The Rev Mark Pendleton (click here for text)

July 10, 2022 5 Pentecost Year C The Rev. Mark Pendleton Christ Church, Exeter Yes, Another Good Samaritan Sermon Just then a lawyer stood up to test Jesus. "Teacher," he said, "what must I do to inherit eternal life?" He said to him, "What is written in the law? What do you read there?" 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." And he said to him, "You have given the right answer; do this, and you will live." But wanting to justify himself, he asked Jesus, "And who is my neighbor?" Jesus 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. Now by chance a priest was going down that road; and when he saw him, he passed by on the other side. So likewise, a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. But a Samaritan while traveling came near him; and when he saw him, he was moved with pity. He 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. The 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.' Which of these three, do you think, was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of the robbers?" He said, "The one who showed him mercy." Jesus said to him, "Go and do likewise." Luke 10:25-37 Does the church need another sermon on the Good Samaritan? Do you need to hear one? Do I need to preach another sermon on the Good Samaritan? There is always a risk in hearing and preaching on the familiar. Do we think we really know what Jesus was trying to convey? The story can mean many things to many people. Yet it is almost universally heard as a call for compassion and aid: to come to the rescue of another people who needs help regardless of whether we know them or not - and to be opened to be surprised by those who step forward to care and cross the road. They might not be who we expect. In the parable of the Good Samaritan, the question that prompts its telling is asked by a lawyer. Lawyers are interesting people. First, they usually expect to get some kind of reaction at a gathering if asked what they do and they respond: "I'm a lawyer." They've seen and heard it all. Very few people will confess being fond of the profession -- until they themselves need a good a lawyer. I've heard more than a few people describe themselves as 'recovering lawyers.' They've heard all the lawyer jokes and are quite fond of telling a few themselves. Such as: What did the lawyer name his daughter? Sue! What's the difference between a good lawyer and a bad lawyer? A bad lawyer might let a case drag on for several years. A good lawyer knows how to make it last even longer. To be fair, the lawyers that Luke had an issue with were not our criminal defense or estate planning attorneys today, they were experts in the Torah - God's law as set forth in scripture. What was it that made the lawyer the perfect person to set up one of Jesus' most famous stories? We get some background in the Iona Eucharistic prayer we have been using, taken from the worshipping community in Scotland. This sentence always stands out: At the meal tables of the wealthy where he pled the case of the poor, Jesus was always the guest. Upsetting polite company, befriending isolated people, welcoming the stranger, he was always the guest. Luke tells of a scene where Jesus upset that polite company. Where he was not a quiet dinner guest. Luke 11:37-54. 37 While Jesus was speaking, a Pharisee invited him to dine with him, so he went in and took his place at the table. The Pharisee was amazed to see that he did not first wash before dinner. Then the Lord said to him, "Now you Pharisees clean the outside of the cup and of the dish, but inside you are full of greed and wickedness. So, give as alms those things that are within and then everything will be clean for you. 42 "For you tithe mint and rue and herbs of all kinds and neglect justice and the love of God. 45 One of the lawyers answered him, "Teacher, when you say these things, you insult us, too." 46 And Jesus said, "Woe also to you lawyers - or experts in the Law! For you load people with burdens hard to bear, and you yourselves do not lift a finger to ease them. We see how Jesus was well aware of the pressure that authorities - political and religious - can put upon those who carry burdens known to God alone. For Luke, even before the lawyer said one word, his motives were questionable. What did he ask first? "Teacher," he said, "what must I do to inherit eternal life?" Practicing Jews at the time knew inside and out the answer: "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." Jesus said to him, "You have given the right answer; do this, and you will live." Wanting to look good and right to those around him, the lawyer then asks: "And who is my neighbor?" It seems like the lawyer might have expected to hear that a neighbor was a friend, someone with whom you share a common boundary or border, and maybe even a foreigner or stranger living in your midst - perfectly legally defensible expectation. Here Jesus stands within his Jewish tradition and expands upon it and widens the impact, as the Gospel always does. When we hear this parable, we are reminded by preachers that Jews and Samaritans were distant cousins who had grown to distrust and even hate one another over time. The common roots had long ago been forgotten. They kept their distance from one another. And if nothing changed and at this rate, the Kingdom that God was imagining and creating would never happen. The neighborhood had to be expanded and our vision of who was worthy and had dignity had to change. Luke 6:32 Jesus said "If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners love those who love them. 33 If you do good to those who do good to you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners do the same. 34 If you lend to those from whom you expect to receive payment, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners, to receive as much again. 35 Instead, love your enemies, do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return. One of the more tragic parts of the ongoing brutal war that Russian launched against Ukraine, is how many deep cultural, religious and language ties they share. This war is unlike other tragic wars we have seen that have pit one ancient culture and history against another: these are close cousins killing and dying. Our world can never tire of hearing the call to respond to calls for help - even when it is the creation itself - the earth, the air, the oceans - that are crying out to be cared for. The Samaritan was moved with pity, put the wounded man on his own animal, brought him to an inn, and took care of him. Our world is never short of people who have been hurt or damaged and left to suffer on their own. You and I may not be able to come to everyone's aid, when we do see in the other someone who could be us at any moment in our livez: "though but by the grace of God go I" - cannot be the last word. Mr. Rogers educated a generation of children that neighbors come in all shades and sizes. He sang: Please won't you be my neighbor? When he wasn't facing into the camera, the ordained minister Fred Rogers wrote: "All of us, at some time or other, need help. Whether we're giving or receiving help, each one of us has something valuable to bring to this world. That's one of the things that connects us as neighbors-in our own way, each one of us is a giver and a receiver." I'm glad the lawyer asked the question he did even if his motives were less than innocent. Jesus shows that the cycles of violence, fear and prejudice could be broken - and that there is another way. Time for our memory verse for the week: He has told you, O mortal, what is good, and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice and to love kindness and to walk humbly with your God. Micah 6:8