—how far he
really is from God.
The question is not, “Who is my neighbor?”–trying to narrow
down the list so that we can be merciful to as few as possible and still
justify ourselves. Instead, the question
is: “Am
I a neighbor to others?” That is, do I have this quality of
“neighborliness” and mercy and compassion?
Do I have this love for others
that is truly the fulfillment of the Law?
The answer is no. No for me--for you--and for the lawyer that
day. We have all failed to love our
neighbor as ourselves preferring instead to look the other way when we come
across those in need-- soothing our own consciences with the excuses that seem
so right at the time. All of us have
failed to love others as ourselves and in doing so have failed to love God
above all.
But I want you to notice what Jesus
does. He doesn’t say “Aha!”--gotcha you
wretched sinner!” He doesn’t point his
finger. Jesus is so gentle with the
man. Even in turning this question back
on the lawyer—Jesus’ purpose is to get him understand the truth of his
spiritual poverty so that he can see that he has a need even greater than the
man beaten and robbed—that is he is even more helpless when it comes to saving himself.
Jesus simply asks the lawyer to be
the judge in his own trial. Which of these three, do you think, proved
to be a neighbor? The priest? The Levite?
Was it those experts in the Law? Or was it the Samaritan? The lawyer had no choice but to render a
verdict: the one who was the neighbor
was the one who had compassion and showed mercy--the Samaritan. Who would have ever imagined it? The most unlikely of heroes!
Jesus told this story so that the
lawyer might see the truth about himself with his self-righteousness and
self-deceit stripped away--that he was the man who was helpless in
the face of spiritual enemies more powerful than himself—that he was the one
beaten and broken by the forces of evil--that he too must hope, for the
help of hero, who is filled with courage and compassion—the One who stood
before him.
Then as now, Jesus is the most
unlikely of heroes in the world’s eyes.
“Isn’t this Joseph’s son” the people of his day asked? Not a mighty king. Not a brave warrior. Definitely not what was expected-- either
then or now! A Jewish carpenter from a
backwoods town–and yet, true God in the flesh on a mission of mercy and love.
Jesus told this story to reveal the truth about
the man- but he also told it to reveal the truth about himself. Jesus is the true Good Samaritan, who looked
with compassion at a world full of people who had been wounded and injured and
broken-- and had compassion on them—just like the Samaritan had compassion on
the beaten and broken traveler.
It was Jesus who left his place of
honor and dignity at his Father’s right hand and humbled himself to come into a
world filled with danger and violence to help those who are by nature his
enemies--just like the Samaritan in the parable left his donkey and entered
into that dangerous situation to help an enemy.
It was Jesus who poured out his
life-blood on the cross that healed our wounds and it was Jesus that paid the
full price for our salvation just like the Samaritan who gave of his riches to
provide healing for the wounded man.
Life apart from God is much more
desperate than the traveler wounded by robbers for we would have perished
eternally if Christ had not given of himself into death for our sins. It is in his death and resurrection that we
are restored to wholeness of life--delivered from the selfishness that so often
characterizes our life with God and others--now ready to bestow mercy on others
from the boundless love that has been poured into hearts by the Holy Spirit.
Can you imagine how grateful the
traveler was when the Samaritan stopped to render aid? How thankful he was that the Samaritan did
not pass by like the others? Can you
imagine how his life and attitude and outlook were changed by the mercy of that
most unlikely of heroes? So it is with those
who know the care and compassion of Jesus, the Good Samaritan.
Jesus concludes his conversation
with the lawyer with these words, “Go
and do likewise.” For the lawyer it
was a challenge. Jesus in effect says,
“O.K. You think you can keep the
Law--you want to justify yourself--go ahead--give it a try--go out into this
broken, needy, dying world and truly be a neighbor to all those you come into
contact with.”
“Go
and do likewise”–try
to keep just this one small part of the Law and you will quickly learn how
shallow your own mercy really is--how meager your own spiritual resources
are–how desperately you need what only I can provide.
Luke 10:25-37 We don’t know what happened to the
lawyer. Did he go into the world and
give it a try? Did he begin to see the
truth about his own great need in the mirror of the Law? Did he eventually despair of trying to save
himself and turn to Jesus with repentance and faith, trusting only in God’s
grace? We hope so!
Christ concludes his Word to us
this morning with the same words he spoke to the lawyer, “Go and do likewise”. But
for us who have put our hope for eternal life in Christ’s righteousness–for
those of us who have stopped trying to justify ourselves and simply learned to rest
in God’s grace--these words are not a burden but a gracious invitation to show
our love for Christ in acts of loving compassion for those in need.
We probably won’t come across
someone beaten, robbed, and left for dead this week. But we
will have an opportunity to help someone--to encourage someone--to pray for
someone--to give time or money to someone in need.
Let’s not pass by on the other side
of the road like the priest and Levite pretending that we don’t see. Instead, let us follow the example of the
Good Samaritan, our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, and reach out to others in mercy
and love. Amen.
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