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Pentecost 5, 2022
Immanuel Lutheran Church, Hamilton, Ohio
Pastor Kevin Jud
July 10, 2022
Leviticus 19:9-18, Colossians 1:1-14, Luke 10:25-37
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I have heard it said that a good lawyer never asks a question if he doesn’t already know what the answer will be. We see this fail in our Gospel reading today. Luke 10:25 (ESV) 25 And behold, a lawyer stood up to put [Jesus] to the test, saying, “Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?” Why does the lawyer ask this question? What does he think the answer will be? Maybe he has heard that Jesus has great insight into eternal life and he wants to know the secret. Or maybe, he is trying to get Jesus to slip up and say something that Jesus’ enemies can twist in order to attack Him for teaching against Moses.
In itself, the question is not well thought out. What shall I do to inherit eternal life? You do something to earn wages. You don’t do something to inherit. Inheritance is a gift.
Jesus responds to the question with a question, Luke 10:26 (ESV) 26 … “What is written in the Law? How do you read it?” Luke 10:27 (ESV) 27 And [the lawyer] 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.” Luke 10:28 (ESV) 28 And [Jesus] said to him, “You have answered correctly; do this, and you will live.”
That’s all you need to do. Just perfectly love God and your neighbor. Jesus turns the question back on the lawyer who then tries to justify himself and limit this command. Luke 10:29 (ESV) 29 …“And who is my neighbor?”
Here Jesus launches into the well-known parable of the Good Samaritan. This is a familiar story. We have adopted the term Good Samaritan into regular use. We have Good Samaritan laws protecting those who help strangers. You know this story. This morning’s message is probably a rerun. Perhaps this is a good opportunity to close your eyes and sit back and grab a few minutes sleep. But do you know this parable as well as you think you do?
What is the main lesson of the Good Samaritan? Who is the hero of the story? At first glance, the lesson is be good, do good, and help others. But is it that simple? Jesus message to the lawyer is that in order for you to gain eternal life you need to 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. This is an impossible teaching which presents you with an eternal problem. If this is Jesus’ lesson, then you are condemned to hell for eternity because you cannot do it.
So, what is the main lesson of the Good Samaritan? Let’s dig in a bit. Who is the hero of the story? Who is the Good Samaritan? In this parable we have someone who needs to be saved lying naked, beaten, bloody and helpless by the side of the road. And we have a hero who has compassion, does what needs to be done, and pays the price to save the helpless man.
When kids play sports they will picture themselves making the buzzer beating three pointer, the 9th inning grand slam, scoring the winning goal in the final minute to win the championship and be the hero. It is nice to be the hero.
It would be nice to be the hero of this parable; the one coming to save the day. The one giving of himself or herself to save a stranger -- but you are not the hero of this story. In this story you are the poor person lying helpless in the dirt on the side of the road in desperate need of a savior. Jesus is the Good Samaritan. Jesus is the hero of the story. And that makes all the difference.
You are the helpless, hot mess of a person, who is rejected by the “good people”. The priest and the Levite do not think it is their job to help you. You are not worth it. You are not their obligation so they leave you for dead.
You are the victim in this story and you lie there in the dirt, helpless and rejected, when someone also rejected and hated by the “good people” comes to help you. Jesus is telling this parable to Jews and the Jews know for sure that Samaritans are not their neighbor. They are convinced that God hates the Samaritans. And yet it is the rejected one who, without hesitation, binds up your wounds and puts you on his animal and takes you to an inn and pays for your care. This man is a Samaritan, someone hated and rejected by the Jews. He takes you to an inn likely in the Jewish town of Jericho where he would be at great personal risk from the locals. They may very well beat Him or kill Him after He sets you up at the inn.
You are the helpless, hot mess of a person, who is rejected by the “good people”. The priest and the Levite do not think it is their job to help you. You are not worth it. You are not their obligation so they leave you for dead.
This is what Jesus does for you. Jesus comes to you in your helpless bondage to sin and the devil, and washes you clean and cares for you. He gives of Himself to save you. He risks His life, and gives His life to give you eternal life. Jesus rescues you from sin, death and hell. This parable is about what Jesus has done for you. You have been saved by Jesus, but Jesus does not leave you to simply bask in His salvation of you as we see as Jesus asks the lawyer, Luke 10:36 (ESV) 36 Which of these three, do you think, proved to be a neighbor to the man who fell among the robbers?”
The lawyer answers Luke 10:37 (ESV) 37 … “The one who showed him mercy.” And Jesus said to him, “You go, and do likewise.”
The priest and the Levite may think they have good reasons and excuses for not helping the wounded man. They may justify their lack of compassion in their minds. But they are wrong. By rejecting their neighbor they are rejecting God. Jesus calls you to become a neighbor to those in need.
What is the main point of the parable of the Good Samaritan? Is it to have faith in Jesus? Or is it to love your neighbor? Yes. The main point is both. Jesus saves you and He calls you to love your neighbor. It is not so much about who is your neighbor, but for you to become a neighbor to those in need regardless of who they are. You do not love God and love your neighbor to earn eternal life; you do it because you have eternal life. You go, and do likewise because you are a baptized child of God; because you are an heir of eternal life.
Jesus portrays Himself in this parable as a Samaritan, a hated outsider, rejected by the religious leaders. Today, Jesus remains a hated outsider, rejected by religious leaders. Jesus is rejected because He is not the kind of Savior folks are looking for. Jesus is rejected because He does not bring the message that you are good enough just the way you are. Instead, He brings the message that you are a sinner who needs to repent, who needs to turn from sin and believe the good news that Jesus has died for your sins. Jesus brings the message that you cannot save yourself. You cannot earn eternal life. You need Jesus. You are helpless and need someone to save you. This is not a popular message.
Folks want to be the hero of their own story. They want to be the one to call the shots and do what needs to be done. They want Jesus to stand by and applaud them for just being their sinful selves. People want to hear that Jesus loves you just the way you are but that is not the real Jesus. The real Jesus loves you and takes away your sin. Jesus does not leave you helpless in your guilt and shame. No. He lifts you up, cleans you up, pays the price for you, and sets you on a better path.
Jesus sends you to be His hands and feet in the world; to have compassion and care for others the way He has cared for you. Jesus loves you too much to let you be the hero. If you were the hero you would be lost in your sin. Jesus loves you enough to save you and send you. The main point of the parable is that Jesus saves you and sends you to serve. Jesus loves you and cares for you. You go and do likewise. Amen.