Who Is My Neighbor?
Scripture Psalm 25:1-10 and Luke 10:25-37
Preached by Linda Jo Peters ~ July 11, 2010
Psalm 25:1-10 read responsively
Have you ever had an ache in your heart in which you yearned that things would be put right? The psalmist knew this same pain. Sometimes its root is in broken relationships and sometimes in our own behavior, but for the writer of this psalm we are assured that God cares and acts on our behalf.
1To you, O Lord, I lift up my soul.
2O my God, in you I trust; do not let me be put to shame; do not let my enemies exult over me.
3Do not let those who wait for you be put to shame; let them be ashamed who are wantonly treacherous.
4Make me to know your ways, O Lord; teach me your paths.
5Lead me in your truth, and teach me, for you are the God of my salvation; for you I wait all day long.
6Be mindful of your mercy, O Lord, and of your steadfast love, for they have been from of old.
7Do not remember the sins of my youth or my transgressions; according to your steadfast love remember me, for your goodness’ sake, O Lord!
8Good and upright is the Lord; therefore he instructs sinners in the way.
9He leads the humble in what is right, and teaches the humble his way.
10All the paths of the Lord are steadfast love and faithfulness, for those who keep his covenant and his decrees.
Luke 10:25-37
The story of the Good Samaritan is a favorite parable by most followers of Jesus. Maybe because the ones who seem to have all the answers in life: the priest, the leader and the lawyer do not have the answer this time or see what needs to be done. An ordinary person, the Samaritan, who for most of Jesus’ listeners would have been an outcast, is the one who sees what is needed. All the expertise and authority of the priest and Levi does not give them the eyes to see the real need and the real response they are called to give. David Lose, professor at Luther Seminary writes:
All the priest and the Levite see, I suspect, is a burden, a hassle, an obligation, a problem. And so, it turns out, they actually do do something: they cross over to the other side of the road. Why? Precisely so they don't have to see this person in need. The Samaritan, on the other hand, sees someone, sees a person, a person in need, a neighbor.
So as you listen to this scripture, ask yourself, “Who is my neighbor?”
25Just then a lawyer stood up to test Jesus. “Teacher,” he said, “what must I do to inherit eternal life?” 26He said to him, “What is written in the law? What do you read there?” 27He 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.” 28And he said to him, “You have given the right answer; do this, and you will live.” 29But wanting to justify himself, he asked Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?” 30Jesus replied, “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell into the hands of robbers, who stripped him, beat him, and went away, 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 while traveling came near him; and when he saw him, he was moved with pity. 34He went to him and bandaged his wounds, having poured oil and wine on them. Then he put him on his own animal, brought him to an inn, and took care of him. 35The next day he took out two denarii, gave them to the innkeeper, and said, ‘Take care of him; and when I come back, I will repay you whatever more you spend.’ 36Which of these three, do you think, was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of the robbers?” 37He said, “The one who showed him mercy.” Jesus said to him, “Go and do likewise.”
SERMON
So who is your neighbor? Jesus’ story seems to point us to those in need but also to those God brings into our path. Have you ever bought something that you just had not seen many of it before you purchased it and now you see it everywhere? They were probably already there, but your purchase has brought them to your attention. God uses this focused attention to confront us with those people and things for which we are called to care. There is also the reality that one cannot have a neighbor without being a neighbor.
I like Mary Hinkle Shore’s somewhat ironic comment on this passage:
Surely someone should call a meeting of the county commissioners and get some lights put on that stretch of highway between Jerusalem and Jericho. Until the work is done, we could organize escorts, too. The bandits could be trained for honest work. Of course, all of this means that some of us run the risk of compassion fatigue and will have to read and write more books on self-care.
But look.... For mercy's sake, look in the ditch. There is someone hurt. Do something. Do what Moses taught you, namely, show the kind of mercy that means rolling up your sleeves and getting your hands dirty. Do this, and the guy in the ditch will have a chance at life. Do this, and you will live too.
Look, look! Pay attention! Remember Jesus’ ministry is about bring the kingdom of God near. As disciples we bring the kingdom near in our attention, our actions, and our advocacy for healthy change in human behavior.
The lawyer had been following the law all his life, but something was missing. He knew this in his very being. So he asks this obviously well respected Rabbi, “What must I do to inherit eternal life?” The more I looked at his question; I keep coming back to the word “inherit.” He didn’t ask, “What must I do to receive eternal life; or to earn eternal life; but he asked what must I do to inherit eternal life? The Hebrew people are heirs of the promise to Abraham, to David and Solomon. For that matter they see themselves as heirs of the promise to Noah. What is the promise? Life! Life for all of creation, life for generations to come, life in the faith community, life with meaning and purpose, but most of all life in communion with God; this is not just a lawyer’s question about the law, this is our question about life itself. How do I stay connected to the Giver of life?
You have read the Bible, maybe even studied it. What does it say? Isn’t there a passage in one of Paul’s letters that we like to read at weddings and sometimes even at funerals? What is the greatest of these? LOVE! Love makes us heirs to the kingdom of God. Love binds us to our Creator and grants us eternal life because we become one with Christ Jesus in our love. It is to be our first response and our last response.
What must we do to be lovers of the world and one another and God? We need to practice the fine art of compassion. Along with compassion you’ll need to watch out for its enemies, cynicism, bitterness and apathy. At one point Jesus took a child and place the child in the midst of his disciples and then he said, “Truly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child shall not enter it." Children are not cynical or bitter and they are certainly not apathetic. Be child like in your love of the God and neighbor and you will not lose your compassion.
Years ago I went on a mission trip to the North Carolina/Tennessee area, where flooding waters had wiped out whole neighborhoods. One family told of being trapped in their home when some “good ol’ boys” realized they needed help and risked life and limb to save the whole family, including the cat. So I am not going to tell you to go be a Good Samaritan, because believers for centuries have claimed and redeemed that title, so it has lost its power to shock us when the outcast is the redeemer. He quite literally saved the man by the side of the road. So who would it shock us to be charged to become? What if I ask you to go be a “good ol’ boy” or a good Tea Bagger, or the good gay guy or a good community organizer? Whatever pushes your buttons is what you are charged by Jesus’ story to go and be like. You’re not expected to be perfect or know all the laws, you just have to let your compassion to lead you to love your neighbor as God does and life will become so much more precious and beautiful because you cared and responded to needs in your family, community and around the world. Who is your neighbor? Everyone! Isn’t great! Amen.
Resources:
David Lose, Marbury E. Anderson Biblical Preaching Chair Luther Seminary, St. Paul, MN. see: www.workingpreacher.org
"The Neighbor is Near You," Mary Hinkle, Pilgrim Preaching, .July 8, 2004.
see: Luke 18:17
