Sunday, July 14, 2013

Eighth Sunday After Pentecost
Leviticus (18:1-5) 19:9-18
Psalm 41
Colossians 1:1-14
Luke 10:25-37

Mine ordinances shall ye do, and my statutes shall ye keep, to walk therein: I am Jehovah your God.

We tend to shy away from the Old Testament Laws because we know that we cannot uphold that which God has commanded. We know that God’s grace is greater than our failure and that His Gospel has provided for our forgiveness. Yet, we are given both Law and Gospel for a reason, and it is good to read texts like this one from Leviticus once in a while. The commands which we see in the text have everything to do with loving our neighbor. And there’s no doubt that Jesus commanded that 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.

The religious leaders had twisted God’s instructions 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 say this. It is easy to talk about loving our neighbor. When Jesus asks us what the scriptures say about how to inherit eternal life, we easily say, “Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy strength, and with all thy mind; and thy neighbor as thyself.” But, like the lawyer, we want to justify our actions and we ask, “And who is my neighbor?”

According to the understanding of those religious leaders, there were people who they should hate, people from whom they should be separated: the sick, foreigners, the grieving, and women at certain times of the month. 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. That’s what was probably happening with the priest and Levite in Jesus’ story.

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 by, because I believe even the hardest hearts can have compassion. But, they were to remain clean and helping the beaten and dying man meant becoming unclean. They could not serve God if they became unclean. 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 even been thinking about the bigger picture. Mercy for the one would mean that they could not provide mercy for the masses.

Jesus 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 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 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. Yet, Jesus told him that our neighbor is the one 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.

We also try to justify ourselves when it comes to our relationships with our neighbors. Does any farmer actually leave the corners of the field unharvested for the sake of the poor and the foreigner? As a matter of fact, many farmers post No Trespassing signs making it dangerous for someone to reap that which might be left behind.

How about this one: the text from Leviticus says, “The wages of a hired servant shall not abide with thee all night until the morning.” I have no doubt that most of us do not get paid daily for the work that we do. As a matter of fact, many employers have gone to bi-weekly or even monthly paychecks. It is certainly cheaper to write one or two checks a month, and it is easier to keep the books. I don’t think God is looking down upon all those businesses that have established this way of paying their employees, as long as they are being faithful to the promise of pay.

However, I’ve seen many cases on those television court shows about people who refused to pay those who had done work for them. Whether it is someone hired to do some construction work or a person hired for some service at an event, many defendants decide sometime after the work that they don’t deserve the money which was contracted. They come up with a thousand excuses. “The person did not do what I told them to do.” “The food was terrible.” “My car stopped working after they fixed it.” In the end, the judge usually pulls the whole story. The instructions were never really clear. The food was actually very good but the bride was late and it sat too long in the warming trays. The car didn’t stop working until four months later. The work of the employee might have something to do with the problems, but not so much that they shouldn’t be paid at all for their work. The judge usually does a little “rough justice” and gives the employee some if not all of their contracted payment.

The lawyer was right about what the scriptures say, “Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy strength, and with all thy mind; and thy neighbor as thyself.” This is the life we are called and gifted to live. But it isn’t easy, especially in a world where self is raised above neighbor. It is hard enough to keep God in His place, but how do we really love our neighbor as we love ourselves, especially when the world says we can expect our every desire to be satisfied?

The point of this Gospel reading is that we are to love God and our neighbor with everything, even if we have to sacrifice something of ourselves. The focus is the heart, which was considered the center of a person’s whole being. The soul, strength and mind describe the whole person: spirit, flesh and intellect, all centered in the heart. When we consider people from the point of view that they deserve our whole beings, then we will treat that way. But if we consider people from the point of view that we should meet our own needs first, then we’ll miss out on the opportunities to really love our neighbor.

God’s Law was created to guard, guide and protect mankind. Disobedience will mean severe consequences, not because God punishes the doer but because His law was made for our best interests. Neither will we be rewarded for obedience, except in the knowledge that we have done what is right. And this is where we often fail. We become proud over our obedience, giving ourselves that pat on the back for our ability to be good. In this state of mind, righteousness is something to be achieved and faith is dependent on human will. The priest and the Levite were obedient, and they were proud to stay clean for the sake of their work, but they missed serving God in a way that would truly make a difference for the beaten man lying at the side of the road. They were unwilling to give up any part of themselves for the sake of another.

Our second lesson is from Paul’s letter to the Colossians. He begins by commending them for their faith. He reminds them of the Word they heard and the lessons they learned about God’s kingdom. Paul’s letter lifts 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 thanks God for their faith, their love and their hope. He prays that God will continue to fill them with knowledge of Christ and keep them worthy to walk with the Lord.

Unfortunately, though they believed the Gospel they’d been taught, others had joined their community with a different 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 not only becoming acceptable among the Christians, these ideas were becoming the norm. Paul was concerned that the message of Christ was being lost to the fallible human message that was being integrated into the Gospel. Paul puts the focus back where it belongs, not on human reason but with Jesus, reminding the people of Colossae that Christ is supreme; it is by Him, through Him and for Him that we are saved.

Paul writes, “For this cause we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray and make request for you, that ye may be filled with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, to walk worthily of the Lord unto all pleasing, bearing fruit in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God…” Though Paul certainly does focus on the grace of God that calls us into a relationship with Jesus, there is a place for the Law to regulate the life we live. Paul prays that they will be able to recognize God’s will and do the things that will please Him.

Which pleased God in today’s story? Was it the priest and Levite who walked away from someone in need to keep themselves clean according to the Law? Or was it the Samaritan who sacrificed his time and his resources for the sake of someone in need? Our works will never save the world; Christ came to save us. But He saved us for a purpose, and that is to continue His work in the world. That means living like we love God and love our neighbor. It is not enough to say we do, our lives should manifest that love in tangible ways that make a difference in the lives of those we meet. That life will not only help our neighbor, but we’ll find that we are blessed by it.

The psalmist writes, “Blessed is he that considereth the poor: Jehovah 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. God doesn’t promise that our life will be happy all the time. He promises we will be blessed.

I like the way The Message has translated the first few verses of this psalm. “Dignify those who are down on their luck; you’ll feel good—that’s what God does. God looks after us all, makes us robust with life—Lucky to be in the land, we’re free from enemy worries. Whenever we’re sick and in bed, God becomes our nurse, nurses us back to health.” Now, I know that I tend to shy away from the idea of ‘feeling good’ about the things that we do, but only because that should not 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 good 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 according to our understanding? Do we walk to the other side of the street because we are afraid of being made unclean, when 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.