7 Sunday after Pentecost July 15, 07 Text: Luke 10:25-37
7 Sunday after Pentecost
July 15, 2007
Text: Luke 10:25-37
Title:
Some years ago the latest rage among evangelical Christians was to have a bumper sticker put on their car that read, “Jesus is the answer.” I got to thinking if, “Jesus is the answer”, what’s the question?
Ask that question of people and one of two things will happen. Either the conversation will be ended or you will get all kinds of different answers, for is not much agreement about what question Jesus is the answer to.
There is a man in our gospel reading for today who asked Jesus a question, “What shall I do to inherit eternal life?” Now that is a fair question. People still ask it today. The lawyer, he was not a lawyer like we know today. He was a highly educated person in the law of the Torah.
You see the Jewish people were not content with following the spirit of the law God had given them. They soon discovered that people were trying to get around the law. Asking question like, “what does it mean to honor God, or one’s parents?” By the time this meeting of Jesus and the lawyer was taking place there were over 650 laws on the temple books. They were very complex and needed specially trained people to know if a certain law or laws was broken.
It was just like it is today. Congress passes a law because there is a need for it and as soon as it is passed, if not sooner, people try to figure a way around it, so that they can do what they want without breaking the law.
Just like back in Jesus’ time people today put aside the issue of morality that caused the law to be passed in the first place for obeying the law, just because it is the law.
This lawyer had a reason to ask Jesus the question and we can tell by the word “test” in verse 25 that he was up to now good. This particular Greek word that we translate as “test” is the same word used when Satan tested Jesus.
It is not the same word we translate as “test” as when we are tested by God. That Greek word means to purify, to drive out the impurities. When God tests us, the only possible result will be spiritual strengthening.
Oh, you might not pass the test at the time, but in the end it will prove to be a good thing, for it will spiritually strengthen you. God cannot test you so that you can fail. That goes against who he is. It is just simply impossible.
The meaning of that one little word makes all the difference in our narrative this morning. But Jesus was not fooled. He knew the man’s heart. So Jesus asked him a question. “What is written in the Law? How do you read it?”
This educated lawyer answered Jesus question without skipping a beat. He had the answer and he knew it, for every good Jew was suppose to recite these laws twice a day, “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.”
He had it down pat, and I would bet that he was congratulating himself for his great answer, when Jesus threw him a curve ball as he told him, “You have answered correctly; do this, and you will live.”
I bet there was a long silence, for this is not what he expected. He was there to trap Jesus and here Jesus was telling him that he agreed with him.
The lawyer wanted to make sure that he and Jesus were on the same page concerning his answer, so he asked Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?
He should have stopped while he was ahead by not asking the question, but he wanted to justify his present understanding and behavior so he asked the question and got a parable.
Now parables are teaching tools. Every Rabbi worth his salt used them to teach. Parables always used common things that the people would understand the workings of and then, especially in Jesus’ case turn the expected answer upside down.
This parable is no different. I believe that if Jesus were alive today and he walked into our church he would still use the same parable, for it is just as meaningful today as it was then.
What is your attitude toward your neighbor? Do you just like those who can help you or are like you? Do you consider your neighbor to be only the people living next door to you, or maybe those living in your neighborhood?
If you do Jesus would be speaking to you, for what he was trying to get the man to understand is that when you ask the question you have already shown your lack of understanding.
To ask the question is to give oneself away. To ask God the question of who your neighbor is shows that you are lacking in the understanding of what it means to be a follower of Jesus.
Now, I understand some of you might disagree with that statement, for there is only so much time and money, but you see I am not talking about the actual doing of good, no more than Jesus was. He was doing a heart check, just as he would do today if he were to come in among us and tell us the same story.
Now we are not told what the man did after Jesus told him what to do, but that really is not important. What is important is how we respond to Jesus command to go and do likewise.
Maybe you would jump right up and say, “Okay, Lord, that’s exactly what I’ll do.” That sounds like a good answer doesn’t it, but I would put forth that that answer would be arrogant, for such an answer would mean that I can do it. I can do it on my own Lord. Jesus turn me loose and you will see.
What if you said, “Lord I will do what you want me to do. Help me to fulfill your will.” Now that is better. It is only semi-arrogant. I would say that the proper response to Jesus command would be to throw oneself down at the feet of Jesus and cry out, “Lord, I cannot fulfill your will. Have mercy on me.”
You see, I believe that we get so caught up in the story that we completely overlook the actual question that the lawyer asks, “What must I do?” His question assumes that he is capable of doing something to earn his salvation. His question assumes that all he needs is some help, some direction from God, a little help and I can do it Lord.
When you understand the question, then you understand the answer Jesus gave him. You understand that without Jesus dying on that bloody cross, freely obeying God’s desire, that you do not have a snowball’s chance in hell of being saved.
Jesus saves those who cannot be saved. This is really hard for most people to accept, but you really do not have a snowball’s chance in hell of doing anything that will save you more than Jesus’ gift to you.
What Jesus is saying is that if we want our salvation to depend in any part upon us, then it must depend totally upon us. Or, to put the matter in the reverse, either Jesus saves us completely or He doesn’t save us at all.
I think that most of us would like to see us as the Good Samaritan, but I would say that we more closely fit the role of the one beaten up and laying there naked and half-dead. That’s not very attractive at all, is it? Certainly not a role we would choose. And yet, it’s true. We are the one who has fallen among robbers.
We have been robbed by Satan. We have been left half dead. And what’s more, we didn’t even know it happened. The beating took place a long time ago in the Garden of Eden. We do not know we have been spiritually beaten to death, for we were born spiritually dead.
We think that we are normal and doing well, not realizing that we have been robbed and beaten, beaten almost to death. Yes, this parable is about us – but not in the way we might think. We like to think of ourselves as strong and capable. We think deep down in our little black hearts that somehow God must take something we do into account.
We surely are not destitute before God, be we are. We are not only destitute; we are totally dependent on God’s mercy toward us. I would say that Jesus is the Samaritan. He is the outcast, the despised one. He, who was killed for your sake, came down to be one of us. He carried us to the cross. He bound us up with him through our baptism.
Anyone want to hazard a guess as to what that “inn” might be? It’s not heaven. It is right here, God’s church of which I pray that we are a part of. It is here that we are cared for. It is hear that we are nursed along, as we are fed his very body and blood in the bread and wine.
The payment has been made and it is complete. We don’t make a decision for Jesus. He made the decision before the world even came into existence.
It’s all mercy. Salvation from beginning to end is pure undeserved mercy, undeserved, unmerited, nattainable by any human effort. You have heard and will continue to hear from me what God’s Word tells us. As far as our salvation is concerned salvation comes to us from outside of us. Jesus work on our behalf is so amazing that we would not even know where to look for it if it were not shown to us in his Word, poured out on us in our baptism, and fed to us in his holy supper, all through his holy church.
Sometimes I just tremble at the wonder of it all. Amen.
LBS 456 Were You There
Text and Music: Public domain
July 15, 2007
Text: Luke 10:25-37
Title:
Some years ago the latest rage among evangelical Christians was to have a bumper sticker put on their car that read, “Jesus is the answer.” I got to thinking if, “Jesus is the answer”, what’s the question?
Ask that question of people and one of two things will happen. Either the conversation will be ended or you will get all kinds of different answers, for is not much agreement about what question Jesus is the answer to.
There is a man in our gospel reading for today who asked Jesus a question, “What shall I do to inherit eternal life?” Now that is a fair question. People still ask it today. The lawyer, he was not a lawyer like we know today. He was a highly educated person in the law of the Torah.
You see the Jewish people were not content with following the spirit of the law God had given them. They soon discovered that people were trying to get around the law. Asking question like, “what does it mean to honor God, or one’s parents?” By the time this meeting of Jesus and the lawyer was taking place there were over 650 laws on the temple books. They were very complex and needed specially trained people to know if a certain law or laws was broken.
It was just like it is today. Congress passes a law because there is a need for it and as soon as it is passed, if not sooner, people try to figure a way around it, so that they can do what they want without breaking the law.
Just like back in Jesus’ time people today put aside the issue of morality that caused the law to be passed in the first place for obeying the law, just because it is the law.
This lawyer had a reason to ask Jesus the question and we can tell by the word “test” in verse 25 that he was up to now good. This particular Greek word that we translate as “test” is the same word used when Satan tested Jesus.
It is not the same word we translate as “test” as when we are tested by God. That Greek word means to purify, to drive out the impurities. When God tests us, the only possible result will be spiritual strengthening.
Oh, you might not pass the test at the time, but in the end it will prove to be a good thing, for it will spiritually strengthen you. God cannot test you so that you can fail. That goes against who he is. It is just simply impossible.
The meaning of that one little word makes all the difference in our narrative this morning. But Jesus was not fooled. He knew the man’s heart. So Jesus asked him a question. “What is written in the Law? How do you read it?”
This educated lawyer answered Jesus question without skipping a beat. He had the answer and he knew it, for every good Jew was suppose to recite these laws twice a day, “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.”
He had it down pat, and I would bet that he was congratulating himself for his great answer, when Jesus threw him a curve ball as he told him, “You have answered correctly; do this, and you will live.”
I bet there was a long silence, for this is not what he expected. He was there to trap Jesus and here Jesus was telling him that he agreed with him.
The lawyer wanted to make sure that he and Jesus were on the same page concerning his answer, so he asked Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?
He should have stopped while he was ahead by not asking the question, but he wanted to justify his present understanding and behavior so he asked the question and got a parable.
Now parables are teaching tools. Every Rabbi worth his salt used them to teach. Parables always used common things that the people would understand the workings of and then, especially in Jesus’ case turn the expected answer upside down.
This parable is no different. I believe that if Jesus were alive today and he walked into our church he would still use the same parable, for it is just as meaningful today as it was then.
What is your attitude toward your neighbor? Do you just like those who can help you or are like you? Do you consider your neighbor to be only the people living next door to you, or maybe those living in your neighborhood?
If you do Jesus would be speaking to you, for what he was trying to get the man to understand is that when you ask the question you have already shown your lack of understanding.
To ask the question is to give oneself away. To ask God the question of who your neighbor is shows that you are lacking in the understanding of what it means to be a follower of Jesus.
Now, I understand some of you might disagree with that statement, for there is only so much time and money, but you see I am not talking about the actual doing of good, no more than Jesus was. He was doing a heart check, just as he would do today if he were to come in among us and tell us the same story.
Now we are not told what the man did after Jesus told him what to do, but that really is not important. What is important is how we respond to Jesus command to go and do likewise.
Maybe you would jump right up and say, “Okay, Lord, that’s exactly what I’ll do.” That sounds like a good answer doesn’t it, but I would put forth that that answer would be arrogant, for such an answer would mean that I can do it. I can do it on my own Lord. Jesus turn me loose and you will see.
What if you said, “Lord I will do what you want me to do. Help me to fulfill your will.” Now that is better. It is only semi-arrogant. I would say that the proper response to Jesus command would be to throw oneself down at the feet of Jesus and cry out, “Lord, I cannot fulfill your will. Have mercy on me.”
You see, I believe that we get so caught up in the story that we completely overlook the actual question that the lawyer asks, “What must I do?” His question assumes that he is capable of doing something to earn his salvation. His question assumes that all he needs is some help, some direction from God, a little help and I can do it Lord.
When you understand the question, then you understand the answer Jesus gave him. You understand that without Jesus dying on that bloody cross, freely obeying God’s desire, that you do not have a snowball’s chance in hell of being saved.
Jesus saves those who cannot be saved. This is really hard for most people to accept, but you really do not have a snowball’s chance in hell of doing anything that will save you more than Jesus’ gift to you.
What Jesus is saying is that if we want our salvation to depend in any part upon us, then it must depend totally upon us. Or, to put the matter in the reverse, either Jesus saves us completely or He doesn’t save us at all.
I think that most of us would like to see us as the Good Samaritan, but I would say that we more closely fit the role of the one beaten up and laying there naked and half-dead. That’s not very attractive at all, is it? Certainly not a role we would choose. And yet, it’s true. We are the one who has fallen among robbers.
We have been robbed by Satan. We have been left half dead. And what’s more, we didn’t even know it happened. The beating took place a long time ago in the Garden of Eden. We do not know we have been spiritually beaten to death, for we were born spiritually dead.
We think that we are normal and doing well, not realizing that we have been robbed and beaten, beaten almost to death. Yes, this parable is about us – but not in the way we might think. We like to think of ourselves as strong and capable. We think deep down in our little black hearts that somehow God must take something we do into account.
We surely are not destitute before God, be we are. We are not only destitute; we are totally dependent on God’s mercy toward us. I would say that Jesus is the Samaritan. He is the outcast, the despised one. He, who was killed for your sake, came down to be one of us. He carried us to the cross. He bound us up with him through our baptism.
Anyone want to hazard a guess as to what that “inn” might be? It’s not heaven. It is right here, God’s church of which I pray that we are a part of. It is here that we are cared for. It is hear that we are nursed along, as we are fed his very body and blood in the bread and wine.
The payment has been made and it is complete. We don’t make a decision for Jesus. He made the decision before the world even came into existence.
It’s all mercy. Salvation from beginning to end is pure undeserved mercy, undeserved, unmerited, nattainable by any human effort. You have heard and will continue to hear from me what God’s Word tells us. As far as our salvation is concerned salvation comes to us from outside of us. Jesus work on our behalf is so amazing that we would not even know where to look for it if it were not shown to us in his Word, poured out on us in our baptism, and fed to us in his holy supper, all through his holy church.
Sometimes I just tremble at the wonder of it all. Amen.
LBS 456 Were You There
Text and Music: Public domain
posted by Pastor Rhoads | 8:06 PM
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