Göttinger Predigten
Göttinger Predigten im Internet hg. von U. Nembach
The Eighth Sunday after Pentecost, 07/10/2016
“Expected to ‘Go and do likewise!”
Sermon on Luke 10:25-37, by David M. Wendel
25 And behold, a lawyer stood up to put him 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?” 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 right; 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 and went to him and bound up his wounds, pouring on oil and wine; then he set him on his own beast 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 neighbor to the man who fell among the robbers?” 37 He said, “The one who showed mercy on him.” And Jesus said to him, “Go and do likewise.”
Expectations
“What do you expect from me?” “You expect too much from me!” “I can’t live up to your expectations!” “I can’t meet your expectations, if I don’t know what they are!”
Expectations. On the job, employees ask for clear, concise, easily understood expectations. Employers struggle to be clear and concise in their expectations, and to be clear when their employees are, or aren’t, meeting them. In the home, parents are frustrated when their expectations aren’t met, and kids feel confused when their parents aren’t specific in their expectations. And we all balk and resist when we feel expectations are laid upon us that are unrealistic, unfair and burdensome. Why so much concern for expectations? It’s simple, really. Expectations help us to know what we should be doing. Expectations set limits and boundaries. Expectations help us to be successful. If we don’t know what’s expected of us, how can we ever hope to meet or exceed those expectations? That’s true in all arenas in life, and it’s especially true in the Church, with regard to living out our faith as disciples.
Expectations in the Church
Isn’t it odd, then, that expectations in Church have seemed, at times, out-of-order. Because God’s love is unconditional, it might seem, unloving and even un-grace-ful to place expectations upon ourselves and others in the Church. When I meet with church councils and leadership teams in our congregations about actually writing down the expectations they have for themselves and for each other as council persons and church members, it takes some honest discussion and reflection to get from the feeling that we shouldn’t expect anything of ourselves, to the realization, if we don’t know what is expected of us, how can we be-- not just successful or effective, but faithful, to our Lord, and the work he wants us to do? In the Church, understanding and fulfilling expectations isn’t to earn our way into heaven, but to understand what God’s will is for us, and to learn how to fulfill God’s will for us. Without that, we can never hope to live out our faith; without that, we won’t know what it is to live the faith we say we believe. And believing the faith and living the faith is what being followers of Jesus is all about. It’s knowing what Jesus wants and expects from us, giving our heart, soul, mind and strength trying to live that out in our daily lives. And it’s that, that makes the parable of the Good Samaritan so helpful to us.
What Does the Law Expect?
It is clear that the lawyer who questions Jesus in our gospel lesson, had no real interest in what Jesus expected of him. St. Luke tells us that this man was only trying to test Jesus, to discredit Jesus somehow. But as always, Jesus turns the table on the man, turning the question back on the lawyer, getting the lawyer to affirm, himself, that life, and eternal life has to do with loving the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind and strength, and your neighbor as yourself. Any Jewish scribe or scholar of the Torah, the Law would have known that. So, now trying to justify himself, before Jesus, the lawyer asks the million-dollar question. “And who is my neighbor?”
Ah, the lawyer thought he had Jesus here, because rabbis and scholars had been arguing this point for generations. Yes, the law of God says to love your neighbor as yourself. But, who is my neighbor? How far does our responsibility go? This was important for those who wanted to follow the letter of the law, because it would clarify God’s expectations, in this regard. The faithful person would want to love their neighbor, but, obviously, not everyone could be considered a neighbor. Not everyone should be considered a neighbor, for that would mean loving--everyone, which seemed unreasonable.
So, the lawyer, the student of Torah asked the question, again, trying to trap Jesus, because all rabbis knew, that according to Leviticus 19:18, my neighbor was considered to be any fellow-Israelite. According to Jewish teaching, the command to love one’s neighbor, did not extend to just anyone, but to a select number of people. The lawyer knew that according to rabbinic teaching, God did not expect you to love anyone and everyone, because only fellow Jews, were considered neighbors. And it is just this narrow, and perhaps, misguided expectation, that Jesus addresses in the parable of the Good Samaritan. The lawyer wanted to know, "And who is my neighbor?” “Whom do I have to love and care for, and whom do I NOT have to love and care for?”
The Expectation is Inclusive
Jesus says, the question is not exclusive, whom may I exclude from love…but inclusive, who else, is in need, of my love? Who else needs, a loving, caring neighbor? As Jesus compares, through the parable, the priest, the Levite, and the Samaritan, he asks, not, to whom would this poor, beaten, robbed man be a neighbor, but who was a neighbor, to this man?! And that clarifies Jesus’ expectations of us, does it not? That makes it clear, to you and to me, if not to the lawyer of Torah, that we are expected to be neighbors, to any one in need! We are expected to love and care for anyone who is hurting, lonely, lost, abandoned, victimized. We are expected to show mercy to anyone in need of mercy. We are expected to be a neighbor to anyone who is in need of a neighbor. That's what Jesus expects of us.
Not a Burden, but Freeing
And does that expectation come across as a burden, or a requirement, or a heavy weight around our necks? Instead, it can be understood as freeing. It frees us to be a neighbor to anyone who needs us. It frees us from worrying about whether this person or that person is my neighbor. It frees us from wondering if we have to travel to the far reaches of the earth to get to my neighbor, because, my neighbor can be anyone in need, anywhere I go. And that means, anyone, anywhere.
It means you can be a neighbor, to your spouse, when your husband or wife is hurting and in need. It means you can be a neighbor to your co-worker when they are struggling, and need someone to listen and to care. It means you can be a neighbor to your parents or children, when they are afraid or anxious. It means you can fulfill God’s commandment to love your neighbor as yourself, by being a neighbor, to anyone in need, anytime, anywhere. And that is good news. Not just because it helps us to know what God expects and wants of us. But because it helps to guide our lives. It gives us direction and meaning and purpose in life. It says to us, practically and simply, how to seek to fulfill God’s will, in our lives. It is to be a neighbor, to those in need. God expects, no more, and no less of us, than that. To be a neighbor to others, as Jesus, has been a neighbor to us.
Jesus, the Good Samaritan
Because believe it or not, Jesus is really, the Good Samaritan. The reality is that our Lord is not lifting up you and me in this parable, as if we are the loving, caring ones who always go out of our way, above and beyond, to care for a neighbor in need. Rather, the parable is about Jesus and his love and care for each and every one of us. The parable is about Jesus, who is the one who will not ignore us, or pass by us, but instead, binds up our wounds, provides for our care, pays the price for our healing and wholeness, and promises to return again. It is Jesus, who is our neighbor, giving his very life on the cross for us and for our salvation, because we are in need of forgiveness and can’t save ourselves. And it is His neighborliness, the gift of his life that frees us and empowers us and encourages us to be neighbors to others. It is His neighborliness towards us that sends us out, you and me, to be a neighbor to anyone in need. And yes, you might even say, Jesus expects it of us, as He says, “Go and do likewise!” Amen.
Bemerkung:
The Rev. Dr. Wendel is Assistant to the Bishop, The North American Lutheran Church