“Who Is Your Neighbor?”
July 19th, 2010 Posted in Sermons7th Sunday after Pentecost (Series C)
“Who Is Your Neighbor?”
Sunday July 11, 2010
Text: Luke 10:25-36 [show]Luke 10:25-36
And behold, a lawyer stood up to put him to the test, saying, "Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?" He said to him, "What is written in the Law? How do you read it?" And 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 answered correctly; do this, and you will live."
But he, desiring to justify himself, said to Jesus, "And who is my neighbor?" Jesus replied, "A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and he fell among robbers, who stripped him and beat him and departed, 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, as he journeyed, came to where he was, and when he saw him, he had compassion. He went to him and bound up his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he set him on his own animal and brought him to an inn and took care of him. And the next day he took out two denarii and gave them to the innkeeper, saying, 'Take care of him, and whatever more you spend, I will repay you when I come back.' Which of these three, do you think, proved to be a neighbor to the man who fell among the robbers?" (ESV)
Grace to you and peace from God our Father, and our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
When parables are viewed outside of or apart from Christ then they are misinterpreted and misconstrued. It is easy to do this, and it happens often, most especially when we people attempt to teach children and youth “Bible lessons.”
When these parables are understood apart from Christ, His person and work, then they become mere moral lessons. They simply teach good behaviors. They become the Aesop’s fables of the New Testament, if you will.
It is easy to do this and, in fact, we desire to interpret parables this way. We want moral lessons. We want to be taught, just like that lawyer, “what must I do to be saved?” Under his own power, sinful man will always drift toward the Law, attempting to justify himself.
And the parables have this allurement. We would twist God’s Word in such a way as to make it about our behavior and works and not Christ’s. Take today’s lesson for example. The Good Samaritan and showing love to the neighbor. Well, how are you going to be a Good Samaritan? Who is your neighbor and how are you going to love him. Jesus has an answer, right? He gives you the checklist to accomplish the second table of the law.
Look not to the ones you desire to be neighbors, your friends or those who share your common likes and interests, but be a neighbor and show love to all people.
And love those whom no one else will love, help those who cannot help themselves. Show compassion and mercy to those who have been robbed and beaten. This is not only in the literal sense, but you are to help all those who have been cast-off, all those who are in need: the sinner, the addict, the derelict. Feed the hungry, shelter and clothe the homeless. Give comfort and help to the sick, suffering, and dying.
And what is more, do these things with a true heart. Do them with pure motives. Truly love your neighbor as yourself, don’t do it out of compulsion, don’t do it out of guilt, and don’t do it for the sake of pride or self-image (do not let your left hand know what your right is doing), for that is not true love but false love, and you need true love to keep the Law.
That is how you can keep the Second Table of the Law brothers and sisters; that is how you can love your neighbor as yourself. Now, are you up to the challenge, or are you beginning to see the conundrum that you fall in to? Hopefully, you are starting to see the problem with viewing the parables as moral lessons. If our Lord is given us moral lessons, then He is just establishing another rule book that is impossible to keep. That does not make such morals arbitrary. Loving the neighbor is in fact as fundamental as the second table of the Law, but even if they are necessary that does not mean that you can keep them.
Stop those delusions right away. You cannot do it. You cannot love your neighbor as yourself. You will always love yourself more. That is the way of selfish man; he desires to please self and then others. You cannot keep the second table of the Law.
You are a sinner. You hate your brother in your heart. You use your strength to steal and your mind to covet. If you use these things, your heart, soul, strength, and mind, for such evil, then how can you expect to love the Lord Your God with them? Repent.
The only way you can understand your self, is by examining it against God’s Law. And you can only truly understand God’s Law if you understand your sinful-self, the bondage of your will, and your total spiritual depravity.
Then you will see the parable of the Good Samaritan for what it really is. Then you will understand that this parable is about you, but you are not first and foremost the Samaritan. You are the traveler.
You are the one going from Jerusalem that has fallen prey to robbers, you have been beaten, you have been broken. You have been stripped, beaten, and robbed by sin. Sin has robbed you of your will; it has robbed you of your very life. You now lie on the side of the road helpless. You cannot move, you cannot help yourself, let alone your neighbor.
What is more, you are bloody and you are unclean, and that means that your condition is contagious. The man in the parable was ceremonially unclean because of his blood. That is why the priest and Levite pass by; they do not want to “catch” that uncleanliness. For the Samaritan that does not matter.
You also are unclean, you are bloodied, you are awaiting death. You are this way because of sin, because of your sinful, fallen condition. And so you are unclean and, what is worse, you are contagious, you are infectious, you do not keep your sins to yourself, but you cause others to sin by your words and actions. That is the exact opposite of loving them you are causing them harm.
You cannot help others; you cannot help yourself, and who will come to your aid since you are unclean? Someone must come to your aid or you will certainly die. Christ will come to your aid. He did, and He does even now. He, the holy one of Israel came into an unclean world, he came to a people who were bloody and dying, and He came with mercy!
He did not come with helpful tips on how to get on your feet and clean yourself up. He did not come with a guidebook on moral ethics. He came with mercy.
For that is all the bloodied and dying can ask for, that is all you can hope for – mercy. And that is the wonderful Good News – mercy is given to you. It is given to those who have not earned it. It is given for those who cannot gain it. It is give for those who desire and cry out for it.
And so, those who lie on the sides of the road, those who lie beaten, bloodied, and broken, cry out. And you who are being tormented and killed by your sin cry out, “Lord, have mercy on me a sinner.”
And your Lord does. He has mercy on you. He has promised to do so; He is faithful. Christ comes to you. It does not matter that you are unclean, He still touches you, for His touch makes all things clean. He washes your wounds of sin and shame with the oil and wine of His holy Absolution, the forgiveness of your sins. He carries you because you cannot walk on your own. He gives you rest.
He shows the ultimate love in this, He lays down His life for the neighbor. There is no greater love than this; Jesus dies so that sin will not kill you. He goes to the cross to be beaten, bloodied, and left to die. And He does die. He endures all of this, even death, for you.
There on the cross He is showing the greatest act of mercy, dying so this world can live. Christ has proven Himself to be your true neighbor. He has died for you, He has risen for you, He has ascended to the right hand of the Father for you. He loves you as His own, He gives to you a new life, a new name: Christian.
And dear Christians, that mercy shown to all mankind upon the cross, is now given and distributed to you the saints of God. It is distributed week after week in the Divine Service. Here you confess that you are sinners, bloody, dying things, and you are pronounced forgiven. You are absolved and given life and peace.
Even as much as you fall into sin and disobedience, even as much as you do not love your neighbor as yourself, you are forgiven, cleaned, anointed, and fed. Christ comes to you here. He touches you and makes you clean. Here you receive the greatest mercy of all, that which was won upon the cross.
And now you go and do likewise. You go and show mercy, not because you want to please God, not because you want to make a better world, not because you want to be a better person. You don’t show mercy for those reasons. Put things into their proper perspective. You show mercy because you have been shown mercy. You serve and love your neighbor because Christ lives within you.
These are the fruits you bear in every good work. These are the things that sprout forth from faith. Do not fear if you do not do these things perfectly. We have already established that you do not keep the commandments perfectly. That does not mean that you should stray away from good works. Quite the opposite, Christ now uses you in this world for good, for works of mercy, for service toward your neighbor. You have not done these things perfectly, but Christ’s love for you is perfect. He continues to show His mercy to you through it all.
Christ has perfectly fulfilled the Law of God. He who has shown the greatest love for the neighbor upon the cross now shows perfect mercy to you. He gives you His gifts, free and without price. He forgives your sins.
Though the times and seasons change, though people (and vicars) come and go, the steadfast love of the Lord never ceases, His mercies and compassion never come to an end. They are new every morning, and they are present for you. He who promises these things to you is faithful, He will certainly do it. Amen.
May the peace of God which surpasses all understanding, guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus unto life everlasting. Amen.