Proper 10, Yr C (2025) The Rev. Karen C. Barfield
Proper 10, Yr C (2025) The Rev. Karen C. Barfield
Luke 10:25-37 St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church
In the name of the one, holy, and loving God:
in whom we live, and move, and have our being. Amen.
“Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?”
Seems like a great question.
Just short-circuit the small talk
and get to the crux of the matter!
Even though we are told that this man asked the question to test Jesus,
it seems like a question foundational to living a good life.
Jesus, knowing the man is well versed in the Jewish law,
which was the road map to living in right relationship with God and others,
asks the man what is written in the law.
The man answers,
Love God with all that you are
and your neighbor as yourself.
Jesus tells him that he indeed has answered correctly.
“Do this,
and you will live.”
Love God with all that you are,
and love your neighbor as yourself,
and you will inherit eternal life,
beginning right here and now!
Even though the man knew what he needed to do,
perhaps the thought of loving everyone was a bit too much,
so he decides to inquire further as to who may qualify as his neighbor.
Again, this seems like a reasonable question!
Like…if I need to love Justin and Melissa and Andrew and Hannah,
I can do that.
They’re cool neighbors,
and we look out for each other.
Or, even if you extend out a few blocks to include Beth and Heather and Bill,
that’s ok too.
But everybody?
That’s a tad too much.
So, as Jesus likes to do,
in response he tells a parable.
A parable so familiar
that there’s even a thing called the “Good Samaritan Law!”
Jesus begins, a man is walking down the road and gets beaten up by robbers
and left for dead on the side of the road.
Then along come three passersby.
Both a priest and a Levite come down the road and see the man,
and they cross over and pass on the far side of the road.
Then a Samaritan comes down the road and sees the man.
He walks up to the man,
tends to his wounds,
and then packs him off to an inn for safekeeping.
Now, Jesus’ audience would have been taken aback by this story.
They would have thought that both the priest and the Levite would have stopped to help the man.
Since Jews and Samaritans were not friendly neighbors,
they would have thought the Samaritan would have passed on by.
Just a few weeks ago we heard a story in Luke’s Gospel in which Jesus and some disciples
were passing though a Samaritan town,
and the people did not welcome Jesus.
Peter asks if Jesus wants the disciples to rain fire down upon the Samaritans,
but Jesus says, “No,
that is not the Way.”
So, I wonder:
Could this Samaritan have overheard Jesus’ compassionate response,
and engendered compassion in him?
Or perhaps Jesus is pointing out that stereotypes are just that…
preconceived notions that lock an entire group of people into behaving a certain way,
even if they are not true.
Nevertheless,
when Jesus tells the parable and asks,
“which of these three, do you think,
was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?”...
the man answers, “the one who showed him mercy.”
Right, Jesus says.
Now, go and do likewise.
Jesus has flipped the script!
He doesn’t identify “neighbor” as someone outside ourselves
but identifies us as the neighbor.
We are the neighbor when we offer compassion to anyone in need.
That opens up the opportunity for us to serve as neighbor to everyone!
And yes, that can seem overwhelming.
Yet, our invitation is to live day by day,
hour by hour,
and to see and respond to the person right in front of us who is in need.
It may be a family member, a friend, or even a complete stranger.
One thing that strikes me about the Samaritan who helps this man
is that the Samaritan shares everything at his disposal
to help a complete stranger!
He pours his wine over the wounds, likely to clean them with the alcohol,
and then he pours oil over his wounds, perhaps to act as a protectant for healing.
He picks up the man and puts him on his own animal,
perhaps a donkey or camel or even a horse.
Maybe the Samaritan had even been riding his animal
so that he had to stop and dismount to tend to this man,
and now he would have to walk alongside them for the rest of the journey.
They make their way to an inn,
where the Samaritan spends the night taking care of this man.
I am guessing that perhaps the Samaritan had other plans for that evening.
The next day the Samaritan pays two denarii to the innkeeper to care for the man
and tells the innkeeper that upon his return,
he will reimburse him for whatever else he has spent on this unfortunate man.
The Samaritan acts out of abundance,
sharing all that he has,
including his time and what was, perhaps, an inconvenience to himself.
It sounds like this Samaritan was living eternal life,
in the here and now!
Jesus’ parable is a challenge, as they all are…
and also an invitation to us!
Last week, on my way home, I came in mid-story on NPR.
The interviewer was talking with a couple, who lived somewhere in the Northeast.
They had a spare $1.7 million dollars,
which was striking in itself.
With this money,
they decided to build some houses for folks who were struggling to make ends meet.
Each house cost $200,000 to build,
and each new homeowner bought the house for $25,000.
One couple being interviewed was overwhelmed with joy and gratitude.
She spent all her time taking care of her aging mother,
and he was a delivery driver.
They were struggling to pay rent
and never dreamed they would be able to own their own home.
This couple with the extra money
decided to help complete strangers with their money.
Seems like they have stepped into eternal life, here and now.
Whatever resources we have…
money, clothes, food, time, housing, oil and wine…
Jesus invites us to share out of a sense of abundance with anyone in need.
I wonder:
Who might we see along the road this week?
Might we stop
and tend their needs?
Amen.
