The Thirteenth Sunday after Trinity - August 29, 2010

The Church Season of Trinity
The Thirteenth Sunday after Trinity, One Year Series
Our Savior Lutheran Church, Midland, MI (August 10, 2010)

“Likewise”

Readings:  
    Psalm 32
    2 Chronicles 28:8-15
    Galatians 3:15-22
    Luke 10:23-37

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Grace, mercy and peace be to you from the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Amen.

The text for today’s message is as recorded in the Gospel Lesson from the 10th chapter of St. Luke, the following verses,

Luke 10:23-37 (NIV)

23 Then he turned to his disciples and said privately, “Blessed are the eyes that see what you see. 24 For I tell you that many prophets and kings wanted to see what you see but did not see it, and to hear what you hear but did not hear it.” 25 On one occasion an expert in the law stood up to test Jesus. “Teacher,” he asked, “what must I do to inherit eternal life?” 26 “What is written in the Law?” he replied. “How do you read it?” 27 He answered: “ ‘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, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’” 28 “You have answered correctly,” Jesus replied. “Do this and you will live.” 29 But he wanted to justify himself, so he asked Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?” 30 In reply Jesus said: “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, when he fell into the hands of robbers. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him and went away, leaving him half dead. 31 A priest happened to be going down the same road, and when he saw the man, he passed by on the other side. 32 So too, a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. 33 But a Samaritan, as he traveled, came where the man was; and when he saw him, he took pity on him. 34 He went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he put the man on his own donkey, took him to an inn and took care of him. 35 The next day he took out two silver coins and gave them to the innkeeper. ‘Look after him,’ he said, ‘and when I return, I will reimburse you for any extra expense you may have.’ 36 “Which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?” 37 The expert in the law replied, “The one who had mercy on him.” Jesus told him, “Go and do likewise.”

How should we understand Jesus' answer to the question posed to Him in our Gospel reading for today? "Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?"(v. 25) Jesus answered at first with another question, "What is written in the Law?"(v. 26) Or, to put it another way, what does the Bible say? And the man said: "You should 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 love your neighbor as yourself."(v. 27) Our Lord then answered: "You have responded well; do this and you will live."(v. 28)

But doesn’t the Bible say that we are justified by faith, and not by works? Yes, it does. Then why did Jesus respond with, “do this.” (v. 28)  The answer Jesus gave in today's text is always the answer given to the proud and impenitent, for those that trust in their own works stand condemned by the Law.  The man who asked Jesus, "What should I do to inherit eternal life?"(v. 25) believed in his own righteousness and that he had already done enough to earn God's favor. Without a doubt, he had observed all of the ceremonial laws and the civil laws of Israel.

But Jesus said, ‘Look again in the Bible.’ It is true that it is written, love the lord with all your heart, all your soul, all your strength, all your mind, and love your neighbor as yourself. Certainly this is the holy will of God for our lives. But it is not strictly a matter of rituals and external acts.

So we may ask, What if you “fell among thieves, who stripped [you] of [your] clothing, wounded [you], and departed, leaving [you] half dead?” Would this be a different parable if you could help yourself rather than receiving aid and comfort from a mortal enemy? Perhaps it would. If a so-called enemy, if one who does not share the same faith you do – even to the point of believing their help on your behalf is part of earning their way to an afterlife – is willing to show charity to someone who is their so-called enemy, then a Christian should show charity to everyone, even a so-called enemy, without expecting anything in return.

Please do not misunderstand, charity and love should prevail in your life. As a new creation washed clean in baptismal water and forgiven through the blood and righteousness of Jesus, you should be willing to give to those in need. You may need to give money, talent, time, effort, or merely your presence. You should not be selfish about any of the gifts God gives you. All that you have is His alone, a trust from the King of heaven and earth.

But to rightly understand this giving, you have to understand the parable and that the Jews hated Samaritans. For one thing, the Samaritans were the children of marriages between Jews and other ethnic groups. They were not of pure blood. Furthermore, the ancestors of the Samaritans had betrayed the Jews in past battles. The Jews did not consider the Samaritans their neighbors.

Nevertheless, when a Jew had fallen by the roadside far from the city, the ‘religious men’ passed him by, not wanting to lose time or money. The Samaritan, on the other hand, was moved solely by compassion, He did not have expectations of gratitude from the fallen man, only concern for his well-being. He did not look for the approval of the community. He was not focused on himself, but on his neighbor, a Jew.

You see, there are many types of evildoers in the world. One scoffs at the laws of God and men, saying, ‘I will take what I want, regardless of the needs and rights of others,’ or maybe you’ve heard it this way, ‘I know what you’re saying, I hear what you’re saying but I’m going to do it my way no matter what you say the rules are.’ Another type of evildoer is the hypocrite, the false friend, who hopes to gain something for himself by good works. He thinks he can fool even God with his insincerity, but that cannot happen, God is not a fool to be fooled.

So we start to see our own nature, instead of giving to others as God first gave to us.  But, we would rather choose our spots to give. Yes, there are those who are not deserving of charity. There are people who beg for help while smoking a cigarette, holding a lottery ticket in their pocket, or have a trace of alcohol on their breath. They have squandered charity for selfish wants. Nevertheless, what about the truly needy? There are plenty of examples of truly needy people in Midland County right now. The person needing charity doesn’t necessarily have to be half-dead on the road between Jerusalem and Jericho. That person might be sitting right next to you. That person might be a family member or a close friend. That person might even live in a nice home, drive a new car, and eat the finest foods.

And so the truly just man does good works without thinking of himself.   And why do we do such things?  Because of the forgiveness and grace of God. Because of this, every Sunday we affirm our purpose is to love God and our neighbor, but that we often fail to to do this. Thanks to Jesus Christ, His suffering and death on the cross, we have the desire to live as children of God.

Now as our new members welcomed here today well know from their Adult Confirmation classes, if I were to end the sermon right now by saying, ‘Go and do likewise’ I would be ending on the Law and not the Gospel.  But the purpose of the Law never was to save us. As the Apostle Paul says in Galatians, the promise that God made to Abraham and his Seed was not based on the fulfillment of the Law. Jesus fulfilled the Law, not us.

But for those who believe in Jesus Christ, the Law is a guide or measuring-stick to show us how we can serve God and our neighbor. We obey the Law not to escape punishment or to earn favor with God, but because of the love first shown for us. This is our answer to the love God has shown us in Christ.

The Son of God according to the flesh is the Good Samaritan. No one would ever expect God in the flesh to stop and help someone half-dead. The Son of God defies our feeble expectations. Whether we be half-dead physically, mentally, or just drained by all that life would through at us.  Whether we be half-dead like the man in our Lord’s parable or wholly dead like Lazarus in the Gospel of John, Christ’s charity knows no limits.  To our human reason it is impossible and it is truly unexpected that God should come down from heaven to die for us.  

And so He does, in Jesus Christ He does come from heaven to earth for us.  Jesus heals. Jesus raises the dead. Jesus shows His mercy. That’s the point! Our Lord has compassion on those whom He created, that is you. For Christ, compassion is more than just feeling sorry or just giving aid. Compassion goes all the way to Calvary’s cross, where Jesus was forsaken by His Father in heaven for your sake. Compassion goes all the way to blood and water which saved you from eternal death, which claims you as Christ’s precious child and gives you forgiveness and life.

Covered and washed in Christ’s blood and baptismal water, Jesus now says to you, “go and do likewise”(v. 37) because Christ first stopped on the road at the cross and died for you. Because of His grace, you have been called mercy and show compassion for the last, the least, the lost, the little, and the dead of this world. When you do so to the least of Christ’s brethren, you do so to Jesus Christ Himself. The Christian faith is more than mastering information about God, more than completing a checklist, and even more than the latest church programs. The Christian faith is about trust, it is about faith.  It is the faith which trusts in Jesus Christ, who gave His life for you in order that you may give your life to others as a living sacrifice.  

And so what of the Gospel?  Because Jesus Christ, was not half-dead on the road, but truly dead, and He rose again, therefore He has already done much more than you could ever likewise do.  In fact, Christ did everything for you, so that you, all His saints, may join Him in His heavenly kingdom.  Amen.

In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit
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