Luke 10:25-37

Listening to the Text
Anytime we begin to deal with a text that is extremely familiar, we must approach it as if we are hearing it for the first time. Asking questions of the text itself: How is the scene set? Who are the characters? Who holds the lead roles, the supporting roles, and who makes up the audience? What has preceded this text? These are all relevant questions to listening to the text. However, we must listen to not only what is communicated within the text, but the preceding texts that bleed into our focus text. The proceeding text is Jesus’ sending out the 72. They are to enter the mission field to reap the harvest of those who are being drawn to Christ. Yet Jesus reminds them that they will be rejected in the same way that Christ has been rejected. They will experience wonderful manifestations of God’s power and the Kingdom of God becoming near, but they should not allow themselves to be swept up in the excitement of the times, but focus on God’s mission (Lk. 10:20).

This leads us to our focus Scripture with the question posed by the expert in the Law. “Teacher,” he asked, “what must I do to inherit eternal life?””¹ This question is both leading and personal. What are my requirements? Jesus turns it back to him and rebuts the question with another question, “What does the law say?” The expert on the law can quote the law verbatim, but Jesus is not satisfied with quick exchange. He wants to illustrate the greater issue—love—especially in the context of mission and tradition. When listening to the text it can be helpful to ask: What images or word pictures can be formed in my hearing? Is there conflict? Is there resolution? What does the text ask of me?

Engaging the Text:
The Need
Many times we short change God’s mission by our desire to justify why we are not following the core teaching of being a God-follower. We try to look for loop holes as to why we do not engage in loving our neighbor. Ultimately we validate why we do not engage our world with the love of Christ especially when we are presented with a need or an opportunity. We allow bias, tradition, and prejudice to trump God’s heart and mission for our world. It happens in our world daily. We see people truly in need of love via food, clothing, our presence, through the giving of our time, even helping with a project or other necessity.

Sometimes we identify with the one who was robbed and left for dead. We are hoping that someone notices our need. We are hurting and cannot get well without others’ intervention. Many of us feel abandoned and left for dead with religious, church-going people seeing our need and moving as far away as one can to simply avoid the situation. This, unfortunately, happens too often in the church. People are dealing with depression, personal trials such as financial strains, marital issues, or divorce. They cannot get through the ordeal without someone to attend to their wounds and nurse them back to health.

God’s Answer
Mercy and grace is always God’s response to us and to our world. Mission always trumps tradition. Love always trumps inconvenience. God sees our needs. God hears our cries. He is hoping that those who should respond will respond appropriately. In this story the ones who should have helped him, passed the man on the road and chose not to engage him at all. When those who are more mature in the faith choose not to respond correctly, I believe God is angered at their response. God wants our needs of abandonment, deep hurt, and pain to be met with comfort and attention. God wants us to know: God loves. I love. You are loved. When we live out the God’s mission we experience love in, around, and through us.

Our Response
Jesus’ call through the text is to understand: Mission Always Trumps Tradition Especially in the Context of Love and Mercy. In order for us to truly love, we may break social norms and go against certain traditions. To love, however, is the highest goal of the Christian life. We are called to engage our world with the same love Christ had for us and meets people’s needs where they are simply because they are in need. The Samaritan probably should have left the Jewish man alone, but he saw a real need and responded to his human, physical condition without wondering how others will perceive him. Many times we are looking around to see how others will view our actions. God is more concerned about our doing the right thing that he uses the least likely person to show us the right response. Not only does the Samaritan met the beaten man’s needs by attending to his needs on the road, but puts him on his donkey, takes him to the inn and enlists the innkeeper to attend to the man’s needs in his absence. He is willing to make available to this stranger his resources of time, money, and mercy. The Samaritan knows that it will require a sacrifice on his part, but to love is the correct response—regardless of who he is called to love. The call to “go and do likewise” indicates a strong response that goes as far as love can reach.

Preaching the Text
The best way to take familiar texts and give them a fresh approach is creativity in one’s methodology. I typically preach sermons in a series of four to seven sermons. In this series, Luke Like Jazz, I approached the Scripture with the understanding that Scripture is much like jazz. When it happens, people either hear without hearing or hear and are blown away by what they are hearing. Jazz is a musical medium that focuses on the improvisation of the player to produce the musical ideas, sentences and stories. The music produced happens in response to other players (such as the question posed by the lawyer) or even by the crowd’s participation. The use of the music of jazz artists such as John Coltrane or Miles Davis could help set up your series. People either understand Coltrane and Davis or they do not. This happens in the context of Scripture over and over. It happens in Luke 10:23-24, “Then he turned to his disciples and said privately, ‘Blessed are the eyes that see what you see. 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.’”² This causes the hearer to either connect with Jesus’ message or be to left scratching one’s head trying to make sense of it all.

If your local church setting would not connect with the jazz theme, find another theme that could illustrate the idea of a narrative approach to Scripture that allows preceding texts to inform the focus text to give deeper insight and meaning.

Lectionary readings for Proper 11
Year “C”
Amos 8:1-12
Psalm 52
Colossians 2:6-19
Luke 11:1-13