pocket presbyterian church

Luke 10:25-37                                                                                      "Who Is My Neighbor?"

Several years ago, on a Saturday afternoon, I jumped in the car, and drove to the Super K-mart that was near our house. Usually I tried to stay away from that busy place on Saturday— but we had just gotten back from the beach, and our refrigerator was empty! So, I picked up a gallon of milk, a loaf of bread, some fruit, and a few vegetables... And just as I got through the check-out line, the sky got dark, and it started to rain. Within two minutes, it was POURING down! And before long, a dozen of us were huddled out front under the store's huge awning, hoping that the storm would let up. As we waited for the rain to end, a couple of those people started to get impatient, and decided to dash to their cars. One man ran his shopping cart out to his car, threw his groceries inside, and left his cart standing there in the parking lot. But as he backed out, the shopping cart began to roll... And he drove away, his cart rolled down a little incline, and smacked right into the side of another car. The man standing next to me said out loud, "Look at that! People just don't care anymore!"

As I drove home, I found myself wondering if he’s right. Do we only really care about ourselves? Have we lost our concern for what happens to other people—especially people we don’t know?

These are questions that come up in today's story from the Gospel of Luke. It's a story that starts with a question—"Teacher,” a trained religious leader asks Jesus, “What do I have to do to inherit eternal life?" If you or I were asked this question, we might answer by quoting John 3:16 "For God loved the world so much that he gave his only Son, so that whoever believes in Him may not perish, but have eternal life." But the lawyer was a first century Jew--- he lived in a time before there was a Gospel of John, and a Christian Church. So he answers by quoting two verses from the law God gave to Moses— "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and soul and mind and strength, and love your neighbor as yourself." And Jesus says, "You're right--- do this and you will live."

Well, that could have been the end of the conversation! The lawyer should have stopped right there—and a couple of minutes later, I be he wished that he HAD stopped! But Luke tells us "he wanted to justify himself." Another translation of the same verse says, "He wanted to show that he knew what he was talking about!" So the man asks a second question: "And who is my neighbor?"

To answer that question, Jesus tells a story that we call the "Parable of the Good Samaritan"—and it says a lot more than the self-confident religious expert wanted to hear!

The first thing we readers need to know is: Just who were these people called Samaritans? If you look on a map, you'll find that Samaria is a region in northern Israel; but the Samaritans were not Jews. Centuries before Jesus, the armies of Babylon had overrun that area... and when they did, they took most of the wealthy, educated Jews back to Babylon. In the years that followed, people from neighboring countries moved into that area, and intermarried with some of the poorest Jews that had remained. In time, their mixed-race descendants became known as Samaritans. So the Jews looked down on Samaritans, because they were not pure. Many Jewish merchants didn't do business with them, and Jewish travelers avoided going through Samaria whenever it was possible.

With this background of hostile relations and ill-will between Jews and Samaritans, Jesus tells the story of a certain man travelling from Jerusalem down to Jericho. For centuries, travelers knew that this road was a very dangerous place. In less than twenty miles, it drops 3,600 feet in elevation— it’s a mountain road of twists and curves and switchbacks that make it a perfect place for gangs of robbers to wait on victims. Even as late as the 1950’s, thieves would ambush travelers on this same road, and then retreat into the hills before the local police could arrive!

In today's parable, our traveler falls into the hands of one of these gangs of robbers. They steal his expensive clothes, beat him severely, and leave him lying on the road half-dead. Before long, another traveler comes by—a priest—but he walks over to the other side of the road, and hurries past the wounded man. After awhile, a second man comes by—another religious man, a Levite—who was an assistant in the Temple in Jerusalem. He pauses to take a look, but the Levite also walks on past.

Did you ever wonder why—why the first two travelers didn't stop to help? Maybe they were just hard-hearted, uncaring people... but I bet they weren't! I imagine that both the priest and the Levite had mixed feelings as they walked past the injured man that day---

·        Maybe they were afraid of being HURT themselves. Sometimes thieves would put one of their own group out on the road as a decoy... and when someone stopped to help the “injured” man, they would rush down and rob him! If you stopped to help someone else on a road like that, you were putting your own life at risk.

·        Or, maybe the first two travelers just didn’t have time to stop. They’re travelling on this road, going toward some destination. They’ve got people to meet, and responsibilities to fulfill. Maybe the Levite was going to a job interview… Maybe the priest was late for a Session meeting—or Wednesday night Bible study! If he stopped to help, he’d never it make it to his destination on time.

When we read this parable, we shake our heads at the hard-heartedness of the priest and the Levite. But I wonder: Has someone ever come to you for help, and then you quickly thought of several very good reasons to turn away, and go your own way? I know that I have—more times than I’d like to admit. We say to ourselves, “Hey, I can’t solve everybody’s problems!” Or, “I’d LIKE to help, but I don’t have the money right now, or the time…” Or, we say, “Look at the choices he’s made. Part of this mess he’s in is his own fault!” And usually, our excuses are good ones—just like the priest and the Levite’s excuses! So we tend to our own busy lives, and pass by on the other side of the road.

Finally, a third traveler—who happens to be a Samaritan, a foreigner—comes along and sees the injured man on the side of the road. But for him, this wounded traveler is not a bother, or a danger. He sees an opportunity, and he takes it.

When I read this story, I see at least three different things that it takes to love your neighbor:

·        First, you have to take risks. The Samaritan knew that the robbers who beat this man and stole his possessions might be waiting behind the rocks— ready to pounce on another victim. But he’s willing to take the chance, and risk his own safety to help someone he doesn’t even know. Sometimes helping someone is dangerous. But more often, it means taking a different kind of risk: risking criticism… or ridicule… or realizing that your help may NOT do what you hope it will do! When we help people in need, there’s no guarantee that it will work out—but that’s no reason not to try!

·        Second, a good neighbor uses his or her time. All three travelers are heading to Jericho, or some point beyond. They each have many miles to go, people to link up with, and things to accomplish. But the Samaritan puts his own schedule "on hold" to help this man in trouble. And helping someone in need almost always takes time!

1.      It takes time to go visit someone who’s sick…

2.      It takes time to pack food or interview clients at CUOC,

3.      It takes time to teach Sunday school at our Lee County Presbyterian Hispanic Ministry,

4.      or, spend the evening with disabled adults at the Stevens Center.

TIME is one of the most valuable gifts we can give!

·        Third, a real neighbor crosses boundaries. Jews and Samaritans didn't like each other. But when he saw this wounded man on the road, the Samaritan didn't see a Jew or an enemy... he saw a HUMAN BEING who needed his help. There are so many boundaries that separate us from other people—language, skin color, culture, economic standing, educational level. But I see Pocket Presbyterians more and more willing to cross these boundaries in the name of Jesus Christ. It makes me proud of our congregation… And I know that it pleases God!

When he finishes telling the parable, Jesus turns back to the lawyer with a question of his own--- he says, "Which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?" Of course, the answer is so obvious that no one could miss it! And the Jewish lawyer answers "The one who had mercy on him."   And Jesus ends their conversation with four simple—but powerful—words: "Go and do likewise."

The parable is 2,000 years old, but Jesus’ message hasn’t changed: We know who that neighbor is that God commands us to love. His message to you and me? “You know it… Now, go do it!"

So, who is the “injured traveler” that needs your help right now? A friend who’s going through a divorce… a coworker who just got laid off? What about your Hispanic neighbors who just moved to the U. S., who feel lonely and disconnected? Maybe some of the “neighbors” who need us right now are those clients at CUOC—who are hoping to get a little food to “hold them over” until the next payday… Or that person in your family who’s angry at God because life is hard, and seems so unfair!

For Christians, feeling sorry for people in trouble is not enough. Chapter four of First John says, "For anyone who does not love his brother (or sister), whom he has seen, cannot love God, whom he has not seen. And he has given us this command: Whoever loves God must also love his brother (and sister)."

Do you remember the guy in the parking lot—the one I talked at the beginning of this sermon—who blurted out “People just don’t care anymore.” This coming week, God is going to give you and me lots of opportunities to prove him wrong!

Let us pray…

-Preached at Pocket Church on Sunday, August 9, 2009