First Lutheran Church
July 10, 2022
Luke 10:25-37 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.”
Sermon
“Which One Are You”
Rev. Greg Ronning
Back in the day when I had the opportunity to teach or preach on “The Good Samaritan” I would always begin by singing “Which One Are You?” by Paul Clark. It goes something like this …
A certain man from Jerusalem went down to Jericho.
And he fell upon some thieves who beat him and stripped him of his clothes.
They left him lying there half dead on one side of the road.
And he probably was crying out for help; maybe someone was close.
The priest passed by and saw him and walked way on the other side.
Likewise, the Levite did the same, as the man cried.
A Samaritan on his journey came along and found him there.
And he bound his wounds with oil and wine and took him to the inn for care.
The next day, before he departed, he took out two denarii
and gave them to the inn keeper and asked him to take care of him.
Whatever more you spend, when I come back, I'll repay thee.
So I ask you now, my friend, which was the best man of these three?
The reason I sing this song is to make the point on which I stand.
If you say that you're a Christian, would you've stop and help that man?
You see there's a lot of religious talk and theory that you can do.
But just look inside and ask yourself, which of these three are you?
You see there's a lot of religious talk and theory that you can do.
But just look inside and ask yourself, which of these three … are you?
So, which one are you? That’s the traditional question that we ask when we come upon this text. Are you the Priest or the Levite? Or are you the Good Samaritan? Traditionally we have relegated this parable to a moral story, a story that teaches us how to behave in the world. The moral of the story is supposed to teach you how to be a better person. In this case, from this perspective, Jesus is teaching us what it means to be a good neighbor, how to love our neighbor, how to be a good person, how to practice our faith.
And there’s nothing wrong with this approach, however I believe there’s more to the story, I believe that it’s more than just a moral story, more than just a “go and do likewise” story; I believe it just might be a story that has the power to radically transform us!
So how do we get there, how do get past “the moral of the story,” how do enter the story more deeply? We do so by going back to the traditional question, “Which of these three are you? ”Perhaps you’ve already noticed the flaw in that question, the thing that limits the potential of the parable, the thing that keeps the story from being transformational. What’s wrong with that question? (pause) There’s more than three characters in the story, there’s more than three people with which to identify, there’s more than three ways to enter into the story! There’s a Priest, a Levite, a Samaritan, an Inn Keeper, and the man who “fell into the hands of robbers.”
This morning we will take a closer look at all “five” of the characters found in “The Parable of the Good Samaritan,” seeking to better understand what it means to love our neighbor, and also looking for that thing that might grab hold of us, and if we dare engage and embrace it, transform us. Remember that the parables of Jesus are more than just moral stories, they’re stories that are intended to turn our world upside down for the sake of the kingdom.
Let’s begin with the Priest and the Levite. We’re pretty familiar with these characters. They are the religious leaders of the day. They are on the road between Jerusalem and Jericho most likely on religious business, heading to or from The Temple. And while their behavior, “passing by on the other side,” is unacceptable, they do have an excuse. These two are simply observing the Jewish Law, if they were to encounter a dead person, an unclean person, they would be unable to perform their duties as a faith leader. People waiting for them at the temple or back home at the synagogue were counting on them to be present to perform sacred duties. They could not risk the possibility of becoming “unclean,” ending up in quarantine, if they stopped and helped the man lying alongside the road.
And we’ve been there, too busy to stop and help someone in need. We have lots of excuses, some of them are better than others, but we have reasons for “passing by on the other side of the road. ”We can’t just skip over these characters; these characters invite us into the life-giving act confession and repentance. They expose us to our guilt, and sometimes our guilt goads us into being better people, but guilt does not transform us into a people empowered by faith.
And then there’s the Samaritan. He’s the surprise hero in the story. He goes out of his way to help the man lying half dead on the side of the road. He’s a surprise because he’s a Samaritan. The Jews of Jesus’ time considered the Samaritans to be their mortal enemies. We are reminded that they had been enemies for generations. The people who first heard Jesus’ parable must have been shocked. This is the first hint that this story has some real power in it, the notion that the one in the story who truly loves his neighbor might be one of those Samaritans.
And so, we try to be a “Good Samaritan.” For the most part, the cultural identity and original context of the story, is not really that important to us. What strikes us as important is his actions. We are attracted to the Good Samaritan because he’s a good person, a good neighbor. And we like to be recognized for being a good person, we like to be justified by our actions, we want to be a part of “The Good Sam Club.” And all that’s not so bad, but it’s not really transformational. It’s the same old story, pride and sin, deep down we’d rather “be saved” by our own good works, than rely on grace.
Probably the most overlooked character in the story is the Innkeeper. But he’s actually pretty important, after all he is the one who spends the most time caring for the man who was beaten. He is getting paid to do it, but he is willing to do it.
In some ways, for us, the Innkeeper might be the most familiar person in the story. It reminds me of our Caring Hands ministry. People donate food, resources, and money to us; and we care for our neighbors in need. And for those of us on staff here at First Lutheran we are reminded that we get paid to be “Professional Christians.” It’s our job to lead you, to serve you, to serve with you, to serve our neighbors. As you probably know, it’s also more than a job for us, it is our passion, but in some ways we are a lot like the “Innkeeper” in today’s parable.
And that leaves us with the last character in the story; the man who is robbed, beaten, and left dying alongside the road. And as you may have guessed, the person who makes the story transformational. At first glance it’s kind of hard to enter into the story through this character, thankfully most of us have never been in his dire situation. By the way, those who have, already know the incredible power of this story.
However, the more I think about this parable I am convinced that this is the person Jesus is inviting us “to be” in the story. The original audience that heard Jesus tell this story were most likely the average Jewish people of the time. When Jesus talked about a Priest and a Levite, they knew who those people were, and they knew they were not those people. And they certainly did not identify with their hated enemies, the Samaritans. And while there may have been an Innkeeper in the crowd, they were certainly not a whole crowd of Innkeepers. If you think about it, all the characters in the story are pretty well developed, and “beyond” the listeners. The only character left for them to identify with - is the man. Someone only described as a man, someone they all could be, thus the someone by which they might enter into the story. And in this man, rescued by one of those “awful Samaritans,” there is “only” radical transformation.
Imagine what it would be like to be “saved” by your mortal enemy. Imagine how that might challenge your assumptions and your values. Imagine how that might drastically challenge and change your world view. I imagine that it would be like a great earthquake, shaking the very ground upon which you stand. When love comes to us from such an unexpected place, when God comes to us in such a scandalous way, when the kingdom of God is revealed on the other side of our expectations; we can’t help but be transformed. Suddenly we are challenged to see in the eyes of the other, the stranger, and even the enemy;- the eyes of Christ. And that changes everything, in every way possible.
So, what might that look like today? Debie Thomas writes, “Think about it this way: Who is the last person on earth you'd ever want to deem "the good guy?" The last person you'd ever want to ask for a favor — much less owe your life? Whom do you secretly hope to convert, fix, impress, control, or save — but never, ever need?”
A Ukrainian is robbed, and a Russian saves his life. A White Supremist is robbed, and an African American saves her life. A Ram’s fan is robbed, and a 49er fan saves their life. A Democrat is robbed, and a Republican saves his life. A Republican is robbed, and a Democrat saves her life.
In today’s parable, in the story of “The Good Samaritan” Jesus is inviting us to move beyond our divisions, beyond our history, beyond our prejudices, beyond our political, racial, cultural and economic identities; beyond tribalism - and into a different kind of reality, into the Kingdom of God! Jesus challenges us to find the divine in the different and totally unexpected places, in places that will lead to transformation, places where all things are being made new.
Today’s parable is more than a moral story, it is a call to be transformed by Christ - in, with and through - the love of neighbor. It is also a powerful story of grace, a story that opens us up to the presence of God’s grace in places where we would never presume to find it, and perhaps in the very place where we desperately need to experience it. In our troubled world; in a man who was robbed, beaten, and left for dead; in the places where our life and his life intersect, in the places where our life and his life might intersect in the future; somewhere down the long and difficult road that we all must travel; - we all need as much love and grace as we can get.
Here the good and unforeseen news! The grace of God, the love of Christ, and the communion of the Holy Spirit are all around us. The Kingdom of God is near. May we find ourselves in the vulnerable and difficult parts of the story; may we be humbled and inspired, empowered and strengthened, and set free from all that keeps us estranged and afar; in order that we might experience the transformational power of God’s grace and love and be such grace and love for others. Amen.