Sunday 12th July – 7:00
Luke 10:25-37
May the words of my mouth and the meditations of all our hearts be now and always acceptable in thy sight O Lord our strength and our redeemer.
Tonight’s gospel reading is one of the most familiar story’s in the gospel’s it is one which is a favourite among Sunday School’s it is one which is taught at school as well from the prospective that we must be helping our neighbour.
As we look at it afresh this evening let us approach it from the various characters who are described in the story.
Firstly it is a story which Jesus told to make a specific teaching point which could be understood in various ways
1. It could be understood as a sad story with a happy ending
2. It could be understood as a moral story as to what our response should be to those who are in need
3. It also could be a call to a radical lifestyle of living for the other, breaking down the barriers which society places to establish one group beyond others
Let us look at the text to see what it says.
The lawyer who stands up to test Jesus – this was not type of lawyer we have today in our courts, who studies civil law – this is someone who knows their Old Testament books inside out and back to front, it is someone who thinks they understand the ways God has revealed his will in the past. Someone who knows what it means to be a Jew in a Jewish culture. He knows what it means to be religious and knows what it takes to honour God.
He asks Jesus – “What must I do to inherit eternal life ?” Jesus knows who he is and fires back a question – “What is written in the Law? What do you read there?”
The Lawyer comes back at him with the most Jewish of statement – the shema – it is what every jew knows & hears from their earlist Childhood – that’s simple – its would be equalivent to our creed.
There you go says jesus – its that simple do that and you will live!
But like any lawyer today they want to question further so he goes on and asks who is my neighbour?
In a piece of Jewish Writing in the period between the old and new testament which give the prevailing view of the culture. Which is far from God’s Will for his people.
Give to the devout, but do not help the sinner.
Do good to the humble, but do not give to the ungodly.
Hold back their bread, and do not give it to them.
Or by means of it they may subdue you.
Which is when Jesus launches into the story which is familiar to us all. – The shock value may be blunted as we know the end of the story but let us take a look at it again.
Jesus' parable starts off with him telling of a vicious attack. They didn't just rob him, they left him for dead, which gives us an idea of just how horrible the attack would have been.
So this story starts off like a Crimewatch reconstruction; however foolish we may think the traveller was for attempting this journey himself, we can only feel compassion for him left alone and wounded.
On the arrival of the priest, perhaps those listeners would have thought things were going to look up. But priests were forbidden to touch a dead body otherwise they themselves became unclean for a time and so he would be excluded from the temple. He wasn't prepared to risk that, so he stays on the other side of the road.
The Levite teases us that he would be the hero, as he seems to come closer, but he too crosses over to the other side.
And then the Samaritan turns up. For the crowd listening, this would surely have been the arrival of the villain; as if the traveller's misfortunes were not enough, now this dangerous outsider had turned up.
And yet, so surprisingly for the crowd, this is the point where the traveller's fortunes start to look up. And in this briefest of tales we learn quite a lot about the character of the Samaritan.
The first thing he does is feel compassion for him. Well frankly, that's the easy bit - I'm sure the priest and the Levite would have felt a pang or two of compassion - no doubt they would have told their friends what an awful sight they'd seen on the road to Jericho last night.
The Samaritan, on the other hand, his first instinct is to see what he can do, to administer first aid to the badly beaten man. If he was conscious then surely he'd have been afraid and confused, feeling that uncomfortable mixture of emotions that victims of crime feel. And yet the Samaritan was able to take him to the nearest inn, so he must have found a way of calming him, of assuring him that he could be trusted and that he was safe. At the inn we learn more about the Samaritan, his credit is good, clearly the innkeeper was prepared to trust him. And then the story finishes as we hear that the Samaritan was prepared to come back and make sure the traveller was all right.
And so there we have it - shocking and controversial at the time and with such a clear message for the whole church and the world at large.
Surely then we have to see this story in the light of the opening up of the promises which Jesus has given. Could we read Jesus, himself into the parable.
Could we see him as the Samaritan – as the one who is able to help, to heal in the circumstances where people are hurting
Could we see him as the victim – which we are asked to help as our neighbour – elsewhere in the the gospel jesus states this explicitly … whatever you do for the least of these you do for me.
So what about us?
Surely if we see someone lying on the street, it is not safe to approach, we might be attacked. Certainly we need to be sensible – yes if you are wary – contact whoever could help but what if the neighbour is someone who is not dangerous, perhaps someone who is struggling with something, perhaps someone who just needs someone to listen, someone to chat through things with, someone who perhaps you have just come in contact with.
As we proclaim the name of Christian – we are all called to be mini-Christ’s. The question I would like to leave you with this evening.
On the dangerous road – out of your comfort zone – who do you come in contact with who needs to know the help of Christ this day, this week. Others have walked by, perhaps others who have more authority than you, more skills than you but you know that you could give a helping hand.
We need to be helpers, The world today is full of do-gooders, people who think they are helping but really are saying “sorry for your troubles” and moving on. If we are going to help, then let us really help.
We can leave this story as a nice wee sad story with a happy ending or as a moral teaching about helping others.
However I hope that as you look at it more in depth, the richness of it comes out – That it was breaking open mindsets in 1st Century Palestine of attitudes to the look beyond one own group and opening up the borders of our comfort zones.
As we look at the inclusivity of the Gospel, we need to look at all levels of our own spheres of influence and ask who is my neighbour?
In our family
In our work place
In the street
In Northern Ireland
The world today needs radical Samaritans who are prepared to step up and say – with my limited resources which I have with me I will help you, or do my best to.
There are too many in our community who take the view of the passage I read from Sirach
Give to the devout, but do not help the sinner.
Do good to the humble, but do not give to the ungodly.
Hold back their bread, and do not give it to them.
Or by means of it they may subdue you.
When we think about what has happened in our community over the last month – with the Romanian community. In Jesus’ day Sinner and ungodly were Samaritan.
Who do we identify with those labels and then what are we called to do?
It is a huge challenge yes! But it is the gospel imperative to love the sinner / the outsider.
Why – very simply because God loves each one of us. While we were still sinners Christ died for us!.
We love because he first loved us.
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