Sunday 10th July 2022
St Peter’s, Stanley (Morning Worship)
Deuteronomy 30:9-14
Psalms 25
Colossians 1:1-14
Luke 10:25-37
In the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
At sermon school they tell you to ‘know your congregation’ and to ‘read the room’….!
Actually there is no sermon school….
This is a first for me…. So here goes…
A priest, a Levite and a Samaritan walk into a bar.
Each of them orders some refreshment, according to their cultural and permissible tastes.
They look at one another….
The bartender looks at the three of them, standing before him, and asks:
“Where’s the other fella? Did you forget your neighbour?”
A constructed moment of levity perhaps, with a play on our own cultural humour.
The story of the Good Samaritan is possibly the most well-known, and oft-cited of all Jesus’s teachings.
It speaks of mercy and of the loving kindness we are called to embody as Christian disciples.
It is the inspiration behind The Samaritans helpline, that is always there for those at the lowest point of life.
The Good Samaritan is the assigned description for anyone that shows loving compassion when – perhaps – it wasn’t anticipated.
To reflect on this passage of Luke’s Gospel is to be drawn into the narrative, as we watch the priest and the Levite – holy men – ‘pass by on the other side’.
They would have been expected to ‘do something’ and yet they did not.
We ask ourselves about what we might have done… and we consider the immense compassion offered by the traveller from Samaria – who was considered less of a person compared to the other two.
This story makes it clear that there is a distinction between having merciful and compassionate thoughts and ideals, and actually showing mercy to another human.
Jesus is saying that mercy and compassion require action – putting those thoughts and ideals into practice.
We see this often – in the selfless acts of others, for those without a voice or without resources; and by those around us, often in small ways – from love; and we pray that we might ‘go and do likewise’ – to have the courage and sense of presence – and to act with mercy and compassion for our brothers and sisters – whoever and wherever they are.
And then again, maybe we don’t see this so often, or maybe we have something to say about those who seem to be ‘walking by on the other side’?
Unsurprisingly, there is more to this story – this moment in the teaching life of Jesus, as described by Luke.
I dont know about you, but I have seen depictions of this story represented in a variety of ways – OK not always as stand-up comedy…!
…but in illustrations, drama and film, and other written forms such as allegory ….
Always, the priest and Levite are depicted as seeming not to care – leaving the hope of the Kingdom to a Samaritan traveller.
You know what…?
There could have been any number of valid reasons why they “passed by on the other side”, thus avoiding the injured man.
We don’t know if they crossed the road to deliberately avoid him.
Neither do we know if there were other reasons such as fear of being duped and becoming victims themselves, or there could have been other vulnerable people in their party who would have been at risk.
These were regions where the traveller was right to be fearful and wary, as taking the direct routes between Jerusalem and Jericho were ill-advised.
Even Jesus, upon His own journeying took a more circuitous road in this region.
And as members of the Temple ‘staff’, the priest and Levite would have been keen to preserve their purity – in terms of remaining clean and avoiding a dead body.
Not so for the stranger from Samaria.
In today’s psalm (25:8-9) we hear the words:
“He will guide the humble in doing right,
and teach his way to the lowly.
All the paths of the Lord are mercy and truth,
to those who keep his covenant and his testimonies.”
Could such words be interpreted differently, depending on how your faith in God had developed?
In terms of duties and responsibilities:
retaining a sense of purity and innocence,
or fully engaging with the needs of the world, regardless?
Do we still see such distinctions amongst those proclaiming their religious credentials?
What else do we see here?
What else is going on in the dynamic of Jesus and His interrogator?
“A lawyer got up to test Jesus”
Perhaps it was just what he did…. Nothing more, nothing less; like saying,
“A sower went out to sow….”
Surely this is just an introduction to a narrative in which Jesus then teaches about mercy?
Let’s listen closely to this exchange:
A lawyer – young and ready for a challenge – asks this new, well-regarded Rabbi about eternal life.
He is asking to test the response of Jesus, that there is understanding and acceptance of the Laws; that this teacher will speak no heresies, prompted maybe by having heard Jesus speak before…
Jesus, knowing this, knocks the question back to the lawyer – ‘what does the Law tell you?’
Love God and love your neighbour.
Yes, implies Jesus – its quite simple and straight forward, crack on!
Hmmm…. The lawyer wants to push a bit more, he hasn’t had a full response from Jesus;
He gets a magnificent story that illustrates mercy….
With a question…
Yes, that question….
“Who is the neighbour to the man who fell amongst robbers….”
NOT who is neighbour to the Samaritan.
This chap on the floor – who has had the worst of days….. who is his neighbour?
And from there, we might see that Jesus is offering a different question to the lawyer:
Who is neighbour to Israel?
The lawyer would have seen the concept of ‘neighbour’ as being like himself, Jewish.
And yet here we have Jesus – through Luke as narrator – speaking of God as offering a universal love and grace – available to everyone, as gift and blessing – to receive, and to confer on others!
Is that heresy? It must have sounded a bit twisty-turny to a lawyer!
Are there some sort of ‘limits’ to God’s love and grace?
We don’t know much about the injured man – the victim of this story. We don’t know how he responded by being tended to by Jonny Foreigner… the fact is he lived, all thanks to the mercy of one not regarded as neighbour!
There is much of ancient and contemporary literature where a story is built upon how the most kindness is offered by the lowliest, the outcast, the foreigner – the invisible ones.
Finally, we return to the lawyer who is subtly being offered a view of God as being not just for Israel but for all people.
In this exchange we see the possibilities…..
The constraints placed on receiving and sharing Gods grace and mercy are thrown to the side of the road: their codes of purity, and the unswerving obedience to laws that obscure the love for one’s neighbours and ultimately, for God.
“Who is my neighbour…?”
The lawyer offers the answer – ‘the one who showed mercy’.
What he did next, in response to Jesus, who says – ‘go and do likewise’… we do not know.
We can only know how such words resonate in ourselves.
So how do you hear this story? And what will it mean to you tomorrow?
Are there limits placed on mercy and love?
If there are, what are they, and why?
Our histories and our present are filled with examples of Christians speaking of God – and acting for God – in ways that hurt others.
Our neighbours are not always like us – yet God has placed us alongside them – as we proclaim Jesus Christ, we seek to bear the fruits of such faith, of which Paul speaks to the Colossians in our other reading today.
We often view the behaviours and attitudes of Christians in others counties and say – we wouldn’t be like that, they are all quite mad!
When I see people identifying as Christian, failing to show any kind of love or compassion I ask:
How can you do such things, shout such hatred and vehemence, preventing others from flourishing and still proclaim that you follow Jesus?
And yet… as the failed yet hopeful beings that we are….
How do we overlay our own fears, insecurities and prejudices upon a faith in Christ crucified, and still come out loving?
Are we members of a cult – some sort of assembly that only hears and cares about itself and its members?
Do we hide in a place of safety and isolation, assured of our righteousness, able to call-out others whilst claiming our own innocence?
Have we placed limits and constraints on how a loving and gracious God is known by others, though our actions and words?
NO – dear God I hope not…!
For we are the Body of Christ – and God calls upon us to see our neighbours – whoever they are – as being in need of love – of grace and of mercy.
We are all called to respond to that need.
Without limits.
I beleive that it is always good for us to hear the stories and parables that Jesus tells to those around Him – each time we might hear it afresh – gaining a clearer understanding.
It doesn’t hurt us to be reminded of what we are called to be.
Hold on to the familiarity of this call from Jesus – live with it, walk with it…. Even into the the dangerous regions of lives – yes, especially there!
No matter how familiar this story of kindness and mercy is to us, we need to remember….
That the only limits to being merciful are to be found in the one who receives it….
Not in the giving….
You don’t need me to give you examples of Good Samaritans. You see them all around you, and probably in the mirror 😊
So, to know who our neighbour is – the one showing kindness?
We have to receive it – Gods love – for us, in Jesus Christ.
It’s free – its real – its universal – its now.
If we place limits on Gods mercy that is given to us then we cannot hope to truly love those we call neighbours.
Can we receive Gods love and Grace?
Loving and being loved…. ?
The building blocks of a relationship with God, that can transform the world, if we remove the limits we place on His love for us.
So speak of that,
….tomorrow and the next day….
….to your neighbour, and to their neighbour.
For truly, I tell you…. If it is not about love, then it is is not about God.
Amen.
Bibliography
Williams, J. (2011) Lectionary Reflections: Years A, B & C, SPCK, London
Wright, N.T. (2004) Luke for Everyone – Second Edition, SPCK, London
https://www.churchtimes.co.uk/223780