Sermons for the Month
Radical Love Reverses Sin's Power
DATE: July 15th, 2007
SERVICE: 7th Sunday after Pentecost
TEXT: Luke 10:25-37“To all of you Saints here this morning, grace and peace to you from God our Father, from His Son, Jesus Christ and His Holy Spirit. AMEN The Good Samaritan … it's a story most of us know well. Is it possible to learn anything new as we consider it today? Let's begin by reviewing what we already know, like the fact that the parable originated when a lawyer asked a question that he hoped would give him the advantage over Jesus. "What must I do to inherit eternal life? Then, when he ends up answering his own question, he attempts to make Jesus define who he is not required to view as a neighbor, that is who he's not required to love. As an answer Jesus tells a parable, and we know all the characters. First there is the victim. We do not know if he is Jewish - that is a Judean - or a Samaritan or an alien. What we do know is that he made a foolish choice when he traveled alone on a steep, winding mountain road that was known to be overrun by thieves. Second there is the priest who passed by the beaten, bleeding man. He may have had a number of reasons for not offering assistance, the primary one being the unequivocal law prohibiting a priest from touching a dead body. It states that a priest cannot touch body, even that of his own father or mother, and this priest probably could not tell if the man in the road was alive or dead. Third there is the Levite, an assistant to the priest, who also lives under strict purity laws. It may have been the dead body prohibition that kept him on the other side of the road, or he might have been overwhelmed at the prospect of transporting an injured man when he probably was on foot. (In contrast to the priest who probably was riding a donkey.) Remember…Jesus chose the Priest and the Levite as characters in his story not because they were bad people, but for just the opposite reason. They were viewed as the example of goodness, and they actually had credible reason for passing by. That brings us to the Samaritan. It's interesting how we have incorporated that word into our vocabulary to refer to someone who does good. But, remember, in the first century for a Jew to call someone a Samaritan was an insult. Samaritan and mad man were synonymous terms. The enmity between the Judeans and the Samaritans was intense; as far as the Jews were concerned the Samaritans did not qualify as God's chosen people, or as being in any way acceptable to God. Finally, there are those listening to the story; they probably were Judeans and as they listened to the parable they no doubt expected that the third person on the road would be a Judean. What a shock it was to hear that it was a hated Samaritan who showed such over-the-top mercy and compassion! Now, that's all quite interesting, but there's probably little new in what I've shared. It's a story that offends everyone - Priests, Levites and Judeans. But what about Samaritans, what if a Samaritan heard the parable? No doubt that person would have felt proud at the Samaritan's compassionate response, right? Wrong … and that's the new thought for today … even Samaritans hearing this story would have been appalled at the idea that someone from their "group" would give such profuse assistance to a possible Judean. Now… if the victim had been another Samaritan, then the response would have been commendable. But, to show such mercy to a Judean, or some alien person, now that would have been unacceptable. You see, there was more than enough hate to go around. We are so accustomed to hearing this story that we forget that it was overwhelmingly offensive to everyone because it presented such a radical way of living. It turns what's "normal" upside down. It's it interesting that the Samaritan's actions reverse those of the robbers. They robbed the man, left him to die, and abandoned him. The Samaritan pays for the man, leaves him in good hands, and promises to return. (1) What a reversal - the power of sin is counteracted by the love of one for another, and the one showing mercy is viewed as not even deserving mercy by those who hear the story. They, no doubt, are in a quandary when Jesus said, "Go and do likewise." And, of course, those words echo through the ages to us and we probably are no less in a quandary. That's because showing over-the-top mercy, or viewing those who we dislike in a new light is still radical. One of the modern-day issues that this parable challenges us to consider is illegal immigration. When I was in Nebraska I heard that a number of small farming communities now have larger populations of people from Mexico than those who were born and raised in that area. That's because meat packing plants are there, and people who are willing to do that type of work were in short supply until workers came from Mexico. We should not be surprised, human nature being what it is, that a situation like that creates tension. On NPR this week there was a report on a county in Virginia that has passed one of the most aggressive measures targeting illegal immigrants. People who attended a town meeting said that the undocumented immigrants had ruined the quality of life in their neighborhoods and overcrowded their emergency rooms and schools. So, the goal of the legislation is, and I quote, to "drive them from the county". Police will be able to ask about immigration status and county officials will be able to deny services to undocumented persons, ranging from medical care to use of public parks to libraries. Those who are in favor of the measures say that these people are not "entitled" to these services. Those who are opposed say that the actions are shameful and racist, and will create unintended negative consequences. An undocumented man who has lived in the United States for 17 years, has three American-born daughters, has bought a home and is contributing to the economy says he will be afraid to take his children to parks and to the pool lest he be asked for identification. (2) So, what's a Christian to do? No doubt there are people here this morning who agree with the measures being taken in Virginia, while others are is firm disagreement, and some are somewhere in-between. So, we are in a quandary about how to respond. What Jesus does say to us? It's simple, yet difficult, "Go and do likewise." And the likewise is to show mercy. Or, another way to define it is to go out of our way to do that which will save - enhance - or improve - the life of another without regard for who they are, or how our community expects us to respond to them. Obviously, sorting out that which is life-enhancing is no easy task, especially in a situation like the complicated issue of illegal immigration. But, what is clear is that Jesus expects us to be radical in showing love, to reverse the effects of sin, and to make a positive difference in people's lives, and thus in our own. In case you were wondering, that what loving God with our whole being, and our neighbors as ourselves, looks like. (1) SermonWriter, Proper 10C (July 15) Luke 10:25-37, pg. 8, www.sermonwriter.com
(2) NPR: Va. County Passes Law Targeting Illegal Immigrants, July 11, 2007, www.npr.org
AMEN