Fifth Sunday after Pentecost
Leviticus (18:1-5) 19:9-19
Psalm 41
Colossians 1:1-14
Luke 10:25-37
Then Jesus said to him, ‘Go and do likewise.’
The Elementary school my children attended in England had a list of rules, but it included more than just the things they should not do. The list described proper behavior first. It isn’t enough to tell children not to do the wrong things, we have to teach them what is right. The rules were as follows: “Do be gentle - Don’t hurt anybody; Do be kind, helpful and respectful - Don’t hurt people’s feelings; Do listen - Don’t interrupt or ignore directions; Do work hard - Don’t waste your time or other people’s time; Do look after property - Don’t waste or damage it; Do be honest - Don’t cover up the truth.” Do you see how it is better to give a positive for a child to follow rather than just a negative command?
Martin Luther understood the power of positive teaching. In his small catechism, Martin Luther did not just teach the “Thou shall nots” as found in the Ten Commandments; he showed us how to live rightly in those laws in a positive way that helps our neighbor.
There were two tables of the Ten Commandments. The first table refers to the laws about how we should live in relation to God. The second table deals with our relationships with other people. Luther began the explanation of each of the Ten Commandments with the words “We are to fear and love God” because our relationships with one another begin and end in our relationship with God. The connection to Him gives us the strength to do what is right and good. It is a short path to disobedience when that connection is broken.
In the second table of commandments, Luther taught that we are to fear and love God so that we do not harm others, but he takes it that step further, teaching us also to do what is good for their sake. In response to the Fifth Commandment, “You shall not murder,” Luther wrote, “What does this mean? We should fear and love God so that we do not hurt or harm our neighbor in his body but help and support him in every physical need.” It isn’t just about keeping our temper when we are angry, but about finding ways to make life better for those who cross our path.
Our lives as Christians are not just about being good, obeying the rules. They are about doing what is good and right and true. This means more than avoiding bad behavior; it means more than obeying the “Thou shall nots.” We are called as Christians to do good works. We do this not to receive a reward for our goodness, but we act with goodness as a response to the goodness of God.
Good deeds will often lead to some sort of reward. I have plaque and letters of thanks praising my volunteer work. Most volunteer organizations will tell you that your time and resources will be credited to you on job resumes or tax forms. Most good deeds certainly make us feel good in the end. We like to be appreciated. We are happy to help people; we are glad when their lives are made better.
There was an episode of friends in which Joey told Phoebe that there was no such thing as a selfless good deed. Phoebe spent the rest of the show trying to prove Joey wrong. She did good deeds she didn’t want to do, but Joey showed her how each of those good deeds were not really all that selfless. When she let a bee sting her to make him look good to the other bees, Joey reminded her that the bee died after losing its stinger. When she called to make a donation to PBS, which she hated so it didn’t make her happy to donate, her donation gave Joey airtime which made her happy. In the end, she could not prove Joey wrong.
It was a funny show, but it doesn’t really matter if a good deed is selfless or not. That doesn’t mean we should only be doing good deeds that we do for our own benefit that just happen to benefit others. A selfish good deed might be that check we write at 11:59 on December 31st so that we can take it off our taxes, or that donation we give so that a building will be constructed in our honor. It is ok that these good deeds happen. It is ok that a good deed makes us feel good. As a matter of fact, serving God by serving our neighbors is meant to be a source of great joy for us. The question is more about motivation. Why are we doing these things?
What God wants from us is a natural response to His grace. He wants us to see the world through His eyes and to respond as He would respond. That’s what the Good Samaritan did. He didn’t think about whether his good deed would earn him anything, he was actually rather anonymous in this story. Yet, I suspect he walked out of that inn whistling a happy tune with a bounce in his step. Responding to God’s grace gives us a joy we can’t win or earn or claim for ourselves.
We know we can’t keep all God’s Law perfectly; this is why Jesus came for us in the first place. God’s grace is greater than our failure and the Good News is that He has provided for our forgiveness. Yet, we are given both Law and Gospel for a reason, and it is good to read texts that teach us about God’s commandments. The commands which we see in today’s Old Testament text have everything to do with loving our neighbor, and there’s no doubt that Jesus expected the same from us.
The lessons of the Old Testament were not set aside or forgotten; they were built upon and surpassed by the words and actions of Jesus Christ. As Christians, we are called to be like Christ, to treat our neighbors with love and do what is best for them. Jesus said it wasn’t enough to keep from doing murder, we should not even be angry. It was not enough to keep from adultery; we should be faithful in every way, avoiding even lust. Though Jesus questioned the manner by which the leaders were enforcing the Law, He never made it easier for us to satisfy our flesh. He called His people to live as God intended: in His light, and love, and grace. And according to His Word. Sadly, the religious leaders in Jesus’ day had twisted God’s Word into a set of rules that led them down a path further from God rather than closer to Him.
In Leviticus, we are instructed to take care of the poor and the foreigner by ensuring that they receive a portion of the harvest. We should not steal, lie or swear. It is against God’s purpose for our life to oppress our neighbor or cheat those who work for us. We should not take advantage of our neighbors, especially caring for those who are handicapped in some way whether physically or something else. We should not favor anyone, neither the poor nor the rich, but treat all people with justice and respect. We should not gossip or accuse an innocent neighbor.
The Leviticus text reminds us not to hate our neighbor. Hate, in the Jewish understanding, is not like it is defined in our world today. Hate has an angry or violent connotation, but in Hebrew the word means something perhaps even stronger. We should not separate ourselves from our neighbor, which is what we do when we ignore the poor or gossip about our neighbors. We separate from our neighbors when we treat them with unrighteousness.
It is easy to talk about loving our neighbor, but I’m not sure it is quite so easy to live according to our words. When Jesus asks us what the scriptures say about how to inherit eternal life, we easily say, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, and with all your mind; and your neighbor as yourself.” But, like the lawyer, we want to justify our actions and we ask, “Who is my neighbor?”
There were people that the Jews should hate according to the Law as it was defined in Jesus’ day. There were people from whom the religiously “righteous” should be separated: the sick, foreigners, the grieving, and women at certain times of the month. This was especially true for the leaders; the rules set them apart to keep them clean, to make them right before God. If they touched someone who was unclean, then they could not do the work they were called to do.
The lawyer wanted to justify himself and he thought he knew who God deemed his neighbor. The lawyer knew the law and knew that the law separated God’s people from foreigners and other outcasts. Jesus’ parable shows us just how much they had twisted God’s instructions into a set of rules that did not fulfill the intent of His Law. Jesus told the story using extremes to make a point that could not be disregarded. He chose the characters on purpose: a priest, a Levite and a Samaritan. The requirements for the priest and Levite to remain active in their jobs made it impossible for them to do any good for the beaten man and the Samaritan was as far from acceptable as Jesus could get. Jesus’ point was not to lift up the Samaritan and make it seem as if he were the better man, but to show the lawyer that God sees not the sacrifices but the mercy we share with those in need.
Jesus answered the lawyer, so He used this parable to describe that our neighbors are anyone who is in need, no matter what it might mean for us. The Samaritan was willing to give above and beyond the call of duty, even to the point of making a covenant with an innkeeper so that the man would be treated with mercy.
The priest and the Levite did not do anything wrong according to the Law. As a matter of fact, they were doing exactly what they believed was commanded in the Law. It may have even been difficult for them to pass, because I believe even the hardest hearts can have compassion. But, they had to remain clean; helping the beaten and dying man would make them unacceptable to do their work in the Temple. They could not serve God. They did not pass by because they had no compassion. They passed by because they had interpreted God’s Law to mean that they could not risk their holy position and the people of Israel for the sake of one dying man. Though it is possible they were looking at the situation from a self-concerned point of view, they might have been thinking about the bigger picture. Mercy for the one would mean that they could not provide mercy for the masses.
It is hard sometimes to respond in the moment. Take, for instance, the people who stand on street corners begging for money. We know at least some of them are cons. We’ve seen the news reports about these beggars leaving the scene in high dollar cars, driving to expensive homes. We’ve seen the reports that tell us that they are making an above average living by begging. Yet some are truly in need. How do we discern? How do we pick and choose those who will receive our kindness? We are meant to be generous, but also good stewards. How do we know?
How do we know? We pray and listen. God will answer. He will give us the courage to do what we should do. The priest and the Levite did not listen for God’s voice; they were too busy listening to their interpretation of the Law, ignoring a neighbor in need. They missed the opportunity to live God’s commandments in a positive way.
That’s why Paul talked about praying for the people of Colossae. He’s heard of their faith. He knew that they wanted to do what is right, to glorify God in their works. He knew they wanted to be good stewards and to be obedient to God’s Word. Paul wrote, “...that you may walk worthily of the Lord, to please him in all respects, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God, strengthened with all power, according to the might of his glory, for all endurance and perseverance with joy...” Joey is probably right: there is no selfless good deed because in the end, doing what is right according to God’s Word will always lead us to joy.
As Christians we are called to lives of mercy. Mercy shows itself in many different ways. It shows itself in the way we deal with those who make us angry, with how we deal with difficult circumstances, with how to deal with our relationships. It is easier to make God’s Law into a long list of specific rules we have to obey so that we will be perfect in our actions because we know what is expected of us. It is tempting to use those rules keep ourselves separated from those that don’t fit into our idea of neighbor. It is tempting to justify our actions based on our interpretation. But like Martin Luther, we need to look beyond the "thou shall nots" to the “thou shalls” so that mercy is given where it is needed.
The greatest example of the Good Samaritan is, of course, Jesus Christ. We are the ones who have been beaten and robbed, left on the side of the road to die. Our enemy is sin and the devil, but Jesus is willing to sacrifice everything to make us well. Unfortunately, we are not only those who are left on the side of the road. We are also those who pass by those in need. We ignore the needs of our neighbors.
The lesson we learn from the Good Samaritan is that we are called to see the needs of those whom God has set before us, recognizing His presence in the pain and suffering in this world. The service we are called to render may not be special. It may not be big. It may not change the world. However, as we remain humble, dwelling in His love and mercy, obedience to His commands comes naturally and His mercy overflows into the world in which we live. We do it because He did it for us first. It is in our response to God’s grace and Jesus’ willing sacrifice that lives are changed. The work that needs to be done might seem overwhelming, but we are called to take care of one person at a time.
We are called to humble ourselves before God, to dwell richly in God’s Word which fills our hearts and the knowledge and wisdom which guides us on the right path. We are called to love our neighbors as ourselves, to go and do as the Good Samaritan, bearing fruit that meets needs of our neighbors. We are called to lives that do right not just by obeying the rules against bad behavior but by living in ways that will continually build our relationships with God and others. We are to fear and love God so that we will give Him thanks for the mercy and respond with joy.
In the introduction to the Letter to the Christians in Colossae, Paul lifted up their faith. He reminded them of the Word they heard and the lessons they learned about God’s kingdom. They believed as he had taught them, but others had joined their community with a different understanding and were teaching another Gospel. False teachings had become part of the message they were sharing. Ritualistic requirements, mandatory self-denial, angel worship, diminution of Christ, special knowledge and reliance on human wisdom (both Jewish and Gnostic) were becoming the norm in the congregation. Paul was concerned that the message of Christ was being lost to the fallible human message that was being integrated into the Gospel.
Paul’s letter lifted up the faith of the people in Colossae, but not by thanking them for being faithful. He gives all the credit to the One who deserves it - God. He thanked God for their faith, their love and their hope. He prayed that God would continue to fill them with knowledge of Christ and keep them worthy to walk with the Lord. He lifted up Christ, reminding the people of Colossae that He is supreme and that it is by Him, through Him and for Him that we are saved. It is keeping this in mind that we live as we are truly called to live, loving God and neighbor. As we humbly remember that it is not our works that bring the world to Christ, but Christ who has come to the world, we recognize the opportunities He offers to join in His work in the world.
The lawyer wanted to justify himself and he thought he knew who God deemed his neighbor. The lawyer knew the law and knew that the law separated God’s people from foreigners and other outcasts. Jesus’ parable shows us just how much they had twisted God’s instructions into a set of rules that did not fulfill the intent of His Law. Jesus told the story using extremes to make a point that could not be disregarded. He chose the characters on purpose: a priest, a Levite and a Samaritan. The requirements for the priest and Levite to remain active in their jobs made it impossible for them to do any good for the beaten man and the Samaritan was as far from acceptable as Jesus could get. Jesus’ point was not to lift up the Samaritan and make it seem as if he were the better man, but to show the lawyer that God sees not the sacrifices but the mercy we share with those in need.
The lawyer saw in Jesus’ lesson that the true neighbor is the one who loves boldly, even if it means stepping out of the expectations of our world. The priest and the Levite knew that it would be wrong to touch the wounded man, but Jesus showed the lawyer that it was more wrong not to step out in faith. Loving God means responding to those opportunities He lays before us. God isn’t far away. He isn’t in heaven or on the other side of the sea. He is in our mouths and in our hearts; from there, with our hands, He provides relief for those suffering in the world.
The psalmist writes, “Blessed is he who considers the poor. Yahweh will deliver him in the day of evil.” We like the sound of that, but we know that it doesn’t mean that we will never suffer. We will get sick. We will be hurt by other people. We will experience hardship. We may be the one left to die at the side of the road. God doesn’t promise that our life will be happy all the time. He promises we will be blessed. I tend to shy away from the “warm fuzzies” of faith, but only because our feelings, good and bad, should never be our motivation. Our motivation is to glorify God. But the icing on the cake, so to speak, is that we do feel good when we help someone in need. We are blessed to be a blessing, and then we are blessed when we are a blessing.
The lawyer knew what it took to live as God intended human beings to live. He knew that all the laws were summarized in just two: love God and love neighbor. What he didn’t really want to know is that our neighbor is anyone who needs our help. He wanted to be able to offer excuses for ignoring the needs of those neighbors who do not fit into his world. He wanted Jesus to justify his failure to respond with mercy and grace.
How many opportunities do we miss because we are caught up in our own selfish pursuits? How often do we justify our failure because we think that helping will make us unable to serve God as we think is right? Do we walk to the other side of the street for all the wrong reasons even though God has provided us an opportunity to show mercy despite the cost? We shouldn’t ignore those opportunities; in them we will find great blessing.
The lawyer seemed to understand and Jesus told him, “Go and do likewise.” This is the godly life we are called to lead: humble before God and merciful to our neighbor. This is the life that is lived doing what is right according to God’s Word, trusting that God is faithful even though perfection in our lives is impossible. We might have to get our hands dirty, or cross the road to reach out to others. We might have to trust a stranger will return to repay the debts we acquire taking care of their business. We might have to tell others what it means to love God and neighbor. We might just be the one suffering, experiencing the grace of God through the mercy and love of others. Whoever we are in the story, and however we manage to get along in it, let us always trust that God will faithfully provide everything He has promised.
A WORD FOR TODAY
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