August 14,
2016
Luke 10:23-37 – Jesus put to the test – Good Samaritan
Jesus wants us to take care of our neighbor!
Luke 10:23-37 – Jesus put to the test – Good Samaritan
Jesus wants us to take care of our neighbor!
School started Thursday for those who might
not know. For the kids it is a time to
return to a ‘normal’ routine and schedule.
For parents it’s the opportunity to breath and not trip over nor be
pulled in 25 different directions, taking kids to swim, the movies, friends
houses, camps or even on vacation.
For the kids their new norm will become
taking tests and earning grades on assignments.
Some kids will easily accomplish the goals and expectations that the
teachers are measuring, but for others, they will struggle. Personally I was a struggler. I didn’t test well. I didn’t like homework and I definitely
didn’t like it when I had to copy definitions out of a dictionary as homework
in Mrs. Jefferess 4th grade class.
From our Gospel this morning unlike the
testing students and our kids will encounter, Jesus is being put to the test by
a lawyer. Can you imagine Jesus being
tested in front of a crowd of people?
The Son of God, Who was part of creating the Heavens and the earth being
put to the test with the question, “What shall I do to inherit eternal
life?” To be a fly on the wall when this
conversation occurred would have been life changing. Why you might ask? Simply, because Jesus turns the tables on the
lawyer. Instead of answering the
question, Jesus asks the lawyer a question.
Jesus didn’t disrespect the lawyer, but simply revealed that the lawyer
looked at this not from the perspective of serving others, but serving himself. The lawyer was trying to trap Jesus with his
human understanding of God’s law and how it was being interpreted in the
Temple. The lawyer squarely was
searching for a way to trap Jesus and serve his own purpose and interests as
well of that of his friends.
Jesus saw through the words in the question
and the intent behind it. Jesus was
looking not from the perspective of Himself, but what would bring His Father
the greatest Glory. Jesus intent was to
love all of mankind and be willing to sacrifice Himself, because of His love
for us.
Bill Hull noted discipleship expert asks a
question in his book, Conversion and Discipleship, which
has at its core, Jesus same intent that He could and was able to fulfill. Bill asks, “How are you doing loving the
people God has put in your life?” The
story Jesus tells of the Good Samaritan demonstrates clearly the importance of
this question, but also the application in the story with the Good Samaritan.
The Samaritan was seen as ‘enemy number
one’ for a Jew, but as Jesus shows, the Samaritan was the only person who
showed mercy. The Priest and the Levite,
good Jews did not demonstrate a love for their fellow man. But this man, whom would have been avoided by
any ‘proper Jew’, not only stopped, bound up the wounds of the man who had been
beaten. He not only put him on his own
beast of burden, but pulled out two denarii and even promised to pay whatever
more was required in order for this stranger, who had been beaten to within an
inch of his life to be cared for at the inn.
Clearly for the Good Samaritan, he demonstrated what care and concern as
well as love meant.
So I return to Bill Hull’s question, “How
are you doing loving the people God has put in your life?” If we claim Jesus as our Lord and Savior,
come to worship in His house, receive His sacrament that gives us life and
salvation, He, that is Jesus expects, no Jesus clearly says to us today, “Go
and do the same.” Jesus is
calling us to go and show mercy to the least of these. Jesus is calling us to reach out to the least
of these and love our neighbor as ourselves.
Jesus is calling we who come to worship, not to let this sanctuary be
our destination, but for our church to be a stop or waypoint on Jesus call to
“Go and do the same.” Jesus intent is
for us to be a sending church for the spread of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
We the saints of Emmanuel are called to
take care of our neighbor and as Bill Hull infers and even copies from this
story of the Good Samaritan, to love the people placed into our lives. We the saints of Emmanuel are called to tell
what Jesus Christ did on Calvary for all of mankind. We the saints of Emmanuel are called to love
our neighbor, no matter the cost, no matter the inconvienence.
This summer, we here at Emmanuel clearly
demonstrated this concept of loving our neighbors. When Sky Ranch came this summer parents trusted
us to take care of their kids. And on
Thursday night after our program, where the kids sung their hearts out and we
heard the real meaning behind, “Come as you are!” I had numerous parents thank
me for what the church had done. I tell
this for a simple reason. Because it
proves that God through the church of Emmanuel demonstrated clearly that we do
love our neighbor. We are capable. The question for us today is since Sky Ranch
is only one week out of the summer, “How are we doing loving the people God has
put in our lives today?”
It is my prayer as we are put to the test
by our culture by our community and as we join together in our church, we can
answer the question boldly and honestly.
Not only with one summer activity, but intentionally engage one another
in not just a weekly commitment, but a daily commitment to hear and heed Jesus
call to the lawyer and to each of us today to love and take care of our
neighbor. For Jesus call to us today is
to simply look to the Good Samaritan and “Go and do the same.” AMEN.
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