We have great children here at Holy Trinity. On July 1, on VBS Sunday, the kids made an offering to God for the education of Ellen and Anna, the daughters of ****, ****'s’ daughter-in-law, who had just passed away. The children gave generously, breaking their own piggy banks, in order to help others. What possible pay back can they expect to receive? What was done previously to have indebted them to the *** family? Our wonderful children saw people who were in need, who had fallen into the hands of that dread robber, death, and been stripped and beaten. They came and saw what had happened, and they had compassion. They became like the good Samaritan. They were neighbors, as were the other members of Holy Trinity who also assisted.
Talk about love, by itself, is cheap. We could say, “Yes, we love the *** family.” And it’s just “Blah blah blah”, unless it really means something. If in fact is does mean something, we will do something. St. Paul rejoiced over the Colossian church because he heard of their faith and love. How did he know that it was genuine? Because it was made manifest in action. His blessing to them that they continue to do this is powerful. He prays that God help them “live a life worth of the Lord” and “bear fruit in every good work.”
Jesus shows us in our Gospel lesson today that God calls us to love our neighbor for their worth to Him and for the health of our own souls, not for our neighbor’s usefulness to us. Turn in your Bible to Luke 10:25.
An expert in the law, a lawyer, asks Jesus a legal question. “What must I do to inherit eternal life?” Sounds like an excellent question. But what is this inheritance of eternal life? The inheritance of the Israelites was Canaan. The inheritance of Levi was YHWH Himself; this was the higher calling of Israel. Abraham saw his inheritance not only as an earthly land, but also as the Kingdom of Heaven. “For he was looking forward to the city with foundations whose architect and builder is God” (Heb. 11:10). Eternal life is not simply being “out there.” Eternal life is dwelling in the Heavenly City; it is coming into our possession of the true Promised Land. Notice, also how the lawyer asks, “What must I do.” Our inheritance is not guaranteed, unless we abide by the terms of the contract, of the covenant.
Jesus responds by asking him for his own answer, instead of giving the lawyer the answer that he already knows. Some people can learn lessons by being told. Other folks need to see, feel, touch, to learn it for themselves. So Jesus answers the lawyer in familiar language: “What is written in the law? How do you read it?” Jesus asked the lawyer for legal precedent, and for the interpretation of that law.
The lawyer responded with the Great Commandment. He ties all the objects of our love all under the same verb, to love; that is our deed. He understood that love of God is primary and involves complete and undivided love in heart, soul, strength, and mind. Yet this is not separable from love of neighbor. For no love of God can exist except love that expresses its fullness in love of neighbor. We have a personal relationship with God, but He has placed us in a community, the Church. He has put all men into societies and governments, where we must live together. We cannot live our lives as good Christians separated from other men. Did I give myself birth? Did I baptize myself a Christian? Did I teach and instruct myself in God’s ways? No! My neighbors did all these things for me, and for what benefit of their own? They were my neighbor because they loved God.
"No man is an island, entire of itself / Every man is a piece of the continent, a part of the main / If a clod be washed away by the sea Europe is the less,/ as well as if a promontory were / as well as if a manor of thy friend or of thine own were. / Any man’s death diminishes me, because I am involved in mankind. / And therefore, never send to know for whom the bell tolls. / It tolls for thee." (Meditation of John Donne)
Our life is not removeable from our neighbors’. When the bell tolls for them (death knell, alarum, call to prayer) it tolls for us. We must love God and neighbor fully in order to fulfill the Law.
Jesus agreed with his answer. There really wasn’t anything more to add to this. When one loves God, love of neighbor naturally follows. And these two are the basis for all the Law and the Prophets and is the requirement of the Gospel. If we do this, we shall live.
The lawyer wanted something more and asked for a clarification. He asked not to better obey God’s command. Not to reach eternal life as he previously mentioned. He asked to justify himself, to find a loophole. He was asking, “Alright, that’s the press release, Jesus, but you didn’t really mean that, did you? The lawyer knew the answer to the first question that he asked. He also knew the implication of his answer. “Now what I am commanding you today is not too difficult for you or beyond your reach. … 14 No, the word is very near you; it is in your mouth and in your heart so you may obey it.” (Deut. 30:11–14).
Therefore, Jesus teaches him in a parable. The church fathers, especially St. Ambrose of Milan, St. Augustine and Origen saw deeply into this parable. The man who was robbed is Adam, and the Samaritan is Christ. The inn symbolizes the Church, entrusted with the care of souls harassed by the devil (robbers).
We, members of the church, are workers in the inn. When God asks us to do something for our neighbor, He gives us the means to do it (the two denarii). If we do more than He asks (if we are not “unprofitable servants”) he will reimburse us for any extra “expenses”. God will judge each according to what he has done (Rev. 20:12), rewarding each according to what he has done. He will reward us, not holding back what he has promised. What is the following chapter, Revelation 21? The New Jerusalem, where God will make His habitation with men? What did God promise Abraham in Genesis 15? I am your shield and very great reward. And in Genesis 12, He promised that he would be a blessing to the nations, to his neighbors. Our inheritance of eternal life with God and neighbor is our reward. That was Eden. That is Paradise. That is the inn. That is the Church.
How do we not help our neighbors? Do we greedily hold on to what God has given us, not trusting that he will repay us what we deserve? In Matt. 25, the parable of the sheep and goats: we see that we have been given things to use, be it a glass of water, food, clothes, time to visit, on behalf of our neighbor. We are asked to love our neighbor lavishly, just as God lavishes His loving-kindness (hesed), his covenant love on His people. When we use what God has given us for doing good to our neighbor, we are doing it unto God. But if we hold on to what we have been given to give, we withhold from God our offering of service and thanks; we effectively worship the gift and not the Giver.
Do we begrudge God our time, talent, and treasure regarding our neighbor? Why didn’t the priest and Levite stop? It will take too long to stop. And if he needs help even longer! Someone else will come along and help him. I don’t want to get “unclean” (even though I am going away from Jerusalem and the temple...but still!). It’s going to cost too much to help him. I only have enough wine and oil for myself, and I really should buy the missus something nice with those denarii I got back in Jerusalem. I’m not good around blood (even though I’m a priest and sacrifice). I’ll just tell someone at the next town that they make want to come back and take a look.
Do we make excuses to God for not helping our neighbors? Is soccer or Little League more important? Will it interfere with your lunch date? Someone else will certainly do it. I might have to pay for something. I’m just no good helping other people. I think this would be the perfect job for ... What honest excuse can you make for not helping your neighbor that you could tell Jesus to His face? Jesus, who is God, but humbled Himself to become man, that we might be reconciled to Him. Jesus, who suffered and died for us, and rose from the dead to give you and me victory over death, Jesus, who has graced us with gifts for all we will face, through whom we can do anything because he strengthens us. Jesus, the neighbor of neighbors.
Jesus asks the lawyer for his interpretation of the facts. “Who was a neighbor,” who proves that he was the neighbor, instead of who proves that they are worth being my neighbor. God has placed robbed men in our path (in our way) for their sake and for our own. “The rich need the poor far more than the poor need the rich.” Bp. Sheen. What use does our neighbor in need have of us? Material needs: food, clothing, shelter. Many have spiritual needs as well, but if we ignore the material needs, our compassion is shallow and unconvincing. What do we accomplish by helping our neighbor? Obedience to God’s command. Detachment from worldly wealth, which is deceitful. Refreshing our souls with works of love.
The lawyer responds. “He who had mercy on him” was the true neighbor. Jesus agrees and tells him to “Go and do likewise.” God’s call to obey the law is not unbearable, but is reasonable and gives life and is light. Without the Law we are dead, since if we do not do these things, can we have eternal life? Christ is and was the Law, the Logos, all the same Word of God. God’s call to obey is not an unworthy call, but is of highest esteem. God could help us in whatever way He chooses. He has chosen to give us a part in helping our neighbor. We do the work of God when we help others. The Great Commandment inexorably ties love of God to love of neighbor, for no love of God will abide hate and non-love—apathy—toward our neighbor. Our neighbors are not our own choosing. God picks who will enter into our lives. Some seem good, like grandkids, nephews. Others seem bad, like nasty in-laws or abusive coworkers. God expects us to be a neighbor to them all. Rejecting our neighbor is rejecting Christ. Cf. Luke 10:16 “He who rejects you rejects me”.
And in all this, what makes our neighbor so important? It is not the worth of a man for us that makes an obligation on us. It is the worth of the image of God in man that demands our attention. For that image and likeness is not of the earth, nor of beast, nor of any created thing. It is the image of the Uncreate God—an image of He who no one has seen. A holy awe and fear should fill us in the presence of another person, our neighbor. Indeed the making of idols in the form of anything in the heaven above, the earth beneath, or the waters below is forbidden. Yet God made man in His own image. In the image of God He created him. Male and female He created them. God does not leave us forever to guess about what He is like. In all of creation, He has left His fingerprints if we are but willing to look. And in man, in our neighbor, we find not a mere fingerprint, the few and fine tool marks left by a craftsman. In man, we find the artist’s great masterpiece, the pinnacle of His creation. God wanted to let man know what He Himself is like, and therefore formed him out of the dust of the earth into His own likeness and breathed into his nostrils. Oh, how great a mystery! Even man in his fallen state retains this character, though tarnished and broken. Even so, if we are willing to look and see, we will see that image. We will find that our neighbors do not inhibit us from coming closer to God, but rather, through them we are brought nearer to Him.
