Go and Do Likewise
A Sermon for the Fifth Sunday after Pentecost
July 10, 2022
The Rev. Robin Teasley
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." Luke 10:25-37
The parable of the Good Samaritan is well known even to people who don’t attend church. It’s a timeless tale about doing the right thing, about loving God and neighbor, and about showing compassion and mercy. The title itself is an oxymoron because as far as Luke’s listeners were concerned, there was no such thing as a good Samaritan. It’s like saying someone is a good thief, a good liar, a good sinner. It becomes a gray area the farther we take it doesn’t it? Because most of us have been in the gray area, we have stolen from another – perhaps an idea, their reputation, their opportunity, their hope, their joy. Surely we have told a lie or two, even if we say they are little and white. It makes us wonder if there is all that much difference between a Good Samaritan and a Good Christian.
When we hear this parable it’s helpful to understand that Jews and Samaritans were like oil and water, or like the Hatfields and the McCoys. Neither had anything good to say about the other. Each claimed ancestry from Abraham, the proper form of worship, and the true location of the temple, and each thought the other was wrong. There are many more details about their animosity toward each other, but those are enough for now.
Often when we listen to this parable we identify with the “good” Samaritan, and only with the other characters to a lesser extent. I like to imagine I would be a good innkeeper. Who would you be? In truth we find ourselves in that gray area again because if we are honest, we have been each of these characters at one time or another.
This time when I read the text I avoided focusing too much on the characters because, we are all such characters! We each have our flaws and our excuses. Instead, I focused on what Jesus said, and in particular his two directives to the lawyer – “do this and you will live” and later “go and do likewise.” Jesus focuses the lawyer on doing something; on helping the person on the side of the road. Jesus focuses the lawyer, and us, to see the main character in the story – the one who is hurting on the side of the road.
Robbers were a constant threat on the road from Jerusalem to Jericho. No one was safe on that road; they took their chances and prayed for safe passage. Life today feels a lot like that. We live in constant uncertainty and threat. Are we safe at school, a shopping mall, the grocery store, in church, at a parade? For a long time it’s been easy to look on from a distance, to pass by on the other side and say that violence could never happen here. But we are beginning to understand that it can happen anywhere. Whenever people are interviewed at a crime scene, someone says, “I never thought it could happen here.”
It almost did happen here at the 4th of July event at Dogwood Dell but thankfully someone contacted police with overheard information. This person was a modern-day good Samaritan, pre-emptively saving lives.
The side of the road is any place where people are not safe, where they are harmed, where they will not live unless someone helps. Jesus is clear that our neighbors are not only the people we know and love, but also those we don’t know, don’t trust, and don’t even like. They are the people on the side of the road. We can ignore them, pass by them, even have some compassion for them, but Jesus has made it clear that they are our neighbors and that we are called to more than casual compassion. We are called to be a neighbor, to go and do likewise, to take action to bring about healing.
Do you ever imagine how the world would be different if we obeyed this directive from Jesus to love God and neighbor? Does Jesus mean that we are also to love the hurt people who hurt others? Perhaps if the shooter at the parade in Highland Park, Illinois had been seen and loved and helped throughout his childhood by all those who passed by, things would be different for him and for that community now facing long-term trauma, loss and grief.
So often we love God and neighbor in thought and word, but have difficulty putting thoughts and words into action. In our transition time together I hope we can explore the ways that Immanuel is being a good neighbor to the people in this community. Who is seen and cared for? Who is on the side of the road waiting to be healed? Where are we being called to go and do likewise?
We see people begging for money at busy intersections all the time. I have judged why they are there, and have noted my disapproval at what they will do with their daily collection, even as I have compassion for them. I rarely have cash on hand, so for a long time that was my excuse to pass by on the other side. I avoided eye contact and kept my windows rolled up. I finally realized that this was careless compassion. Now I save every $5 bill I receive as change, and keep them in a special place in the car to give to those on the side of the road.
I don’t know if it helps or not, but I pray they can buy food if they are hungry. I look them in the eye and sometimes, if the light stays red long enough, I can even share encouraging words, a smile, a blessing. That is just one way to go and do likewise. Our neighbors are everywhere, and they are hoping we will not pass by on the other side. We have no idea how our interactions might help someone who is having a bad day, help them pay rent, or buy them food to eat. Our action might prevent a suicide or avoid an act of violence.
This parable is more relevant now than ever. Perhaps it was easier to hear it before the internet connected us around the world, before the neighbors we love, and the ones we have a hard time even liking, were in the news day after day; easier before we could see in real time the immense suffering and desperate needs of people everywhere. It can all seem overwhelming at times.
The Good News is that God loves us and is right there with us in all our messiness, providing a place for us to gather, the Church. In a community of faith, we can be reminded of what we know and be taught what we have not yet learned about what it means, what it looks like in action, to love God and our neighbor. Together we can go and do likewise – whether it’s something small or something big. That’s how we make this world a better place.
Comments
Post a Comment