Special Post: Three Ways of Living and One Way of Life

David Bahn-Reflections Podcast

Behold, a lawyer stood up to put [Jesus] to the test, saying, “Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?” ²⁶ He said to him, “What is written in the Law? How do you read it?” ²⁷ And he answered, “You shall 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 your neighbor as yourself.” ²⁸ And he said to him, “You have answered correctly; do this, and you will live.”

²⁹ But he, desiring to justify himself, said to Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?” ³⁰ Jesus replied, “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and he fell among robbers, who stripped him and beat him and departed, leaving him half dead. ³¹ Now by chance a priest was going down that road, and when he saw him he passed by on the other side. ³² So likewise a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. ³³ But a Samaritan, as he journeyed, came to where he was, and when he saw him, he had compassion. ³⁴ He went to him and bound up his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he set him on his own animal and brought him to an inn and took care of him. ³⁵ And the next day he took out two denarii and gave them to the innkeeper, saying, ‘Take care of him, and whatever more you spend, I will repay you when I come back.’ ³⁶ Which of these three, do you think, proved to be a neighbor to the man who fell among the robbers?” ³⁷ He said, “The one who showed him mercy.” And Jesus said to him, “You go, and do likewise.” – Luke 10:25-37 [ESV]

Note: I do not normally produce a full manuscript for my Sunday messages. But I decided to do so this week. It’s not totally polished, but I hope it will be edifying to you, dear reader.

Years ago I had a beautiful private communion set. It was walnut, a gift from my wife’s aunt in celebration of my ordination. I kept it in the purple velvet bag with a drawstring that came with the communion set. It even had a plaque on the front with my initials. I kept it in my Dodge Spirit (does that give you an idea of how long ago that was?).

One day I went out to the carport and discovered that someone had broken into that car. Devotional tracts that had been in my car were strewn all over our yard. I used them when I made shut-in calls. A couple of other rejected items were also on the lawn. But my communion set was gone. I wonder whether you might know why it was taken? I don’t think it was because someone realized their desperate need for the body and blood of Jesus, given and shed for you for the forgiveness of sins – though indeed they did need that.

I suspect they took it because it looked like a bottle of expensive whiskey that comes in a purple velvet bag. Boy! Were they in for a rude awakening! Whoever took that communion kit subscribed to the idea: Whatever is yours is mine, and I’ll do whatever I can to get it.

A family in Cypress went to the funeral of his mother. They were gone only for a few hours. But when they returned to their home, someone had broken in and stolen all his guns. Shot guns. Pistols. Hunting rifles. All gone. Whoever did that subscribed to the idea: Whatever is yours is mine, and I’ll do whatever I can to get it.

This is the way of thieves. It is the way of the thieves in this account of the Good Samaritan. Whatever is yours is mine, and I’ll do whatever I can to get it.

Sadly there are many today who subscribe to this way of thinking and living. Shoplifters. Embezzlers. Petty thieves and grand larcenists. They live with the thought that your stuff isn’t really yours to keep; it’s theirs to take. That’s why we have locks on our doors. That’s why I have an alarm system on my car. That’s why we don’t leave parcels out in plain view in our cars. That’s why we lock our cars and take our keys.

We believe, Whatever is mine is mine, and I’ll do whatever I can to keep it.

That’s not totally wrong or sinful. After all, the 7^th Commandment is, “Thou shalt not steal.” Martin Luther tells us that in keeping with that commandment that, “We should fear and love God that we will not take our neighbor’s money or possessions, or get them in any dishonest way, but help our neighbor improve and protect his possessions and income.

Sometimes, however, we can take this a little too far. Maybe you know someone like that. Mine! Like the seagulls in the movie, Finding Nemo, they have a favorite refrain: Mine. Mine. Mine. Mine. Mine. Mine! We learn this early on. When we got a prized toy for our birthday, we were not going to let anyone else play with it. It was ours. We would keep it for ourselves.

So not only do we have home security systems, but we hide our wealth so that we do not have to share it with others. In fact, one reason I don’t play the lottery is because if I won, I’d have to live a lie. I wouldn’t want anyone to know. I’d have to pretend I’m going on the cheap when in reality I’d be flying first class. I’d have to hide my Tesla. I’d not let people know that I have a 600MM f/2.8 prime lens. (By the way, I really don’t have either a Tesla or a 600MM f/2.8 prime lens…but if any of you want to give me either one, that’s fine by me! One would cost $100,000 or more. The other $10,000. So the lens would be just fine…unless you live with the idea that whatever is mine is mine, and I’ll do whatever I can to keep it. Notice I’m not volunteering to give you my 2018 Honda CRV, or my Sony 200-600 MM f/4 zoom lens; both of which cost less than a third of the other things I mentioned above. These are mine. And I’ll keep them, thank you.

This is the attitude of the priest and the Levite who happen upon the man who fell among thieves. They had their stuff and they weren’t going to part with their money, time, or convenience.

To be fair, it is likely that the priest had just finished his tour of duty in Jerusalem. The road from Jerusalem to Jericho is a down-hill road. The elevation falls some 3382 ½ feet from Jerusalem. So as Jesus describes the scene, it’s quite possible to think that the priest was heading back home after his duties in the temple were finished. So when he sees the man who had fallen among thieves, he passes by on the other side. Perhaps he wanted to get home to see his family. If he had stopped to help the man, he would have become ceremonially unclean. He would have to return to Jerusalem, go through the process of purification, be declared clean, and only then get back to his home and family.

Or maybe he just couldn’t be bothered. Maybe he really did live with the idea that whatever is mine is mine, and I’ll do whatever I can to keep it. The Levite does the same thing. Possibly just following the example of the priest. We don’t actually know the attitude of either of these people, but we do know that those who subscribe to the idea that whatever is mine is mine, and I’ll do whatever I can to keep it, are very likely to pass by on the other side.

Neither of these ways are the way of life Jesus calls us to. “Give and it will be given to you,” he promises. St. Paul puts it even more boldly: “You will be made rich in every way so that you may be generous on every occasion, and…that will result in thanksgiving to God” (2 Corinthians 9:11). A life dedicated to keeping all we have, living under the conviction of whatever is mine is mine, and I’ll do whatever I can to keep it does not reflect this calling.

There is a more excellent way, and it is shown by the Good Samaritan. Whatever is mine is from God, and I’ll do whatever I can to share it. This is the Christian way. This is why we build hospitals. This is why we share our wealth with the needy. This is why we run a thrift store. This is why we give away money, clothes, furniture, appliances, and equipment. And if you’ve ever been on the receiving end of such giving, you know how much of a blessing these people are.

More than 4 decades ago we were facing some urgent financial realities. I was in my second year of seminary, and we had recently moved from Springfield, Illinois to Fort Wayne, Indiana. After we moved we received an unexpected medical bill for $500. In those days it was like an unexpected $5,000 bill. We were in a very hard place. Diane did not yet have a job. My part-time job at the seminary was a very small source of needed income. We talked about several options: going out on vicarage a year early. We even considered me dropping out for a year, saving up money so I could return to finish my studies. We asked our friends for advice. We talked with the school financial aid counselors. We truly didn’t know what to do.

Then in one week, we learned that someone wanted to give us $80 per month – anonymously. An LWML group from our home state took up an offering for us. And the school provided a significant monthly grant. Diane got a job. And then one day, I went to the mail box. There was a plain white envelope with our names and addresses typed on the front. No return address. I opened it and inside was a ½ sheet of paper which said, “The Lord cares about everything.” It was wrapped around 3 $100 bills! What a blessing! I called Diane at work and told her, “You won’t believe what we just got in the mail!” When I told her we were both thankful to God. That bit of generosity resulted in thanksgiving to God. Someone was living with the idea that whatever is mine is from God, and I’ll do whatever I can to share it.

This is the attitude of the Good Samaritan. He used what he had to help the man who fell among thieves. He believed that his wealth was something that would benefit the man in need and proved to be a neighbor to the one in need.

Let’s look at something a bit closer in regard to all this. The story Jesus told is in response to the question, “Who is my neighbor?” The answer to that question is whoever is in need. But there is another question that we must consider:

Behold, a lawyer stood up to put [Jesus] to the test, saying, “Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?” ²⁶ He said to him, “What is written in the Law? How do you read it?” ²⁷ And he answered, “You shall 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 your neighbor as yourself.” ²⁸ And he said to him, “You have answered correctly; do this, and you will live.”

The priest chose purity (not love for God, nor love for neighbor) over lending a hand. So did the Levite. But the significance of hero of this story may be lost on us. The normal manner in which a group of three would be listed in Jesus’ day would be, “A priest, a Levite, and ‘people.’” This is a common Old Testament triad. This combination is found in 19 places in the Old Testament, “Priests, Levites, and People.” And this is where Jesus takes a Crazy Ivan on the people of his day. That was a common tactic on his part. He’d tell a parable, using common parable language but twist the meaning that they were used to and make a significantly different point. And that’s what he’s about to do here. For the hero of this story is a Samaritan. In fact the Greek emphasizes the fact that this is a Samaritan who offers help. Maybe today we would say, “A pastor, an elder, and an illegal alien.” And the illegal alien is the hero. He’s the one who is neighbor to the one in need.

But a Samaritan, as he journeyed, came to where he was, and when he saw him, he had compassion. ³⁴ He went to him and bound up his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he set him on his own animal and brought him to an inn and took care of him. ³⁵ And the next day he took out two denarii and gave them to the innkeeper, saying, ‘Take care of him, and whatever more you spend, I will repay you when I come back.’

He has compassion. This term is used of the compassionate, kind, and merciful heart of God in almost every use in the Bible. And that’s exactly what Jesus has done for us. Make no mistake: we don’t love perfectly. We should. We should love God first and most. We should love our neighbor as ourselves. Anything less is a sin. And as we gather each Sunday, we acknowledge that as we confess our sins. Jesus has come to our rescue. He has gotten down into our mire and muck of our sin. In fact he did more than just getting dirty and taking care of a one-time crisis. He took care of an eternal need. He saved us eternally.  All that he had he gave – including his very life so we could be saved forever, and eternally glad.

We needed it because we fail to love God first and our neighbor as ourselves. But let’s not use our sinfulness as an excuse. Jesus himself says, “Go and do likewise. This is our calling:

A truly Christian work is that we descend and get mixed up in the mire of the sinner, taking his sin upon ourselves and floundering out of it with him, not acting otherwise than as if his sin were our own.” – Martin Luther

Please do not get too hung up on comparing the Good Samaritan to an illegal alien. Jesus’ use of a Samaritan as the hero of compassion and neighborliness would have been just as jarring to the people of his day. It seems to me that he was doing two things by this. First he was making a point about true religion: it’s not about purity, but about compassion and acts of lovingkindness. Second he is very much like the Samaritans in his day: hated by the Jewish religious leaders, and dismissed by the Roman elite. Yet it is he who comes to our time of need. Christians are not likely to despise Jesus’ help. But perhaps we don’t consider just how lowly and despised he is by the world. Yet he is the one who has rescued us. Saved us. Helped us in our time of greatest need. Thanks be to God!

Now he tells us, “Go and do likewise.”