[Propertalk] Fwd: 7th Sunday after Pentecost Proper 10 Lectionary 15 Sermon - Part 2

[Joe Parrish]

(continue from Part 1)

[Written by Pastor Tim Zingale --

You may freely use this as is or in parts. Please somehow give credit if possible, thanks! Not for commercial use.]



It wasn't what he could do, but what Christ can do for him. After he felt the love, the service, the caring of Christ, then in the parable Jesus commands him to do likewise to love his neighbor in the same kind of way that Christ loved him. Salvation doesn't depend on a person's actions, but on the love of Christ. Jesus saw that the lawyer didn't understand at all why Jesus come to earth. He was so wrapped up in himself so he couldn't see Christ as the savior and the Messiah and he couldn't love his neighbor either.

Jesus was saying that the lawyer didn't understand what Jesus mission was all about. Jesus came to take the "I" out of salvation picture. Jesus came as Luther said, "as God's Good Samaritan." Jesus came because we cannot pull ourselves out of the brokenness the bondage of sin which engulfs us each day. We cannot save ourselves no matter how much we try.

"What shall I do to inherit eternal life" What shall I do to live the good life, what shall I do to live in contentment and harmony with God and us

Jesus says nothing. You cannot save yourself, that his job. Then after salvation is secured then Jesus says that life is lived in service to my neighbor. Service to my neighbor without counting the cost or expecting a reward.

Maybe the following legend concerning St. Peter will help to make this parable even clearer.

"Jesus and the disciples came to a rocky field. Jesus said, 'If each of you would carry away a stone it would clear space for grain to grow. All the disciples except Peter picked up the heavy stones. Peter felt the whole thing pointless so he carried off a pebble. The disciples were hungry. Jesus had mercy and turned the stones to bread for their lunch. Poor Peter. On the way home they again picked up stones. This time Peter staggered along with the biggest, dreaming of the feast which would be their reward. Jesus had the disciples carry the stones to the banks of the Jordan then he said, 'Let none do good for the hope of reward; throw the stones into the river.

Poor Peter!!"

Service is not done for the reward we expect. The reward, eternal life, is given to all as a free gift, no string attached. Our service, our response, our sacrifice comes from a loving heart which has been loved so much by Christ that it cannot help but to love in return. The Samaritan received no reward for his service, he loved period.

You and I are to love period because salvation has been given as a free gift, that is already taken care of for us by Jesus. He has removed us from the ditches of life. He has pulled us out of our particular ditches.

Pastor Richard Hoefler says in his book "And He told them a Story" "we are all in one way or another ditch dwellers. And the tragedy is that we so often desperately try to save ourselves trying to avoid the embarrassment of admitting our helplessness. Sometime we think the answer is a ladder that will enable us to climb out--a ladder such as technology or science and education. Some think the answer is moral fortitude--becoming so good we will sprout wings and fly out like haloed angels. Many have just given up and applied first aid to our wounds with drugs and drink. But eventually you and I will come to the realization the ditch is just too deep and we must get help from outside ourselves."

And that is just the point Jesus is subtly making to the lawyer and to all those who think they can by their own efforts pull themselves out of the ditches of brokenness and bondage to sin. We are wounded by our sin, we are broken by the pain of life and we must admit to ourselves that we need a good Samaritan to come and carry us out of our ditch. Then Christ will come take us upon his back, the back which shouldered the cross, and carry us out of our ditch into the light, the brightness, the glory of living for him and with him.

Then Jesus us will point out to us all the others who are living in their ditches and asks us to do likewise. We cannot carry them out and give them salvation, however, Jesus asks us to carry those out who are feeling the brokenness of this world, those who have been mugged, robbed, beaten, broken, battered by the forces of this world in which we have no control.

These we are to carry out. These we are to minister to, these are the ones in which we can become like that good Samaritan.

A closing story sums it up best:

"They knew that they had a serious problem before they even pulled over to the side of the highway to check it out. The car shrieked and shuttered. Something was dragging on the pavement- and whatever it was, it sounded expensive.

They got out of the car to survey the damage and sure enough it was going to cost them a bundle. The man looked under the car and then back at the young woman he had a worried look on his face. She asked him what the problem was and he told her that it was the universal joint. She knew better than to ask him more.

He raised the hood and tied a cloth to the door handle and they waited, waited for someone to stop and help. They waited for someone to call the police or a tow truck.

The young woman sat on the grass by the roadside ditch and fanned herself with the map. She was tired and hot and she prayed that God would send an Amoco tow truck because it was the only credit card in her purse. Where would they stay? What would they do? They were in Elkhart Indiana, miles from his home and hers. They had so little money. She doubted that anyone would even stop to help them: they'd been traveling for days and they both looked pretty scruffy. The man's beard was down to his chest and his tee shirt was soaked in his sweat and he was now covered with grease and dirt. She didn't look so great herself her long hair was dirty and windblown and she'd been in the same wrinkled outfit for the past three days . They'd been cooking over a small propane stove to save money and camping by the roadside.

The woman scanned the horizon and saw the lights flashing in the distance a tow truck. She couldn't believe her eyes, it was an Amoco truck. And little did she know, but driving it was the Good Samaritan!

The driver jumped down from his truck and hitched up their broken car to his tow line. They hopped up in the cab with him and within just a few minutes they were driving back to town "Bill", the Amoco tow truck operator, listened to their story and said you're gonna stay with me and my wife while we get you fixed up.

He pulled over to the side of the road to use the pay phone and they heard him say : honey, we've got ourselves some guests for dinner.

But it wasn't just dinner. Bill and Mary were cordial hosts with big hearts and they opened their home and their hearts to the young couple. They insisted that the young couple take their bedroom- and Bill and Mary slept in the living room on the hide-a -bed. Bill and Mary gave them all their meals and let them do their laundry. They insisted that the couple use their phone to call worried relatives.

Bill drove the young man to all the nearby wrecking yards and helped him to scavenge for the used parts that they would need to put the car back together. The young couple stayed with them for three days and the night before they left- Bill and Mary took them out for a pizza party to celebrate and picked up the check.

They sent the couple off with cold drinks and sandwiches for the road. When it came to settling money- the entire bill was $35.00- the cost of a used universal joint. "

The lawyer asks Jesus "What must I do to get the good life?" Jesus answers,"The good life is a gift from God, and when you get it you will be like the Samaritan who helped even his hated enemy, the Jew."

Are you a good neighbor?

Amen

Written by Pastor Tim Zingale 

You may freely use this as is or in parts. Please somehow give credit if possible, thanks! Not for commercial use.

 

 

  
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