St. Luke's Episcopal Church
Cleveland, Tennessee

SeventhSunday after Pentecost
15 July 2007
Luke 10:25-37

This Gospel passage, without question, is one of the most familiar, and one of the most beloved passages in all of the New Testament. I would humbly suggest that this passage, along with the Parable of the Prodigal Son, are probably the two most familiar teachings of Jesus in the New Testament. And, they are probably two of the most beloved teachings - - two of the most well liked passages in all of the Bible. I would like to spend a few minutes today looking at this passage from Luke in some detail.

We need to remember the context. This is a part of Luke’s travel narrative. Jesus is on his way to Jerusalem. He is on his way, knowing what fate awaits him. He knows that he is going to offer himself up as a sacrifice for human sin. So, Jesus knows that his days on earth are numbered. He and his disciples are making their way from Galilee in the north, down through Samaria to Jerusalem in the south. All along the way he is stopping and teaching. People all along the way are taking the opportunity to question Jesus. Word has spread about this young rabbi. People are talking, as we would say. People are talking about Jesus. They are hearing these amazing stories. He is teaching and preaching along the way, but also people are saying, “I have a question. What do you think about this?” That is what happens in this episode.

A person learned in the law stood up to test Jesus. So, Luke tells us that this wasn’t the warmest kind of setting. This person wants to put Jesus to the test. He wants to see what Jesus is made of based on his question. He asks the question, “Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” What must I do, in other words, to be in right relationship with God? Jesus and he have a conversation. I won’t recount that because it is so familiar to you. The man knows the essence of the commandments. Jesus says, in effect, “What is the essence of the commandments?” The man responds. Then Jesus says, “Do this, and you will live. You know the answer.” But, wanting to justify himself, he asked Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?” The man wants to limit the field of questioning. He wants to limit what is at play here. “If I am supposed to love my neighbor, then, who is my neighbor?” In other words, “Whom do I have to love?”

That is what the man is doing here. He is trying to limit those whom he is called to love according to Jewish law. That is when Jesus tells the story of the Good Samaritan. He paints a realistic picture. The road to Jericho from Jerusalem at this time in history was 18 miles. Given the geography of this part of Israel, bandits could hide themselves on this isolated, lonely roadway. If an individual, who was venerable, came by, bandits would strike. We know this from secular records. This was a dangerous stretch of road, this 18-mile stretch from Jerusalem to Jericho. This is a realistic picture that Jesus paints. This man is going along. We have no idea who the man is. He is assaulted. He is stripped of his clothing. He is robbed. And, he is left for dead. The story goes, I am not going to repeat it; because you know it word for word, “A priest walks by, a Jewish priest. . .” Now, according to Jewish law, only certain persons could touch a dead body. This priest probably thought this man was dead, but he did not choose to take the initiative to go see. He passed by. Then a Levite. . . , you may ask, “What is a Levite?” Levites have a long history in Jewish tradition. By the time of Jesus’ ministry, Levites were the group of people who ran the temple in Jerusalem. They were temple functionaries. They were not priests, but they were in the temple. If you go to an English cathedral today, all day long you will see a verger walking around the cathedral checking on things. You probably won’t see a priest until the time for the service; but you will see a verger all day long, running the cathedral. That is what Levites did. They took care of the day to day operations of the temple. So, the point is these are two very religious people. These are, quote, “the right people” from a Jewish point of view. They passed by this person. Perhaps, they think he is dead, and don’t want to violate the holiness codes with regard to uncleanness. But the twist in the story is that the Samaritan comes by. We have talked about Samaritans the last couple of weeks so I will not rehash that in great detail. We have to understand that most Samaritans were Jews. They were Jews, but they were of a different ethnic heritage. Because they had come in from a different part of the Middle East, they brought with them different customs, different norms. So, Samaritan Jews had different customs than Jews in Judea or in Galilee. There was tension between Samaritan Jews and Judaic, or Galilean Jews. The last person who would have been expected to render aid, from a Jewish point of view, Jews in Judea and Galilee, would have been a Samaritan. But it is the Samaritan who offers the appropriate aid. He offers everything he can to help this wounded, vulnerable man be brought back to life and health.

So, now what happens at the end? Notice how Jesus turns the question around. The lawyer had asked initially, “Who is my neighbor? Whom am I called to love? Whom must I love, from a legal standpoint?” Jesus turns it around, and says to the lawyer, “Which of these three was a neighbor to the man in the ditch?” Jesus has turned it around. He is trying to get the man to see, “Your calling is to be a good neighbor. . . it is not to worry about, ‘Who is your neighbor’”. The man responds, “The one who showed him mercy was his neighbor.” Jesus says to the man, “Go and do likewise.”

This is one of the most poignant stories in all of the Gospels, using these realistic characters in this realistic setting. Jesus says to this lawyer, who is questioning him, “Who was that man’s neighbor?” “The man who helped him.” Jesus says, “Go and do likewise. You asked me about a relationship with God. You asked me about eternal life. . . love your neighbor.” “Who is my neighbor?” “The person who needs you is your neighbor.”

We have to be careful about this kind of passage. We have to employ it in ways that are the most helpful to people. I was thinking about this, and I decided to share it with you this morning at the end of this sermon. I know a woman in the greater Chattanooga area. This is a true story. This woman took a man into her home off the street whom she did not know, based on this passage. Now, thankfully, it turned out all right. Later on, she was talking with me, her trusted priest, and she said, “You know, I am not sure that was such a good idea.” I said, “You know, I would not have done it myself.” We talked about this at Prayer Breakfast Friday. The underlying principle here is absolutely clear. “Open your heart, and be compassionate.” We cannot deny the underlying principle. We do have to be careful in the modern day as to how we do that. So, this is not a counsel to do something that puts you, or your family, at unnecessary risk. The Lord wouldn’t want that of us. . . to put ourselves at unnecessary risk or danger. But, the underlying principle is undeniably clear here. The lawyer is trying to limit whom he is supposed to love. Jesus says, “Open your heart. Don’t seek to limit whom you are to love. When you see someone in need, that is the one whom you are to love.”

Amen.