21 March 2007

The parable of the Good Samaritan continues to be our focus for this devotion.

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?" (Luke 10:25-26) He answered, "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, 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." (Luke 10:27-28) 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, he passed by on the other side. (Luke 10:29-32) But a Samaritan while traveling came near him; and when he saw him, he was moved with pity. (Luke 10:33) 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. (Luke 10:34) 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. (Luke 10:35) 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 10:36-37)

The lawyer was playing with the law and life. It is one thing to ask questions about things like eternal life and to want to enter into discussion about how or when or who inherits such life. We could go on talking about that forever and never settle on a thing. What must you do? Well as we saw earlier in the parable, the lawyer read the law correctly but he was not able to see that law in life. It was a banner statement that one could use for one's own good or one's own objectives if you wanted to. "Love the Lord your God....and your neighbor as yourself" is quite nice to hear but if all you know is the banner and not how it is alive, what good is the law. So, as we have seen, Jesus must speak of life - real life - and in the midst of that story the neighbor comes to light within a context that is so real it hurts to hear it and it brings tears of wonder and compassion. The lawyer answers correctly about the neighbor. How could he not? And yet, if we live only within the bounds of a law, we often do not give ourselves the space to see how it become much more full when we actually open it up with the vision of every day life. Jesus' final statement to the lawyer is so good for all of us to hear. Did you hear that loving story...did you hear what one person can do for another person...did you hear how neighbor takes us beyond laws that limit, in fact it takes us beyond our imagination?!?! Go and be that neighbor...be that compassion...be that love...be that risk-taker...be that witness to life that is truly eternal. Ah...so inheriting eternal life is to live as though it is ours - handed to us - and ours to pick up and make our own.

Connection: Go and do likewise. That can certainly take us out of our heads and into a whole new way of seeing and being with those around us...our...neighbors.

You sweep us off our feet, O God, and we are lifted up to see how your love and grace become a part of the day and the life we live as we move from places like Jerusalem to Jericho. Teach us your ways and empower us to walk along those ways. Amen.