Well, as I enter my seventh week of Clinical Pastoral Education at The Goodwin House, a continuing care retirement community, I will have the opportunity to preach on last week's lectionary. I figure I'll focus on the Gospel, although such common Gospel stories make me nervous...everyone in the congregation already "knows what it means"...or at least they've heard a thousand sermons on the scripture passage. But, hey, I'll add my voice to the chorus and hope for the best. Here goes...
The lawyer said, “The one who showed him mercy.” Jesus said to him, “Go and do likewise.”
On a cold and snowy Christmas Eve, a solitary man grasps the frigid handrails of a bridge and stares into the icy, churning water below. In an anguished state-of-mind, with his insurance policy sticking out of his jacket pocket, he is confident he will make the world a better place by ending his life in the freezing water below. Suddenly, a man jumps off the bank of the river into the icy water and begins to cry for help. The despondent man on the bridge, without hesitation, jumps into the water and saves the man’s life. Those who know George Bailey well would not be surprised to learn of his selfless act. George Bailey, played by Jimmy Stewart in the movie, “It’s a Wonderful Life” is an intelligent, ambitious young man with great plans for his life: college, international travel, and an architect of magnificent buildings. George never realizes any of these personal goals because he continues to act selflessly for others. However, throughout the movie, George continues to struggle with his desire for worldly success versus his commitment to help those in need. This struggle is behind George’s despondency that Christmas Eve. This same struggle is one we all must face and is at the center of Jesus’ story of the Good Samaritan.
Our Gospel reading today begins with the lawyer’s question to Jesus regarding the greatest commandment. Unlike Mark and Matthew’s Gospel account, where Jesus directly answers the question, Luke’s account tells of Jesus answering the question by turning another question back to the lawyer. The lawyer’s response shows that he already possesses the answer he sought from Jesus. Luke’s account then continues with a second question from the lawyer, which prompts Jesus to tell the story of the beaten man along the road to Jericho. At the end of the story, the lawyer again answers Jesus as if he already possesses the knowledge he seeks. So what lesson does Jesus hope to teach the lawyer who already appears to know what he asks…and of course, to teach us as well?
To start, Jesus means to teach a new perspective. If we look closely at the story of the Good Samaritan, Jesus tells the story from the perspective of the man who has been beaten and robbed.[1] As we hear the story, Jesus invites his listeners to encounter the three men along the road as if we are desperately waiting to be rescued. From this vantage point, as we lay injured in the road we notice an approaching priest coming from Jerusalem. Imagine the hope that blossoms from this sight, only to be dashed as the priest begins to fade from view as he walks to the “other side.” Hope renews itself as a Levite comes into sight, only to disappear along the same path on the “other side” of the road. Finally, the unlikely appearance of a Samaritan and our thoughts quickly turn to the remote possibility of receiving any help from this man, but suddenly the Samaritan draws near and we are saved!
Most Biblical commentaries will point out that the priest and the Levite should not be vilified for their actions. Jesus does not say why they did not stop: perhaps they were scheduled for Temple duty and did not want to make themselves unclean or maybe, traveling alone, they feared the bandits might still be in the area and rob them as well…this was a dangerous road, after all. We do not know why they didn’t stop, but if we actively listened to Jesus’ story, we do know what it feels like to watch them walk past without helping someone in need. Jesus tells this story from the perspective of the beaten man so the lawyer (and we) might gain an understanding of what it means to be in need and develop a compassionate approach toward others. Although we don’t know why the priest and the Levite didn’t stop to help the man in need, we do know that they lacked the compassion to put the man’s needs ahead of their other priorities that day. The story of the man robbed on the way to Jericho may be an extreme example of need, but we encounter people in need every day who depend on our compassion.
Once we have accepted Jesus’ teaching of compassion, his second lesson for us is action. We must listen and learn the Good News of Christ, as is made plain in this Sunday’s Gospel lesson of Martha and Mary, but the lawyer proves that knowledge alone is not good enough. Jesus has not called us to become scribes and lawyers of his Gospel. No, he has called us to discipleship. He has called us all to a ministry of service, especially service to those in need. Jesus also knows that without compassion, it may be difficult for us to leave our personal agendas behind and help those in need. Only through a compassionate understanding of those in need can we develop the mercy to act as the Samaritan did for the beaten man.
George Bailey’s story is an interesting example of someone struggling to reconcile competing desires of personal gain and service to those in need. Throughout his life, George has compassionately served those in need and, as a result, he feels his life is going nowhere. His frustration and despondency grow until he looses sight of the good he has created for those in need. George’s tragic Christmas Eve experience is similar to our experience of becoming the beaten man in Jesus’ story. George’s overwhelming emotions of anxiety, loneliness and failure enable Clarence, the Second Class Angel, to open George’s eyes to the truth of the world around him. Once that truth is revealed, George’s new perspective leads him to appreciate life as never before. It is this perspective that strengthens us to boldly go into the world and do likewise. Amen.
[1] John Nolland, Luke 9:21-18:34 (Word Biblical Commentary 35B; Dallas: Word Books, 1993), pg. 592.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment